Geronimo Surrender Site in Skeleton Canyon

We had a lovely trip to the Geronimo Surrender site in Skeleton Canyon on Saturday January 25th, 2003. Skeleton Canyon is in the Peloncillo Mountains on the Arizona-New Mexico border south of Rodeo, NM.

The participants were John W. and Skip in the venerable weenie Blazer. Bob B. and Pris in their SHINY NEW Ford Ranger, and John H. and Luciano M. in the still pretty shiny Avalanche.

We stopped at the Geronimo Surrender Memorial on Highway 80 just north of Apache, AZ. The turnoff to the actual surrender site in Skeleton Canyon is just a few hundred yards south of there.

The weather was clear and sunny, so what could be do but go wheelin? The road is graded and flat (rating 2) on the way to the surrender site at the head of Skeleton Canyon. We followed the trail up the main branch of Skeleton Canyon for a couple miles. We'll rate this 2.5 since there are a number of rocky stream crossings. It could be "fun" in the rainy season. For those with shiny new paint, we'll warn you that this part of the trail has lots of catclaw and acacia bushes that will sleek your paint. Both Bob and John "inaugurated" the clearcoat on their shiny vehicles. The scenery was spectacular and we had lunch near the end of this trail. We only explored a short section of the South Fork since it was too rough for the 2WD Ranger.

We hunted all around, but never did find the rock monument that Geronimo's colleagues made near the surrender site. Let us know if you know where it is located.

Gorb70 writes: "A cairn of rocks, 6 feet high, overgrown with mesquite, marks the surrender site. The cairn stands on a bench just south of the creek that flows out of Skeleton Canyon, 100 yards east of a privately owned ranch and barn and immediately above a stock pond and corral. The ranch facilities constitute a +minor intrusion, but the desert character of the terrain is little changed from the historic period. A large stone monument on U.S. 80 at Apache commemorates the site. " The Geronimo Surrender site, looking East toward Skeleton Canyon: This is the confluence of Skeleton Canyon and the South Fork.

After a stop for ice cream in Portal, we took FR 42 over the Chiricahuas including a short side trip to Rustler Park (still significantly snowy despite the warm weather). The day ended in Willcox with dinner at the Desert Rose Cafe.

Total Trip Mileage from Tucson: 385

Geronimo Surrender monument on Hwy 80 near Apache, AZ.