Coronado National Forest, National forest in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, United States.
Coronado National Forest is a protected forest spanning multiple mountain ranges across Arizona and New Mexico with varied terrain and habitats. The landscape transitions from drier lower elevations to cooler, more forested mountain areas that support different types of plants and wildlife.
The land that became Coronado National Forest entered the reserve system in 1902 as the Santa Rita Forest Reserve, transferred to the U.S. Forest Service in 1905. The forest itself was established in 1908. It later absorbed several formerly separate national forests, including Santa Rita, Tumacacori, Chiricahua, Dragoon, Peloncillo and Huachuca; part of Crook National Forest was added in 1953.
The forest's name honors Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, the Spanish explorer who crossed the region in 1540 searching for the Seven Cities of Gold. The 1986 comedy ¡Three Amigos!, starring Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short, filmed some of its scenes in the forest. The Coronado is split into five non-contiguous ranger districts, each covering separate sky island ranges.
The forest offers many hiking trails of varying difficulty and campgrounds suitable for different experience levels and camping styles. Visitors should prepare for changing weather conditions and significant elevation changes, especially in the mountain areas.
The Sawmill Fire began on April 23, 2017, during a gender reveal party and burned about 47,000 acres (19,000 ha). The person who started it was an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent, who was fined and given probation.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,777 contributors worldwide.