Montezuma Pass (Coronado National Memorial)

About

Coronado National Memorial commemorates the Coronado Expedition of 1540 to 1542 and sits right on the Mexican border near Hereford. Its high point is Montezuma Pass, an overlook at 6,575 feet about three miles west of the visitor center. You don't need an entrance pass for any of it. From the pass you can see the San Pedro Valley to the east, the San Rafael Valley to the west and Mexico to the south, and on clear days Baboquivari Peak shows up about 80 miles away. The road is paved for the first mile and then climbs on graded dirt through tight switchbacks, and vehicles over 24 feet aren't allowed. The top has restrooms and shaded picnic tables, and the pass is also the southern trailhead of the 800-plus-mile Arizona Trail.