Chiricahua National Monument is one step closer to becoming Arizona’s fourth national park.
The Senate approved bipartisan legislation yesterday, which is now headed to President Trump’s desk for signature.
“We should have this signed into law and make it official here within 10 days or so,” said Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani.
The representative has introduced this legislation twice since taking office in 2023 – first in 2023, as only the second bill he introduced during the first 100 days of his first term, and more recently in December 2025.
Democratic Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema co-sponsored legislation in the Senate in 2021 and again in 2023 alongside Ciscomani.
"Chiricahua is one of Arizona's most extraordinary places. Designating it as our state's fourth national park will protect this remarkable landscape for generations and bring new visitors and economic opportunities to southeastern Arizona," Kelly said in a press release.
The 12,000-acre “Wonderland of Rocks” is located in Cochise County and was first established as a monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge.
More than 60,000 visitors are drawn to the location annually to see rhyolite rock pinnacles known as hoo-doos – geological rock formations that were formed more than 27 million years ago by a cataclysmic volcanic eruption.
The Chiricahuas are one of several sky islands in the region that serve as a crossroads for four major ecosystems where the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, the Sierra Madres and the Rocky Mountains converge.
Ciscomani has said the monument has been an economic driver for Willcox.
“Supporting economic development in rural communities is essential, and it is our responsibility to enact policies and designations that benefit the people who call these areas home,” he told AZPM in December.
According to the National Park Service, visitors to Chiricahua National Monument spent $3.7 million in the local gateway communities in 2017.
“This is an incredible day for Willcox, Cochise County, and all of southeastern Arizona,” Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock said in a press release.
Hancock is currently in Washington D.C. alongside representatives from Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors to meet with senators and congressional offices to advocate for the passage of the legislation.
“We are now one signature away from welcoming visitors from around the world to Chiricahua National Park,” Hancock said.
The last national park to be established in Arizona was Saguaro National Park in 1994. The most recently established park in the country was New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia in 2020.
The Trump Administration has targeted the National Park Service through workforce reductions and redirecting funding to projects in Washington.
Ciscomani told AZPM that because of his position on the House Appropriations Committee, he would be able to ensure that Chiricahua and other national park units in the state would be able to get the needed resources and support.
“This is going to be something great and something new to invest in and I’ll be advocating for this all the way through – that we need it and it’s going to be great for the state,” Ciscomani said.
Chiricahua would be the second national park in his district.
“This is something that we can all celebrate and know that every interest was met and that we have been able to get this across the finish line,” Ciscomani said.
