In brief
Trump signed the bill on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, making the site the 64th national park and the fourth in Arizona, after Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Saguaro.
Calvin Coolidge designated the area a national monument in 1924 under the Antiquities Act, and Franklin D Roosevelt expanded it in 1938.
Reports cite roughly 60,000 visitors a year in one estimate and just over 70,000 last year in another, and the park has 71 mammal species and nearly 200 bird species.
- April 1924Site designated a national monument under the Antiquities Act
- 1938Franklin D Roosevelt expands the monument
- 20 OctTrump signs the bill making it Chiricahua National Park
Signed into law on Tuesday
Donald Trump signed the legislation on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, converting the Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona into Chiricahua National Park. The bill passed Congress with bipartisan backing and makes the site the 64th national park in the United States. With it, Arizona now has four national parks, alongside Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest and Saguaro. Reports give the size as roughly 12,000 acres, or 19 square miles (49 square kilometres). Politicians from Arizona had repeatedly tried to secure the designation since 2016, and this time a cross-party bill succeeded.
Landscape and history
The park's rhyolite pinnacles and balanced rocks were formed by a volcanic eruption about 27 million years ago, and the surrounding Chiricahua Mountains rise like an island of mountains above desert and grassland. Calvin Coolidge named the site a national monument in 1924 under the Antiquities Act, and Franklin D Roosevelt expanded it in 1938. The area holds evidence of thousands of years of human use, from prehistoric people to Buffalo soldiers, the Black US troops stationed there after the Civil War during a campaign against Apache leaders Geronimo and Cochise. Clashes between Apache groups and settlers ended in 1886, when the Apache surrendered to US troops and were forcibly moved to the San Carlos Apache reservation.
Wildlife, visitors and access
The park is home to 71 mammal species, including black bears, white-tailed deer and pumas, plus more than 20 bat species. Nearly 200 bird species have been recorded there. Entry is free, a 27 kilometre trail network runs through the rock formations, and there are no restaurants, so visitors must bring their own food. Reports differ on visitor numbers, with roughly 60,000 a year in one estimate and just over 70,000 last year in another. One expert expects visitor numbers to rise by about 20 percent under the new status.
The bill preserves tribal access for traditional ceremonies and allows temporary public closures to protect those cultural uses. Juan Ciscomani, a US representative from Arizona, said the specifics have not yet been decided.
Reactions and criticism
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum praised the designation in a statement that highlighted the site's rock spires and Apache heritage.
“Chiricahua's towering rock spires, rich Apache heritage and remarkable biodiversity make it one of America's most extraordinary landscapes.”
Senator Mark Kelly, also from Arizona, welcomed the bill as a win for communities in the southeast of the state.
“This is a win for the communities in southeastern Arizona and for everyone who worked to protect this extraordinary place so our kids and our grandkids can enjoy it.”
Environmental campaigners were less enthusiastic. Conservationists in the United States criticised the announcement as a public relations exercise that did not reflect conditions on the ground. Critics also asked who will manage the park, since the National Park Service has cut staff substantially under Trump. A geographer who studies park names writes that a redesignation usually changes little beyond signs and branding, with no extra funding. In July, Trump had shrunk two national monuments in Utah by more than 12,000 square kilometres combined.