Arizona has a new national park.
President Donald Trump signed the Chiricahua National Park Act into law Tuesday, elevating a national monument into national park status.
The new park is part of the Chiricahua Mountains, about a two-hour drive southeast of Tucson in Willcox, accessed by a winding road surrounded by a sea of grasslands.
The mountains are one of several so-called “sky island” ranges that rise from the deserts in the region. They serve as a crossroads for four major ecosystems, where the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madres converge.
Tens of thousands of visitors from around the world 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.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum traveled to the 12,000-acre park in Cochise County for the designation ceremony.
“This is important not just for Arizona and the National Park Service, but it’s important for all Americans who treasure our nation’s most extraordinary landscapes,” Burgum said.
Chiricahua’s change in status makes it Arizona’s fourth national park, alongside the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Saguaro. It is the country’s 64th national park overall.
The most recently established park in the country was New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia in 2020.
Armand Santilli came to visit what people call the “Wonderland of Rocks,” which was designated a national monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge.
He had no idea he’d be the first visitor to the new national park.
“I figured I’d come on through while I was visiting the rest of the mountain range. I figured I had to see the monument, and what a time to pick,” Santilli said.
Arizona Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani first introduced a bill to make Chiricahua a National Park in 2023.
He says the park’s designation is a great example of bipartisan and bicameral work.
“Make no mistake, this is not just another bill…This is a legacy aspect for this region and a defining moment for our state and the entire region,” Ciscomani said.
The new park is being added at a time when the National Park Service’s workforce has been reduced, dropping by nearly 3,000 jobs last year. Trump has also redirected entrance fees from some parks to public works projects in Washington, DC.
“Right now, our national parks as a whole are under threat in a way that they’ve never been before,” said Sanober Mirza, the Arizona Programs Manager with the National Parks Conservation Association.
Mirza said the National Park Service has been underfunded and understaffed. But Mirza is hopeful that elevating Chiracahua to national park status will bring the area additional funding.
“We’re hoping that this is the first step to set up Chiricahua to be successful as a national park, because as I’ve talked about right now, our national parks are in dire need of funding and adequate staffing to be able to meet the challenges of today,” Mirza said.
Ciscomani promised to get adequate funding for proper staffing and infrastructure improvement projects throughout the park.
“The fact that this is in my home district and my home area, and as having a seat in the Appropriations Committee, puts us in a good position to make sure that this is well-funded,” he said.
The National Park Service has a $24 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects nationwide.
In 2020 Congress passed a law to send parks $6.5 billion by 2025.
Interior Secretary Burgum said yesterday that more could be on the way.
“Congress is going to have an opportunity when they come back this November (or) December to pass the Great American Outdoors Act 2.0, which will again represent the largest capital expenditures ever going towards the park service,” Burgum said.
The Interior Department says about 70,000 people visited Chiricahua last year.
Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock said he expects more visitors now that it’s officially a national park.
“National park status will bring national recognition, increased tourism opportunities and the potential for new businesses and investments in Willcox and throughout Southern Arizona,” Hancock said.
According to the National Park Service, visitors to Chiricahua National Monument spent $3.7 million in the local gateway communities in 2017.
