Brown Canyon

Brown Canyon Ranch is a historic ranch nestled in the foothills of the Huachuca Mountains of Southeastern Arizona, just outside the city of Sierra Vista. The property is owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service, assisted by the Friends Of Brown Canyon Ranch, a group of volunteers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Brown Canyon Ranch.

The complex consists of a main house, storage shed, windmill, corrals, water tank, and two ponds. The ranch is easily accessible via a well-kept 0.8-mile dirt road and the Forest Service maintains an outdoor restroom on the property,

There are miles of trails around the site, suitable for hiking, biking, running, riding your horse, or just walking the dog. Birding opportunities are excellent throughout the surrounding Forest Service lands, and especially at the pond areas which are also home to the endangered Chiricahua Leopard Frog. The ranch is a favorite spot for picnicking, photo shoots, weddings, and other special events.

Brown Canyon Ranch was first settled in the early 1800s by John Thomas Brown and his family, for whom the canyon was named. The property has changed hands quite a few times in the course of 200 years. The main house was built between 1905 and 1907 by James and John Haverty. Samuel and Cecile Barchas were the last owners, and they ceded it to their daughter, Sarah, as gift deeds in 1960 and 1961. Sarah, traded the ranch and all its property to the U.S. Forest Service in a land exchange back in 1998. Locally, the ranch is still referred to as the Barchas Ranch.