Arizona is on the cusp of gaining its fourth national park at what is now Chiricahua National Monument after Congress passed legislation to elevate the Cochise County landmark’s status.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., and Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., introduced the Chiricahua National Park Act in the U.S. House, which passed in March. Both of Arizona’s Democratic senators, Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, introduced it in the Senate, which approved it on Sept. 30. The bill now awaits President Donald Trump’s signature.
The senators released pro-national park statements from local officials, conservation leaders and economic boosters, all of them celebrating the new recognition for a mountaintop array of spires that the National Park Service says Apaches knew as the Land of Standing-Up Rocks.
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“Chiricahua is a breathtaking and truly special place, and national park status will help more people across the country discover it,” said Greg Hancock, mayor of the gateway community of Willcox. “More visitors can mean more customers for our hotels, restaurants, and small businesses and more economic growth for our community.”
If the president agrees, Chiricahua will join Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Saguaro as Arizona landscapes to earn the national park designation.
“It is an important moment to designate Chiricahua as a National Park,” said Emily Burns of the Sky Island Alliance. “This action will celebrate our spectacular public lands and tell future generations that we value access to the outdoors, protection of our cultural history, wildlife, plants, water, quiet, dark skies, and inspiring natural vistas.”
Not everyone who lives in and around the Chiricahua Range has supported the yearslong effort to attract more visitors through a renaming. Some who live on the other side of the mountains, around the birding haven of Portal, have been especially vocal about not wanting a major tourist influx.
When The Arizona Republic visited Portal to discuss the proposal in 2023, residents and a lodge owner there said the monument’s 12,025 acres couldn’t hold many visitors at once, and they feared many would likely spill into quieter places around the mountains.
The National Park Service has not always staffed the monument’s entry booth, making visitor estimates difficult. Based on traffic at the visitor center, the agency has estimated the number at 130,000 or so in recent years.
Chiricahua is “one of Arizona’s most incredible natural wonders” and deserving of national park status, said Matthew Nelson, executive director of theArizona Trail Association. He said he worries about its administration in a time when parks have been underfunded, though.
“Anyone who has ever visited knows that Chiricahua is special, but it’s going to need robust funding to bring this little-known national monument up to national park standards,” Nelson said.
“Especially at a time when National Park Service staff has been cut by 25%, funding for parks is being redirected to Washington, D.C., and over 1,500 maintenance and infrastructure projects have just been determined to be ‘low priority’ by the administration, we are concerned that Chiricahua isn’t going to receive the funding necessary to preserve its natural and cultural resources. Our appreciation goes out to Senator Kelly, Representative Ciscomani, and everyone who supported this legislation. May it lead to great things for Cochise County, Arizona, and our entire National Park System.”
Reporting by Brandon Loomis, Arizona Republic
