Arizona is already home to three national parks, and soon, it may be getting another. This week, legislators introduced bills in Congress to designate Chiricahua National Monument as a national park.
What Is Chiricahua National Monument?
Located about 120 miles from Tucson, Ariz., Chiricahua National Monument was created in 1924. The crowning glory of the mountainous 10,000-acre area is its striking rock towers and pinnacles.
There are 17 miles of hiking trails, and horseback riding is also popular. An 8-mile scenic drive offers sweeping vistas of Bonita Canyon.
According to data from the National Park Service (NPS), over 62,000 people visited the monument in 2023. 86% of the land area is protected wilderness.
The monument is also home to diverse wildlife. There are 71 species of mammals, 46 species of reptiles, eight amphibians, and 171 species of birds.
Making It a National Park
Only an act of Congress can redesignate federal land as a national park. This bipartisan effort is led by Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego (both Democrats from Arizona) in the Senate and Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) in the House. The Senate bill was introduced on Jan. 29, following the bill’s introduction in the House on Dec. 3, 2025.
“Protecting Chiricahua means preserving a one-of-a-kind landscape while delivering an important win for southeastern Arizona’s recreation economy,” Kelly said in a press release. “This is about keeping this place special and making sure nearby communities and small businesses benefit even more from it.”
The legislation includes provisions that the NPS must work with local Native American tribes and protect cultural and religious sites.
The Chiricahua National Park Act has support from many key stakeholders, including the Cochise County Board of Supervisors, the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the Mescalero Apache Tribe, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Sky Island Regional Partnership, and the Arizona Trail Association.
As with most efforts to elevate national monuments and memorials into national parks, the primary motivator is likely economic. In fact, in his statement on the legislation, Gallego directly referenced the possible economic impact of the change.
“Chiricahua’s unique landscape brings in visitors from around the world. I’m proud to introduce this bill to designate Chiricahua as a national park in order to bring even more tourism to the area and create new economic opportunity in Cochise County,” he said.
If the bill becomes law, Chiricahua would be the first new national park since 2020. From 2018 to 2020, Congress created four new national parks in Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, and New Mexico, but re-designations have slowed since then.
Read the full article here