HIKE OF THE MONTH

Coronado National Memorial isn't the smallest national park in the state, but compared with some of the others - Organ Pipe, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon it's definitely on the smaller side. What it lacks in acreage, however, it makes up for in history. And it begins with the name: Coronado. The location of the park, Joseph P. Sanchez writes in his book Coronado National Memorial, "was predicated on a route determined by historians to be near the place where explorers of the Coronado expedition (1540-42) entered present-day United States from Mexico." Thus, the park. The history, though, goes deeper than that. According to Sanchez, the area was also a "focal point where Spanish and Mexican period miners and ranchers, Native Americans, early Anglo-American mining entrepreneurs and homesteaders crossed paths."

Although its history is colorful, the park itself is quiet, with just over 100,000 visitors a year. Most of those folks are drive-throughs. And some are hikers.

Of the five trails in the park, Joe's Canyon is arguably the best. It begins near the visitors center, along a well-maintained track of dirt and rock. The climb starts with your first step, and within a few more, you'll see Montezuma Peak to your right at 7,676 feet, it's the highest point in the park. About 10 minutes later, the trail veers slightly left, and up ahead, you'll see a saddle-like ridge that separates the east and west ends of the trail. In the space between, you'll pass chollas, manzanitas and waves of grass punctuated by wildflowers. Just beyond the turn, the trail crosses a narrow wash that feeds a string of hardy Arizona white oaks. That's followed by a series of long zigs and zags. The track here is rocky, and as you approach the ridge, you'll skirt the base of a steep wall. Look for Mexican jays, which are rare in the U.S., and Lucifer