Redington Pass (65.16 miles away)
Tucson, Arizona
Apache Pass
Scout Route
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Apache Pass is the foundation for every old western stagecoach movie you've ever seen. The pass separates the rugged Chiricahua Mountains to the south and the nearly impenetrable Dos Cabezas to the north. In the early 1800s, it was a critical route for expansion into California and became the most dangerous and difficult section of the Butterfield Overland Stage Route, which carried mail and passengers between St Louis and San Francisco. It also passed through the middle of the Apache Nation.
Today, the washboard graded dirt road hosts a hiking trailhead with informational signage and a 1.5-mile trail to explore historic Fort Bowie. The trailhead also has vault toilets and a shaded picnic table. The mountain views along the trail are vast. The trail's western end drops into a grassy valley bordered by cattle ranches. Low spots along the trail get slick and rutted after heavy rains.
Two campsites are west of the hiking trailhead, one roadside and another at the end of a short northern spur trail.
