When planning our trip, I wanted to include Chiricahua National Monument as part of our agenda. I noticed Fort Bowie NHS on the map nearby, and thought that we could stop to visit here for maybe an hour, grab another stamp for our NPS Passport Book, then move on to Chiricahua.
Make note, Fort Bowie cannot be very well appreciated in a hurry!
We spent three hours, and that was rushing. With several trails and lots of interpretive signage, we could have easily spent an entire day at Fort Bowie.
1.5 miles to the visitor centerPecan Grove we passed through on the way to Fort BowieTypical of trail terrain on the first third of the hike from the parking area toward the fort.This is typical of the terrain for the middle portion of the hikeRuins of the Apache Pass Stage Coach Station that we passed on the way to Fort BowieThe last part of the hike was through a grove of lush vegetation, irrigated by the Apache Spring1890 Powder Magazine, one of the more in-tact of the structures on the site.View from the visitor center toward the remains of the second Fort BowieRemnants of some of the barracksIf you don’t take the time to read the interpretive signs along the way, the most that you’ll be able to appreciate is the construction of what building foundations still remain.
For variety, we took the Overook Ridge Trail back toward the parking lot from the visitor center. The hike was much more aggressive, with numerous switchbacks and a lot more elevation change. It was worth the view though! We stopped at the spot where one of the best historical photos of the fort was taken, to see the contrast between what was and what is today.
1894, just a few months prior to the Army’s abandonment of Fort Bowie.125 years later
It did not take long after the army’s abandonment of the fort for nearby residents to come in and salvage any usable materials, leaving only the stone and adobe to weather the elements.
The Overlook Ridge Trail was a moderate hike, requiring more effort than the trail through the valley did. It was a nice variety, and it was neat to look down into the valley and get a perspective on how all of those things that we saw were laid out in relation to each other.
