Active Pursuits

Horseback riding at Fort Huachuca's Buffalo Corral (tel. 520/533-5220) is a good deal, at a cost of $12 to $14 per person per hour for trail rides. Special family rates are available.

Hikers will find numerous trails in the Huachuca Mountains west of Sierra Vista. There are trails at Garden Canyon on Fort Huachuca, at Ramsey Canyon Preserve, at Carr Canyon in Coronado National Forest, and within Coronado National Memorial. For information on hiking in the Coronado National Forest, contact the Sierra Vista Ranger District, 5990 S. Hwy. 92 (tel. 520/378-0311; www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado), 8 miles south of Sierra Vista.

Bird-Watching

Bird-watching is big business in these parts, with birders' B&Bs, bird refuges, and even birding festivals. The Southwest Wings Birding Festival (tel. 520/678-8237; www.swwings.org), one of southern Arizona's biggest annual birding events, is held each year in early August in Sierra Vista.

If you'd like to join a guided bird walk along the San Pedro River or up Carr Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, an owl-watching night hike, or a hummingbird banding session, contact the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory (tel. 520/432-1388; www.sabo.org), which also has a public bird-viewing area at its headquarters 2 miles north of the Mule Mountain Tunnel on Arizona 80 north of Bisbee (watch for Hidden Meadow Lane). Most activities take place between April and September, and cost $15 to $65. Workshops and tours are also offered.

Serious birders who want to be sure to add lots of rare birds to their life lists might want to visit this area on a guided tour. Your best bet is Mark Pretti Nature Tours (tel. 520/803-6889; www.markprettinaturetours.com), run by the former resident naturalist at Ramsey Canyon Preserve. A half-day birding tour costs $120 and a full-day tour costs $200 to $220. Three-day ($625) and 8-day ($1,250) trips are also offered. Other reliable area guides include Wezil Walraven of Wezil Walraven Bird Tours (tel. 520/234-0123; www.wrensandravens.com) and Melody Kehl of Melody's Outdoor Adventures (tel. 888/296-9437 or 520/296-9437; www.ebiz.netopia.com/outdoor). High Lonesome Birdtours (tel. 800/743-2668 or 520/458-9446; www.hilonesome.com), another local tour company, charges about $975 per person for a 4-day birding trip. You can also attend birding-oriented seminars offered by Sky Island Field Seminars (tel. 866/900-1146 or 520/558-1146; www.skyislandfieldseminars.com).

In addition to the birding hot spots listed here, there are a few other places that serious birders should not miss. Garden Canyon, on Fort Huachuca, has 8 miles of trails, and 350 species of birds have been sighted. There are also Indian pictographs a 10-minute drive up the canyon's rough dirt road (high-clearance vehicle recommended). This is a good place to look for elegant trogons and Mexican spotted owls. Get directions at the fort's front gate, and be prepared to show your license, vehicle registration, and proof of vehicle insurance. The canyon is open to the public daily during daylight hours.

South of Ramsey Canyon off Arizona 92, you'll find Carr Canyon, which has a road that climbs up through the canyon to some of the higher elevations in the Huachuca Mountains. Keep your eyes open for buff-breasted flycatchers, red crossbills, and red-faced warblers. The one-lane road is narrow and winding (usually navigable by passenger car), and not for the acrophobic. It climbs 5 miles up into the mountains and goes to Reef Townsite, an old mining camp.

The Environmental Operations Park, 3 miles east of Arizona 92 on Arizona 90, is a grasslands and wetlands restoration site at Sierra Vista's sewage treatment facility, and is a good place to see yellow-headed blackbirds, ducks, peregrines, and harriers from fall to spring. The area is open daily.

Hummingbird Heaven -- If it's summer and you're looking to add as many hummingbirds to your life list as possible, take a drive up Miller Canyon (south of Ramsey Canyon) to Beatty's Miller Canyon Guest Ranch and Orchard, 2173 E. Miller Canyon Rd., Hereford (tel. 520/378-2728; www.beattysguestranch.com), where a public hummingbird-viewing area is set up. A total of 15 species of hummers have been sighted here, and several times, 14 species have been seen in one day.

A Holy Bird Sanctuary -- In the community of St. David, 5 miles south of Benson on Arizona 80, you'll find the Holy Trinity Monastery (tel. 520/720-4642), which is near the banks of the San Pedro River and has a 1.3-mile birding trail.