With picturesque mountain views in all directions and a temperate four-season climate, Sierra Vista beckons visitors with clear skies, fascinating history, and world-class birding.
Surrounded by towering 10,000-foot mountains and known as the “Humming Bird Capital of the U.S.,” Sierra Vista is primed for outdoor exploration.
From its early days as a community growing under the protective wing of neighboring Fort Huachuca during the Apache Wars, Sierra Vista has blossomed into the recreational and cultural hub of Cochise County. Thanks to the Fort, Sierra Vista is a melting pot of ethnic cuisine, where independent restaurants serve authentic dishes from around the globe.
Sierra Vista’s climate and southern location make it a major stop for rare birds. Though you can spot resident and migrating birds year-round, the annual Christmas Bird Count regularly records one of the nation’s highest tallies of inland species.
While you’re outside, take in the scenic panoramas, rolling byways, and outdoor trails by bike, boot, or hoof. With a 360-degree mountain view, you’ll see why Sierra Vista (literally “mountain view” in Spanish) is so aptly named.
When the sun sets, a thick blanket of stars blaze across the dark night. These views have paved the way for Sierra Vista as a center for amateur astronomy; the city has more than a dozen amateur observatories as well as the Patterson Observatory at University of Arizona South campus, which offers public viewing.
The Huachuca Mountains are part of the Sierra Vista Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, approximately 70 miles south-southeast of Tucson and southwest of the city of Sierra Vista. Included in this area is the highest peak in the Huachucas, Miller Peak, and the region of the Huachucas known as Canelo Hills in eastern Santa Cruz County. The mountains range in elevation from 3,934 feet at the base to 9,466 feet at the top of Miller Peak. The second highest peak in this range is Carr Peak, elevation 9,200 feet.
The Huachuca Mountain area is managed principally by the United States Forest Service (Coronado National Forest) (41%) and the U.S. Army (Fort Huachuca) (20%), with much of the rest being private land (32%). Sierra Vista is the main population center.The Huachuca Mountains were named by the Spanish for a Pima village that once existed to the north of the range near the present location of Elgin, Arizona. The Coronado National Memorial is in the southeastern margin of the range near the Mexico–United States border and includes Montezuma Pass, where Francisco Vázquez de Coronado entered what is now Arizona in 1540. The range extends a short distance south of the border in Sonora, Mexico.