20 Attractions to Explore Near Canelo Hills

The Canelo Hills Cienega Reserve, is a nature preserve southeast of Sonoita, Arizona on the east side of the Canelo Hills. The area's 260 acres are a mix of rare cienega wetland and black oak and Arizona fescue fields. The preserve is notable for the extremely rare Canelo ladies tresses orchid and the Gila chub and Gila sucker that grow along its alkaline banks. The ranch was purchased by the Nature Conservancy in 1969 from the Knipes family. It

Lightning Ridge Cellars is a perfect example of the best wines Arizona has to offer. They offer wines based on Italian heritage. Their estate wines are made from classic Italian varietals: Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano, Primitivo, Malvasia and Muscat Canelli. Clay soils, long warm summers, cool nights and an old world style of winemaking provide the perfect combination to produce rich, full-bodied wines.

This beautiful wineyards sits on a hilltop in the rolling grasslands of Southern Arizona at an elevation of 5,000 feet. This is the oldest commercial vineyard and winery in Arizona. Sonoita Vineyards is now 3rd generation and includes over 30 acres of vines. Every bottle of wine is hand bottled, labeled, and capped in small batches at less than 2,000 bottles per vintage.

This is a high intermontane grass valley in eastern Santa Cruz, and it is bounded to the west by the Patagonia Mountains. This beautiful valley is the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River, which flows into Mexico then turns north back into the United States and eventually joins the Gila River. The riparian areas and native grass prairie are home to many species of plants and animals.

A 100% estate winery located in Elgin, Arizona. The wines are unique and masterfully created by the owner/winemaker Chris and his amazing wife Breanna. Every time you walk into this place, it’s familiar and comfortable with great music. Beyond that, you’ll meet a variety of animal hosts who are just as happy to see you as everyone else there.

Harshaw Creek is a stream in the Patagonia Mountains of Santa Cruz County, Arizona, named after David Tecumseh Harshaw, who settled along its banks in the mid-1870s. Much of Harshaw Creek is located within the Coronado National Forest and is available for recreational use. Several ranches are also located alongside the creek, although cattle grazing is limited. The creek and its tributaries were the center of extensive gold and silver mining activity beginning at the end of the 19th century.

A nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting and preserving the culture and history of eastern Santa Cruz County. This Museum strives to serve the community through educational programs focusing on the research, interpretation and exhibition of our cultural heritage.

The Elgin Distillery is the highest awarded craft distillery on the planet, which produces ultra premium award winning spirits using local ingredients and time tested techniques. Each spirit is meticulously crafted by hand, resulting in high quality spirits that are second to none. It is one of the iconic attraction in this area.

Wilhelm Family Vineyards strives to grow ultra-premium grapes on a unique terroir in the high desert of Sonoita. Their vineyard produces nearly 10 tones of fruit yearly. Each year, fruit is removed to insure the vine can support the maturing and ripening within our short growing season.

The Paton Center for Hummingbirds is a place to explore and experience the special birds of southeast Arizona. It is dedicated to the celebration and conservation of hummingbirds—and all of southeast Arizona’s astounding biodiversity—through recreation, education, and sustainable living. 213 bird species have been reported for this cozy home lot on the outskirts of Patagonia, including Violet-crowned Hummingbirds, Gray Hawks, Varied Buntings, Thick-billed Kingbirds.

A beautiful lake located in the southeastern Arizona. The lake is a reservoir formed by a dam in Parker Canyon in the south end of the Canelo Hills in southwestern Cochise County. Parker Canyon is a tributary to the Santa Cruz River in the San Rafael Valley. The facilities are maintained by Coronado National Forest division of the USDA Forest Service.

Cabezas WineWorks has been producing innovative wines from the particularly challenging terroir of Arizona’s high desert for over two decades. This WineWorks features a tasting room, a wine club and events scheduled throughout the year. The winery is supplied with distinctive, high-quality fruit from its two estate vineyards: Pronghorn Vineyard in Sonoita, and Cimarron Vineyard in their Kansas Settlement.

Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve is one of Santa Cruz County's most sought out birding hot spots. Owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, it is actually one of the best bird watching havens in the Southwest. This lush riparian area provides habitat for over 200 species of birds. This site contains the first two miles of permanent flow of Sonoita Creek and the floodplains adjacent to the stream. The site contains very high biodiversity values.

This is a United States Army installation in Puerto Rico. It is located in the metropolitan area of the capital, San Juan.Fort Buchanan serves a population of approximately 130,000, including military personnel, their dependents, retirees, veterans, and the civilian workforce. This fort is host to a number of tenant activities and also hosts a number of non-DoD organizations that provide services to soldiers, their dependents, and community members.

The Mustang Mountains are a mountain range located in the southeast region of Arizona, are on the northwest side of Fort Huachuca. They are found at the southern end of the Whetstone Mountains.

Rune Wines is an off-grid winery and tasting room in beautiful Sonoita. Visit Arizona’s only off-grid solar-powered winery and tasting room in Sonoita, Arizona. They are one of the only Arizona wineries that sources grapes from the best vineyards across the state, so you can truly taste the terroir of Arizona at Rune.

Sunnyside Canyon is a 2 mile moderately popular blue singletrack trail located near Sierra Vista Arizona. This multi-use trail can be used both directions. On average it takes 15 minutes to complete this trail.

Patagonia Lake State Park was established in 1975 as a state park and is an ideal place to find whitetail deer roaming the hills and great blue herons walking the shoreline.The park offers a beach, picnic area with ramadas, tables & grills, a creek trail, boat ramps, a marina, and the Lakeside Market. There is a campground, boat-in camp sites, restrooms, showers, and a dump station. The Lakeside Market offers boat rentals, fishing licenses, bait, ice, and more.

A beautiful manmade reservoir in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The lake was created by damming Sonoita Creek, and is a popular area for boating and sport fishing. The park offers a campground, beach, picnic area with ramadas, tables and grills, a creek trail, boat ramps, and a marina.

Sonoita Creek State Natural Area is a haven for more than 315 species of birds, which was located at the base of the Santa Rita Mountains near Patagonia. There are 26 recorded cultural resource sites located within the Natural Area that all have an Arizona State Museum Site Number associated with them. These sites range from a Hohokam field house to the historic New Mexico and Arizona railroad grade