Over The Top


Over The Top- Scenic Drive

Over The Top

Pinery Canyon Road & Whitewater Draw (Allow 6+ Hours)
COCHISE COUNTY
A scenic drive, a mountain picnic & sandhill cranes. We started out with our picnic basket ready and a full tank of gas in Sunizona. We took Highway 181 (this is the same as Highway 186 which comes out of Willcox) toward the Chiricahua National Monument. Just before the Chiricahua National Monument we took a right onto Pinery Canyon Road (42 Forest Service Road).

Note: Pinery Canyon Road is a rugged, unpaved mountain road, drive safely.

Views From the Top

About 12:30 pm we reached the top of our journey. We found a nice place to park, took a short hike to take in the views & had a picnic lunch. Then it was time to hit the road again.

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Coming Down

About 2pm we reached the base of the mountain on the other side. Approaching the town of Portal we were once again amazed by the powerful Chiricahua scenery.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Other ideas for this tour might include a visit to the American Museum of Natural History's Southwestern Research Center or the Chiricahua Desert Museum in Rodeo, New Mexico. For us, this was a scenic drive, so we kept on going. We briefly crossed into New Mexico and took Highway 80 all the way into Douglas, AZ, enjoying the open road and views of mountain ranges.

Whitewater Draw

January is the perfect time to see the Sandhill Cranes that winter here in southeastern Arizona. By 4:30pm we arrived at the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area to see thousands of cranes coming and going along with many other birds. The large white birds in the photo are probably snow geese.

Learn more about Whitewater Draw, local Sandhill Cranes and view the 'Crane Cam' HERE.

Whitewater Draw

4423 W Bagby Rd, McNeal, AZ 85617
Whitewater Draw Map

Birder's Oasis

Dos Cabezas Retreat Bed & Breakfast is a great place to stay for hikers and birders. It's only 20 miles from 17 miles of hiking trails in the Chiricahua National Monument and only 16 miles from historic Fort Bowie. You'll notice a constant flow of feathered friends visiting the B&B during your stay, you'll probably even see a 'life bird'.

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