This site provides views of the San Raphael Valley to the west, the San Pedro Valley to the east, and Mexico to the south. Montezuma Pass is also the trailhead for the southern terminus of the great Arizona Trail. See the hiking page for more information on trails.
Allow approximately two hours to tour the Visitor Center, drive to the scenic overlook, and walk to Coronado Peak. A trip to Coronado Cave also takes about two hours (free permit obtained at Visitor Center). Hiking to Montezuma Pass or the US-Mexico border takes several hours, depending on your route.
Records / History:
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's 1540-42 expedition entered what is now the United States in the valley East of Coronado National Memorial. This National Park Service memorial commemerates the Spanish Entrada, interprets the significance of historical events, and. interprets the natural environment in this area where the Sonoran and Chihuhuan deserts meet.
“As a result of this expedition, what has been truly characterized by historians as one of the greatest land expeditions the world has known, a new civilization was established in the great American Southwest” reported the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 1939. “To commemorate permanently the explorations of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado…would be of great value in advancing the relationship of the United States and Mexico upon a friendly basis of cultural understanding,” stated E. K. Burlew, Acting Secretary of the Interior in 1940. It would “stress the history and problems of the two countries and would encourage cooperation for the advancement of their common interests.”
The site was first designated “Coronado International Memorial” in 1941 in the hope that a comparable adjoining area would be established in Mexico. Despite interest by the government of Mexico, the Mexican memorial was never created; therefore, Coronado National Memorial was established by Harry S. Truman in 1952
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