Guadalupe Mountain National Park & Madera Canyon

We had 3 quick stops on our way to Arizona: Fort Stockton and Van Horn, Texas and Deming, New Mexico; all great road trips through the mountains. We had been to Fort Stockton before, so we just rested and enjoyed the park’s “Six Shooter Trail”. Van Horn is in the middle of nowhere, but is less than an hour from Guadalupe Mountain National Park. It was so good to be back in the mountains!! Last year we focused on the great lakes and weren’t in the mountains for the first time since we started RVing. Most people don’t think of Texas as being a state with mountains, but the western part of Texas is beautiful. Seeing El Capitan from the road and hiking trails and witnessing the beauty of Guadalupe Mountain National Park was pretty amazing. In Deming, Rockhound State Park had wonderful views, especially from Lover’s Leap Trail.

The highlight of May however, was our stay at the De Anza RV Resort and ditching our RV and staying in a little apartment at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon, AZ. Mike had been so looking forward to birding in this area and staying in the lodge and enjoying their many bird feeders and wildlife viewing. We were most excited to have the opportunity to see the Elegant Trogan (bird) and coatimundi; and we got to see both! The Carrie Nation Trail in the Coronado Forest in the Santa Rita Mountains was our favorite hike, and where we saw the Elegant Trogan. We loved hiking and exploring: Juan Bautista de Anza Trail, Tumacacori National Historical Park, Patagonia – Sonita Creek Preserve, Desert Meadows Park, Canoa Ranch and the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. If you are into birding, mountains, hiking and the desert; you would love the Madera Canyon, Green Valley and the Santa Cruz River Valley in Arizona.

Next stop, the Tucson area!