The Round Valley and Coronado Trail

Named by Basque settlers in the late 1800s, the "Valle Redondo," or Round Valley, is a circular, high-mountain basin on the back side of the massive 10,912-foot Escudilla Mountain. This area once served as a unique Old West haven for the lawless—it was a great place to conceal stolen cattle and hide out for a while. Butch Cassidy, the Clantons, and the Smith Gang all spent time here. Home to sister cities Springerville and Eagar, the Round Valley is the ideal start to any journey on the Coronado Trail, a historic 123-mile switchback highway that starts in pine forests and ends with the cacti of the Sonoran Desert in Clifton.