Howdy friends and welcome to another episode
of the almost world-famous Cactus Atlas.
On today's episode I'm in a
very remote portion of Southeast Arizona
at Chiricahua National Monument.
I'm going to be doing a hike known as the
Heart of Rocks Loop which rumor has it
maybe the best of the best of what
Chiricahua National Monument has to offer.
So if you want to find out
let's go do this adventure together.
[Music]
Heart of Rocks Loop Trail goes that way.
I believe I read this Heart of Rocks Loop...
this area might be where the money shots
are here at Chiricahua.
Already we're descending into the heart
and you've got rock spires all around.
And descending down...
we are heading down into this thing
here whatever it is.
And a little treacherous.
Some roots sticking out of the trail here.
This is directing me to go left so I'm
gonna take its advice but I'm gonna
guess we're gonna come out this way here.
It ascends right off the bat.
Some steps here.
[Music]
You're really gonna get up close and personal
with these spires here on the Heart of Rocks Loop.
They're pointing to a rock structure here
called the old maid.
So which one is the old maid?
Oh!
I think it's that.
You totally can see a face.
You see the face?
That is pretty rad.
I was kind of looking around saying,
"Okay which one's the old maid?"
and it jumped right out.
It almost looks like a human construct does it?
That's, like, the most human looking rock.
Like the most human face looking rock
I've ever seen in my life.
[Music]
So far the Heart of Rocks does not disappoint
but I do want to give you some information
about it if you want to come see it.
Basically what Heart of Rocks is to Chiricahua
is what Queen's Garden is to Bryce.
This really is a standout location
with some of the best hoodoos
that I've seen all yet today.
But I do want to warn you
it is also one of the more challenging trails.
It's short but you do have to, like, walk up...
you get really up-close and personal with the rocks
and you have to climb a little bit.
Not any hardcore rock climbing but
stepping up some pretty steep steps.
Things like that.
So maybe if you have back problems or knee problems
this may be something you want to think about
or be very careful. Just go really slow.
Here's a few of those stairs.
This time we're going down.
Going down I can handle a lot better.
Like, we are in the middle of it.
In the heart of heart truly.
[Music]
The only people I've seen so far today
are right behind me.
There's only three of them
and that's all I've seen.
[Music]
And this structure is called Thor's Hammer
and you can see why.
[Music]
Although I didn't see it on my recent
trip to Bryce Canyon, I believe they also
have a structure called Thor's Hammer.
So I'm curious. I haven't seen what it
looks like on photos but I'm wondering
if it looks kind of like that.
Well, you get some really good views of down below.
Number one can you see off in the distance
the desert outside of the sky
island and all of the rock spires
forming down below?
I just felt like I had to give a quick shout-out to geology.
Yay. Geological processes.
[Music]
Another very nice perspective
of the Heart of Rocks area here.
Just when you thought that it couldn't get any better.
So we walked around this direction.
Now we're coming back here.
Just look at that.
Yeah, the money shots... right here.
A nice view of this side of Chiricahua.
I don't know if you could see it way over that way...
it's kind of up obscured by another rock but
Big Balance Rock is over there.
It's kind of marked near the start of this trail.
[Music]
This is pointing me to another
thing called the Punch and Judy.
Over here.
Is it this here?
Which ones are they?
And the Kissing Rocks it looks like we found here.
Hah!
How cute is that?
You guys are kissing.
I have a feeling we might be starting our
initial descent back into the forest area
but before we do maybe we're gonna
get some really good views
of the Heart of Rocks again.
[Music]
It keeps getting better.
Like, this descent down...
Like, you're getting really good views of these hoodoos.
I thought we were almost done.
But no.
[Music]
I would say if you're gonna come to Chiricahua
and you have enough time
to do a little bit of hiking
but not an all-day type hike,
I would say Heart of Rocks so far
would be your best bet.
it's going to give you the best taste
of what Chiricahua is.
What these standing up rocks are.
And you truly, truly get into the heart of it.
In any direction I face,
I'm now surrounded by hoodoos.
So now that I'm nearing the almost
one mile loop journey,
through the heart of Chiricahua,
The Heart of Rocks Trail,
I thought I'd give you a few final thoughts
about this journey today.
I'm doing this as as part of a
bigger loop called the Big Loop
but I loved this so much that I thought this
is worthy of its own video.
So I kind of impromptu decided
to make this into its own video.
But you do not have to do this
as part of the Big Loop Trail.
You can do this as part of a simpler hike starting
at the Visitor Center, coming up the
Lower Rhyolite Trail to the Sarah
Deming Trail and then back.
Kind of an out and back style and it wouldn't be
that hard that long to do.
I do think that this trail
represents some of the best that
Chiricahua has to offer.
You see some very unique structures that are
very aptly named and it's not going to
take you all day.
You really get to see the best of the best potentially
and then spend the rest of the day doing
something else if you so choose.
But for those of you doing the Big Loop Trail,
this is an amazing part.
There are some great parts of the
Big Loop Trail don't get me wrong,
but yeah... the Heart of Rocks Loop...
it's the way to go.
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Well, that's gonna do it for this episode.
I hope you enjoyed our journey
through the heart of Chiricahua.
The Heart of Rocks Loop.
I've got to hit the road.
I look forward to having you on another adventure
in the very near future
so keep on checking back in.
Til next time.
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