Chiricahua National Monument Becomes America's 64th National Park
Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona has officially been upgraded to Chiricahua National Park, making it the 64th national park in the U.S. Known as the "Wonderland of Rocks," this site has been a monument since 1924 and is the first park added since New River Gorge National Park in 2020. Covering 12,000 acres, it protects part of the Chiricahua Mountains, about 120 miles from Tucson. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised its stunning landscapes. In 2025, the park attracted 70,406 visitors, ranking it 254th among National Park Service sites. It offers 17 miles of hiking trails, a variety of wildlife, and has a human history that dates back at least 12,000 years. The name comes from an Opata word for wild turkey.
Key facts
- Chiricahua National Monument was redesignated Chiricahua National Park, bringing the U.S. total to 64 national parks
- The site has been a national monument since 1924 and is nicknamed the "Wonderland of Rocks"
- It is the first new U.S. national park since New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in 2020
- The park covers 12,000 acres about 120 miles from Tucson in southeastern Arizona
- Rock formations were created by a volcanic eruption roughly 27 million years ago that left rhyolitic tuff eroded into spires and balanced boulders
- The monument recorded 70,406 visitors in 2025, ranking 254th of 399 National Park Service sites
- The park contains 17 miles of hiking trails and about 200 documented bird species, plus 16 bat species
- Human history in the region dates back at least 12,000 years, including the Chiricahua Apache and their late 19th-century forced removal
Entities
Artists
- Doug Burgum
- Emily Burns
- Matthew Nelson
- Henry Brean
- Ignacio Calderón
- Janet Loehrke
- Sylvia Dekker
- Sarah Kuta
Institutions
- National Park Service
- Sky Island Alliance
- Arizona Trail Association
- Coronado National Forest
- Arizona Daily Star
- USA Today
- Outside magazine
- Smithsonian Magazine
- Civilian Conservation Corps
- Department of the Interior
Locations
- Chiricahua National Park
- Chiricahua National Monument
- Arizona
- United States
- Chiricahua Mountains
- Tucson
- Mexico
- New Mexico
- West Virginia
- New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
- Sonoran Desert
- Chihuahuan Desert
- Rocky Mountains
- Sierra Madre
- Coronado National Forest
- Longmont
- Colorado