Beating the Heat on the Echo Canyon Trail at Chiricahua National Monument Near Willcox, Arizona

A loop trail in southeastern Arizona squeezes hikers through a narrow stone passage nicknamed Wallstreet. The walls are volcanic rock, and the whole route runs about 3.3 miles. Those rocks came from a massive eruption roughly 27 million years ago. Wind, water, and ice then slowly carved the ash into spires, grottoes, and balanced boulders that look ready to tumble. They never seem to, which I find oddly comforting. I believe timing is the secret ingredient here. Morning light hits the stone firs