Off the Ranch Adventure Rides
to the Chiricahua Mountains across the valley. These rides are to exceptional locations, and they are described in more detail below.

"Fort Bowie"
~ Offered Thursdays - Weather Permitting ~
Fort Bowie was built in the 1860's to protect the infamous Apache Pass, where many a wagon train was attacked by braves led by Chief Cochise of the Chiricahua Apaches and Chief Mangas Coloradas of the Mimbres. Normally, visitors to the Fort have to walk along a Forest Service trail from the parking area 1 1/2 miles away, but on horseback we can ride the Butterfield Trail, retracing the old stage coach route from a wagon train massacre site on the top of Apache Pass, all the way to the Fort. We ride past the ruins of the stage station, by what is left of the old Fort Bowie cemetery, where the remains of soldier and Indian lie buried side by side. We pass through the canyon where the Battle of Apache Pass took place, by the foundation of the house where Tom Jeffords, friend to Cochise and Indian Agent at that time, once lived; past Apache Springs, the only source of water for miles around, and thus one of the causes of contention between the white man and the Indian, and finally onto the summit of the pass, where we see the United States flag waving lone and tall on the long ago deserted parade ground of old Fort Bowie. Today Fort Bowie is fast disappearing, crumbling back into the earth, but it is a fascinating and nostalgic reminder of the tough pioneers who won the West for us...(Trip takes all day. All levels of experience.)

"Chiricahua National Monument"
~ Offered  Tuesdays - Weather Permitting ~
This spectacular canyon with its fantastic rock formations is probably the least known of America's National Parks, and yet is one of the most beautiful. For many years after the early settlers arrived in this valley, the canyon remained totally undiscovered by the white man, although it was used as a place of refuge by the Apache. In the 1870's, a detachment of Buffalo Soldiers, the famous black cavalry, was camped at the mouth of Bonita Canyon, to prevent Indians from escaping into its wilderness. It was not until the 1920's that an early settler, Ed Riggs, discovered its wonders while looking for lost cattle. He petitioned the government to protect the area for future generations by designating it a National Park. In the 1930's the Civilian Conservation Corps camped in the canyon and constructed the miles of winding, superbly designed trails which enable us to explore the area today. We trailer the horses to the parking lot of the Far-away Ranch, once the home of Ed and Lillian Riggs. From there we ride past the recently restored homestead, an interesting example of early Arizona architecture, through rolling meadows of ranch country, and then up a steeply ascending trail winding through tall pines reminiscent of Montana. After many switchbacks, each one revealing more breathtaking scenery, we arrive in the almost lunar landscape of Balancing Rock and the Heart of Rocks - an outing you will never forget. This trail is not for novice riders, as it is steep, with switchbacks and steep drop-offs. This trip may not be possible in winter, as the elevation is 7,000 feet. Turkey Creek is offered as an alternative.