Miller Peak - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Carr Peak is the second highest peak in the Huachuca Mountains of southeast Arizona. Carr Peak is easily recognizable as the prominent double-humped mountain due south of Sierra Vista. The area is well known among birders because of the variety of hummingbird species seen in the area as well as the dozens of southwestern specialties such as Apache pine, Chihuahua pine, ridge-nosed rattlesnake, lesser long-nosed bat and elegant trogon.

The Miller Peak Wilderness lies between the city of Sierra Vista and the Mexican border in the southern half of the Huachuca Mountains.More than 170 species of birds have been spotted here, including 14 kinds of hummingbirds. More than 60 species of reptiles and 78 species of mammals inhabit the area. It encompasses around 20,190 acres and is managed by the Coronado National Forest.

The Coronado Peak is a great trail if you want to take in sweeping views of the US and Mexico in this part of Arizona. It's not much of a hike to get to the top, but it is popular, and many people who come to the area when visiting the Coronado National Memorial and who bother to drive the steep road to Montezuma Pass will probably hike this peak. The trail is good, has benches and informative signs, and the views are excellent.

Montezuma Pass is within Coronado National Memorial. This site provides views of the San Raphael Valley to the west, the San Pedro Valley to the east, and Mexico to the south. Exhibit panels at the pass provide information about the Coronado Expedition, the flora and fauna of Sky Island habitats, and visible geography. It is also the trailhead for the southern terminus of the great Arizona Trail.

Coronado cave is one of the few open, undeveloped caves in southern Arizona. The cave is a large cavern 600 feet long and in most places about 70 feet wide.The cave is located ~ .25 mile west of the visitor center on the north side of the road is the parking area for the trail. It became part of Coronado National Memorial in 1978, when the park expanded its boundaries. The cave may have been used by humans as a shelter and hideout by middle archaic people.

The Cave Trail climbs 400 feet over half a mile to the entrance of a 600 foot-long limestone cavern, overlooking a minor ravine on the south side of Montezuma Peak, part of an area that was added to Coronado National Memorial after a boundary expansion in 1978. The cave interior extends 600 feet in length, with 20 foot high ceilings. Those planning to explore the limestone cave should bring at least two sources of light per person.