Published October 20, 2026 05:45PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What to know:<\/strong> Chiricahua is the first U.S. national park in six years. The bill to redesignate Chiricahua National Monument as America\u2019s 64th national park was passed by the Senate on September 30, 2026, and signed by President Trump on October 20. Our writer shares what it\u2019s like to visit Chiricahua, hiking its winding trails alongside towering rock pinnacles and incredible biodiversity. Chiricahua, located 120 miles east of Tucson, is now the state\u2019s fourth national park, joining Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and nearby Saguaro. Chiricahua is pronounced cheer-uh-KAH-wuh (or cheery-cow-ah<\/i>).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The trail we are hiking isn\u2019t strenuous, but my husband and I, committed-relationship status as fresh as the snow under our feet, are struggling for words. Rock stacks rise above our heads, and hundreds of pinnacles dot the landscape beyond. Boulders splashed with lime green and black lichen perch nonchalantly atop each other, and canyons wind around rusty outcrops. Being in the middle of Chiricahua National Monument feels like being dwarfed by a sea of massive navigation cairns and those knobby towers of dribbled sand children make at the beach.<\/p>\n The Apache name for this place translates to \u201cLand of Standing-Up Rocks.\u201d It\u2019s a succinct, accurate description compared to what our pens scribble in the first pages of our joint adventure journal.<\/p>\n Exploring Chiricahua National Monument will become a core experience on our honeymoon trip and, standing in the forest of stone searching for ways to voice our amazement, we know it.<\/p>\n Memories of that mesmerizing hike, which we did this past February, rushed back into our minds today. On October 20, 2026,\u00a0<\/strong>102 years after it was first named a national monument, Chiricahua became the first U.S. national park in six years.<\/p>\n The bill to redesignate Chiricahua National Monument, located 120 miles east of Tucson, as a national park was passed by the Senate on September 30, 2026, and signed by President Trump on October 20, 2026. To those with personal, historical, and scientific ties to Chiricahua, this is a big moment.<\/p>\n A monument is designated by a president\u2014in Chiricahua\u2019s case Calvin Coolidge\u2014 via the Antiquities Act of 1906, often to protect a singular specific resource. To be eligible for national park status, a place usually boasts a vast chunk of scarce resources or a particularly scenic landscape worth protecting. From the ground on the Echo Canyon trail<\/a>, one of several trails of varying difficulty that weave through boulder spires, the natural and recreational value of Chiricahua is obvious.<\/p>\n Despite other areas of significant natural and historical beauty also in the race to become America\u2019s 64th national park, Chiricahua is special, and not only to us. The monument contains rich history, including ties to the Chiricahua Apache people. Archaeologists are still discovering who once walked through this landscape and how it was used.<\/p>\n The geological surprises around every corner are the most noticeable draw, but hiking through the unique blended landscapes and environments gives an intimate view of the incredible exhibition of biodiversity it supports.<\/p>\n During our late February visit to Arizona, the southeastern corner of the state is blanketed under a fresh snowfall, so we have the trails to ourselves. The cool shoulder seasons are the best times to stroll through the park: spring for wildflower season and fall for the quieter trails and more availability at the park\u2019s only place to stay, Bonita Canyon Campground. <\/a>The campground facilities may be limited to water, flush toilets and garbage bins, but its beautiful shady pine and oak setting is just a taste of the stunning landscapes awaiting up the road.<\/p>\n Chiricahua National Park\u00a0blends four distinct ecoregions\u2014two deserts (Sonoran and Chiricahuan) and two highland regions (Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre)\u2014into a unique mix of flora and fauna. Here, where many Mexican bird species are at the northern end of their range, the birding is fantastic.<\/p>\n As we hike, the habitats evolve from cacti meadows to blooming manzanita thickets to towering pine forests exuding spice as the sun gains strength. We keep one eye trained on the hoodoos, one peeled for wildlife, hoping to spot a Chiricahua fox squirrel, coatimundi, rattlesnake or javelina, but the diverse wildlife that call the park home don\u2019t seem to be fans of the winter conditions either.<\/p>\n Our surroundings are also evolving as we walk. One moment we have an expansive view of the hazy blue desert beyond the range, overlooking expanses of burned landscapes. A little later, we are deep in a tan canyon, twisting around weathered columns. We round a corner and Duck-on-a-rock, with its long bill perched high above the trees, is an easy landmark to identify within a sea of natural splendor.<\/p>\n The stacked rhyolite and vast rolling landscapes of this mountain range\u2014one of several desert isolated high altitude ranges known as Sky Islands\u2014tell of a turbulent geological history. It\u2019s hard to imagine violent volcanoes creating the otherworldly landscape framing the peaceful, sun dappled paths.<\/p>\n Two rocky columns appear along the trail, leaning in for what looks like an eternal kiss. There\u2019s no one around, so we take the inspiration for a smooch. We are on our honeymoon, after all.<\/p>\n Our rambling route, from Mushroom Rock to the Heart of Rocks Loop, takes us past gravity-defying stacks sculpted over time by wind and water. We wonder if an ancient or historical someone once stood in this spot, also agape at the Big Balanced-Rock, a massive boulder precariously perched atop a monolith.\u00a0Given the Chiricahua\u2019s Indigenous and recorded pasts, it\u2019s highly likely.<\/p>\n Becoming a national park is a big deal for a well-deserving gem like Chiricahua, is now the state\u2019s fourth, joining Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and nearby Saguaro. The status will benefit southeastern Arizona\u2019s recreational economy by attracting tourists, but it\u2019s also about preserving the unique landscape and its inhabitants.<\/p>\n Chiricahua National Park\u00a0is no stranger to protection efforts. The Civilian Conservation Corps, a result of President Franklin D. Roosevelt\u2019s Depression-era program\u00a0to both create employment and help protect and develop resources, were key in preserving the ancient pinnacles my new husband and I crane our necks at. Today, scientists continue to track water resources and actively manage invasive plant species<\/a> with deceptively cute names like Malta starthistle and Lehmann lovegrass.<\/p>\nChiricahua National Monument Is the Newest National Park in the U.S.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
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What\u2019s It\u2019s Like Hiking Chiricahua National Monument<\/h2>\n
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What Does National Park Status Mean for Chiricahua National Monument<\/b>?<\/h2>\n
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