Welcome to the Land of Legends Wilderness

We are working to protect Cochise County’s scenic natural and cultural heritage—our Land of Legends— by supporting new wilderness designations for the Whetstone, Dragoon and Chiricahua mountain ranges. These historic treasures provide unparalleled outdoor recreational opportunities, intact habitat for Arizona's endangered wildlife, clean water, cultural and spiritual values and the scenic beauty that make Cochise County a desirable place to live. Wilderness designation would permanently protect these publicly owned remnants of wild Arizona, as they are now, for future generations to enjoy.

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Download the Land of Legends Wilderness Brochure

Horseback rider enjoys the Sky Islands. Photo by J. Lamberton.		The Whetstone Mountains Summit: 7,711 feet—Apache Peak. Vegetation: Semidesert grassland/mixed scrub, Chihuahuan Desert scrub, Madrean encinal, Madrean pine-oak woodland and ponderosa pin About the Name: The Whetstones are named after a deposit in the mountain range called novaculite. This hard, fine-grained rock is used for making whetstones for sharpening blades. Fascinating Facts: The Whetstones host Kartchner Caverns, an important nursery roost for the cave myotis, a bat that feeds in Cochise County. French Joe Canyon supports more than 147 species of birds. An amateur fossil hunter discovered exposed dinosaur bones in the Whetstone foothills in 1994. The discovery of Sonorasaurus thompsoni marked the first new dinosaur species found in southern Arizona According to Arizona lore, Wyatt Earp shot and killed Curly Bill Brocius in a shootout at what is now Mescal Springs. The Whetstones also provide excellent backcountry hunting, hiking, camping, horseback riding, and birding.
Mountain Treefrog. Photo by J. Lamberton. The Dragoon Mountains. Photo by Sky Island Alliance.		The Dragoon Mountains Summit: 7,519 feet—Mount Glenn. Vegetation: Desert scrub, semidesert grassland, encinal savanna, mixed pine-oak woodland and Arizona cypress riparian forests. These cypress stands, once common in the region, are now quite rare. About the Name: Once called Sierra de la Peñascosa, Spanish for “a very rugged, rocky range,” the Dragoons are named for the U.S. Army’s Dragoon regiment of the late 1850s. Fascinating Facts: Fifteen species that are threatened, endangered or of special concern are found in the Dragoons, including the peregrine falcon and Chiricahua leopard frog. Historical records document ocelots and jaguars in the Dragoons. The Dragoons contain some of the most intact, species-rich grasslands in the Coronado National Forest. Elsewhere in southern Arizona, grassland habitats are quickly vanishing. This area’s high productivity provides year-round hunting and gathering, which enabled the Chiricahua Apaches to remain the only nonagricultural culture in the American Southwest. On Oct. 12, 1872, the U.S. government signed a treaty with Cochise, chief of the Chiricahua Apaches, after several meetings near Stronghold Canyon. Later, the meeting site was named Council Rocks.
Elegant Trogon by Sky Jacobs.		The Chiricahua Mountains Summit: 9,759 feet—Chiricahua Peak. Vegetation: Semidesert grasslands and Chihuahuan Desert scrub to montane mixed-conifer forest. About the Name: The word “Chiricahua” may have come from the Opata Indian word chiguicagui, meaning “mountains of the wild turkeys.” Fascinating Facts: The Chiricahuas are one of the largest Sky Islands in the United States and home of the parrotlike, subtropical elegant trogon. The only recorded short-tailed hawk nesting in the United States outside Florida was documented here. In 9,000 B.C., this mountain range was home to Clovis hunters, whose spear points have been found in the fossilized remains of mammoths in the region. The Chiricahua Mountains provide excellent opportunities for tracking wild game, riding horseback or simply watching the changing patterns of light through the oak trees at Turkey Creek.

It is time to protect the scenic Sky Islands of Cochise County

The forested mountain ranges of the Sky Islands, rising up out of desert and grassland valleys, form one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. This region between northwestern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest blends temperate and tropical biological zones that harbor more than 4,000 species of plants, 100 mammal species and more than half the bird species of North America. In addition, the Land of Legends is steeped in the rich history that gave birth to the state of Arizona. These ranges also offer priceless scenic beauty and unrivaled quiet outdoor recreation opportunties within Cochise County.

Why We Must Act

These public lands are part of the Coronado National Forest, but they are vulnerable to rapid urbanization, mining, landscape fragmentation  and irresponsible use by off-road vehicle enthusiasts—all of which threaten these fragile but spectacular remnants of Cochise County. Wilderness designation is a balanced solution that would protect the wild and historic character of these legendary lands and the recreation they offer for future generations. 


Wilderness Is the Answer

Congress passed the Wilderness Act in 1964 as a tool to preserve the historical character of the American landscape. Wilderness designation protects  our ecosystems, clean air and drinking water. It also safeguards habitats for such magnificent creatures as ocelots and leopard frogs; provides a living classroom where we can see how the natural world functions; offers opportunities for traditional hunting; provides a setting for spiritual reflection; and allows us to escape from the pressures of urban living.  


Don’t Take Our Public Lands for Granted. Act Now.

Click here to add your name in support today!

Already signed your name in support? Take that extra step... Please take the time today to write Rep. Gabriel Giffords in support of Wilderness protection for the wildlands of Cochise County. Mail letters and postcards to:

Land of Legends Wilderness
Sky Island Alliance
P.O. Box 41165
Tucson, Ariz. 85717 

E-mail legends@skyislandalliance.org. 

Learn more about what Wilderness designation means.

This conservation proposal for Cochise County’s wild recreational lands is supported by:

Sky Island Alliance
Arizona Wilderness Coalition
Campaign for America’s Wilderness of the Pew Environment Group
The Wilderness Society