san pedro riparian national conservation area

The stop here was well worth it! Because of the feeders on the property, we were able to see lots of birds all at once. We walked down to the riparian area, but didn't see any birds. Sitting next to the Pedro House is your best bet at the time of year we visited. BLM and friends group are doing an excellent job keeping this place a joy to visit.

I plan to spend some time here each year at the San Pedro House. There are wonderful walking trails, lots of places to sit , and a great gift shop run by the Friends of the San Pedro River.

We used the gazebo area for a family gathering and had a lovely time there. Took the opportunity to go on a nature walk. Lots of birds -- fun to watch!!

If it's raining, not only you would not see any birds, but you cannot actually walk around following the trails, because it gets too muddy. This is actually my second attempt to visit there; on the first one, 4 years ago, it did not rain, but we spotted a total of 1 hawk and 1 owl... Maybe it was the wrong time of the year. There is a small visitors center where they would SELL you a map of the Preserve ($3.50) and staff would give you more or less true directions to things you want to see in the area (the ghost town of Fairbank, in my case, separate review). Type San Pedro House in Google Maps to get to the right entry. Disappointing, actually. BTW, it's in Sierra Vista, AZ, not Hereford. I guess somebody used a mailing address or something like that.

This is a beautiful area with walks along the river, ponds, grasslands, magnificent cottonwood trees, and amazing birds. However! ! Online directions will send you to High Knoll Rd which is a washed-out dirt road. Follow directions and signs for the San Pedro House which is where the visitor center, trails, and an impressive book store are located.

We went back because we liked it so much. The historic aspects were lost on us as we were focused on the wildlife and did some Christmas Shopping in the gift shop. What a great location and a fine way to support a historic site. Try the river walk, and enjoy the birdlife!

We saw a lot of Beaver work here but no beavers. The east side of the river is nearly impassable. The west side has a trail along most of river but doesnt seem real safe. We were confronted by a knife weilding man and his teenage son? saying that we should probably have a gun if traveling in this area. "this area is wild country". There is parking and a bathroom availalbe. we go back from time to time but the flooding this summer made it very muddy.

Easy walks, lots of birdlife to see, beautiful cottonwoods lining the San Pedro river. A very pleasant stop.

If you love to watch birds, this is the place! Easy to reach, varied topography and easy to navigate.

Great photo opp with the beautiful old Cottonwood trees. We walked with my granddaughters (ages 5 and 2) around the San Pedro House area and then down to the river. Loved the trees, the rustic nature of the buildings, the variety of birds and the view of the mountains as a backdrop. We had to watch little ones by the bank of the river -- keep an eye on them when you get close as there is a big drop off.

This is a place for a pleasant, leisurely hike, not too difficult, if you start out at the San Pedro House. The riparian area is actually quite large, and there may be other access points. They often have a Green Kingfisher, which is what I went to find. There are easy main trails, and a more difficult (because it is rocky) trail along the river, which sometimes doesn't have a clear view of the river. There are many large wonderful trees. A large pond, called Green Kingfisher Pond, sports ducks, and coots year round. Fishing is available. The house comes with a gift shop, and the woman in the gift shop was very helpful. So if you really like birding and hiking, this is an important and wonderful place to visit.

very friendly visitor's center, excellent trails through open country and the mature trees along the river; large variety of birds; feeders at visitor's center; i would really be nice to mow the trails under the mature trees considering chiggers can be a problem; all the trails were overgrown in july

TA should show this wonderful place as a Sierra Vista attraction since Hereford barely shows up on a map. We visited the San Pedro House on two different trips to SE Arizona and both times in May. I can tell you that this is a great place to see the vermilion fly catcher since we saw them here both trips and this time we even saw the female tending to two babies. It’s about a quarter mile walk from the house to the river but well worth the hike to get in the shade and bird watch. If you come here in the winter time you might even get a chance to see the green kingfisher, very rare in the USA.Feeders around the house attract a variety of birds including many species of humming birds, finches, gila woodpeckers, and this time we saw our first blue grosbeak by the house. One of the biggest cottonwood trees you’ll ever see sits out front and many nice gifts inside the house, our favorite being the Christmas ball ornaments with SE Arizona birds hand painted on them by a local artist.If you’re in the area to bird and wildlife watch this is a must stop. You might even see a horned lizard like we did (behind the restrooms) good luck!

Just a short drive from Sierra Vista. We got there shortly after 6 am and it was breezy & cool then. Lots of paths to walk on and plenty of birds. Get there early to beat the heat.

The San Pedro Riparian NCA is an amazing (but threatened) place. In early April, approaching it on any of the roads that cross it near Sierra Vista, you can see clearly why the river's water is so important: a narrow strip of bright green appears in the otherwise tawny landscape. You can view the river and surroundings from any of these crossings, but probably the best place to explore it is at the San Pedro House on Hwy 90. The house is a 1930s ranch house now serving as a nice little visitor center and bookstore operated by the Friends of the San Pedro River. Outside are a few bird feeders and labeled plants. Get a trail map there. Several mostly-flat trails leave from the house, including a very short one to a huge old cottonwood that is worth seeing. But perhaps the best is a loop trail that leads to and through the riparian forest along the river and around a small pond. Lots of birds and turtles (possible rattlesnakes, too, so watch your step). In early April, you could encounter a vast number of tent caterpillars in the cottonwoods and coating the trail and other objects. But they don't last long, so the docents at the house told us. Take water, a snack - and your time! And if you see what look like turkey vultures overhead, check closely. One turned out to be a zone-tailed hawk!See it soon because a humungous residential development is planned between the river and Sierra Vista that, unless modified, will surely impact the groundwater that keeps the river flowing.