Portal is located in southeastern Arizona in Cochise County near the state line with New Mexico. The small unincorporated community sits just east of the Coronado National Forest and the Chiricahua Mountains, one of Arizona’s epic Sky Islands. In Portal you won’t find a grocery store, gas station, or many restaurant options. The quaint little community is known for its proximity to the outdoors, birding, wildlife, and epic night time skies. In fact many of the homes have their own telescope domes. Portal, Arizona sits at the entrance to Cave Creek Canyon as the eastern portal or gateway to the Chiricahuas.
Cave Creek Canyon is sometimes referred to as the “Yosemite of Arizona” and once you’ve been in person, it’s easy to understand why. The towering rhyolite canyon walls and cliffs resemble some scenery of Yosemite, but not quite as large. This nickname goes back to the 1930s. During that decade, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked hard in the area to build roads, trails, campgrounds, and fire lookouts. Cave Creek Canyon gets it’s name from the sheer amount of caves they’ve discovered in the canyon walls. As you drive through or walk around on trail, look to the cliffs for caves.
