Coronado National Memorial

Since we have a National Parks Pass, we are making sure to hit up as many National Parks, Monuments, Memorials, Forests, etc as we can before heading out across the great blue sea to Korea. We went to the Coronado National Memorial a week or so ago. There's no entrance fee, so even those with out a pass can enjoy the place gratis. We went on 2 hikes that day. We hiked to the Coronado Cave, along the Coronado Cave Trail. It was an easy half mile hike up to the cave. Our 7 year old did it no problem. Our 4 year old was hot and walked slowly up hill, being carried at times. However, she walked down hill the entire way without a problem. It took about 20 minutes for us to hike up to the cave. We only had a tiny flash light, so we didn't explore very much inside it. A head lamp would have been a wonderful thing to have, but we made do with what we could find in the car. We took 30 minutes to hike back to the car, having Israella hike the entire way herself. The trail is well marked, except right when you cross the (dry) riverbed. It looks like you could go left or right. TAKE THE RIGHT. The left might take you up there, but I'm not sure.

Then we drove up the winding and scary at times dirt road to Montezuma Pass. There is a parking lot there, restrooms and a shaded picnic table. From there we hiked up to Coronado Peak. It was a super easy 0.4 mile hike to the top. There's minimal elevation gain, but the wind is crazy up there at times. The kids had no problem walking on this trail, even our almost 2 year old hiked part of it when he woke up. All along the way there are informative signs that explain the history of Coronado's expedition, the indigenous people, local plants and the area. We took about 20 minutes, going at our 4 year old's pace, to reach the peak. There is a pergola at the top with 2 benches to sit and enjoy the view. Again, it is windy up there. The descent took 15 minutes, again at a 4 year old's pace.

We tried to get a family picture:
Princess is hiding her face & Big Man is on Daddy's back.

You can access Joe's Canyon Trail from Montezuma Pass. It is an out-and-back trail that takes you back to the visitor center. The Crest Trail takes you up to Miller's Peak (the highest peak in the range). It is located across the road from the Montezuma Pass sign.