Rock spires, pinnacles, pillars and cliffs don't burn down in forest fires.
That means the scenic heart of Chiricahua National Monument - famous for its spectacular rock formations - survived when the raging Horseshoe 2 Fire swept over the site in June.
But if the monument's geological wonders remain intact, much else was lost to the flames.
"The fire changed the landscape significantly," said William Shott, interim superintendent of the monument southeast of Willcox.
"In some areas, it burnt complete trees down to the ground," Shott said. "In other areas, it burned with lower heat and stayed mostly on the ground."
He said most of the 11,985-acre monument was affected to some degree, but noted that there are "small pockets that weren't touched."
A visitor center, a historic ranch site and other structures were saved, thanks to back-burning and other firefighting procedures.
Most of the monument remains closed to the public indefinitely while crews assess damage and clear roads and trails.
WORK TO BE DONE
Members of the federal Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team and other specialists are assessing damage and doing stabilization work.
"Visitor safety is the main emphasis," said Katie Johnson, an implementation leader with BAER.
"The trails in the monument are quite popular, but a lot of trees along the trails are unstable - dead or dying" as a result of the fire, Johnson said. "A lot of them will fall over the trails, creating a hazard."
She said crews are working as quickly as possible to clear and stabilize trails.
"I know people want to get them open as soon as possible," Johnson said.
She said it probably will be weeks before trails are reopened.
The eight-mile Bonita Canyon Drive to scenic Massai Point and hiking trails is closed.
Johnson said it won't be reopened until crews can replace a guard rail that was damaged when the fire burned its wooden support posts.
She couldn't estimate how long it would take to repair the guard rail and get the road reopened.
Johnson and Shott said the potential for flooding has increased dramatically as a result of the fire.
"It's estimated that one inch of rain today would be equivalent to four inches before the fire" in terms of flood risk, Shott said. "We're not sure how the environment will react to the severity of the burn and the lack of vegetation."
Johnson said it's important to determine which areas would be at risk of being hit with debris flows after heavy rains.
"We're trying to manage the hazards and risks and mitigate them," she said.
WHAT'S OPEN
Lower parts of the monument - from the entrance to the visitor center - have been reopened to visitors, Shott said.
Those areas include a short walking trail to the monument's Faraway Ranch historic site.
"We'll have daily tours of the ranch at 11 a.m.," Shott said.
He said the visitor center is open and has displays, photos and video footage of the human-caused fire, which started May 8 and was contained on June 25 after burning more than 220,000 acres of the Chiricahua Mountains.
"We know folks want to get up to Massai Point," Shott said. "Once we feel it's safe enough, we would provide access by tour bus or van so people could get up there to hike. That could be several weeks away."
Meanwhile, the monument's normal entrance fees are waived, Shott said.
"We won't reinstitute fees until we're able to open up the majority" of the monument, he said.
Call the monument at 1-520-366-5515 for updated information.
On StarNet: Take a look at Chiricahua National Monument after the Horsehoe 2 Fire consumed much of the Chiricahua range this summer at azstarnet.com/photo
DID YOU KNOW
The rock formations at Chiricahua National Monument can be traced to violent volcanic eruptions some 27 million years ago. Ash particles from the eruptions fused together to form a type of rock known as rhyolite, and erosion sculpted the rock into the formations seen today.
Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at dkreutz@azstarnet.com or at 573-4192.
