Chiricahua National – Legislation to elevate the historic Chiricahua monument to national park status heads to the White House, balancing tourism growth with the preservation of sacred Apache heritage.
The towering rock spires of southeastern Arizona. known to the Chiricahua Apache as the Land of Standing-Up Rocks. are on the verge of becoming the nation’s 64th national park. The legislation. which cleared Congress with bipartisan support. is expected to reach the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature in the coming days.
For nearly a century. the 19-square-mile site has operated as a national monument—a designation established by Calvin Coolidge in 1924 and expanded by Franklin Roosevelt in 1938 to protect volcanic formations from an ancient eruption. While the transition to a national park promises a broader mandate for recreation and preservation. the move brings the site to a complex crossroads between modern tourism and centuries of indigenous history.
“The Grand Canyon is hard to top, but Chiricahua holds its own,” said Rep. Juan Ciscomani, the House sponsor of the Chiricahua National Park Act. “This is something that really hasn’t been discovered.”
Despite the elevated status, the road ahead is marked by uncertainty. The National Park Service has faced significant workforce cuts during the current administration. with maintenance at sites like Chiricahua labeled a “low priority” compared to projects like the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Agency officials declined to comment on whether new staff would be hired to accommodate an anticipated increase in visitors beyond the 60. 000 who currently arrive annually. When asked about future planning. the service noted it would evaluate matters based on available funding and law. noting that the Congressional Budget Office estimated establishment costs at less than $500. 000.
For the Apache, the land remains more than a destination. It is a place of profound ancestral significance. where tribes resisted European settlers until their 1886 surrender and forced removal to the San Carlos Apache reservation. While the new bill includes provisions for tribal access to perform traditional ceremonies and allows for temporary public closures. specific logistics remain undecided.
Justine Jimmie, Deputy Attorney General for the San Carlos Apache, emphasized the need for sanctuary in her 2024 congressional testimony. “National parks have become so packed with tourists,” Jimmie said. “In contrast. we go to our cultural areas in what are now parks to seek sanctuary. pray. and perform ceremonies.” While the tribe took no formal position on the park designation. their request for uninterrupted access serves as a quiet counterpoint to the drive for greater visibility.
Evidence of this layered history is etched into the landscape itself. from prehistoric artifacts to the post-Civil War presence of Buffalo Soldiers stationed there during campaigns against leaders like Cochise and Geronimo. Today. the rural Cochise County site maintains a visitor center. a campground. and a network of trails across its 85% wilderness designation.
As the site prepares to join the ranks of parks like West Virginia’s New River Gorge—the last to be designated in 2021—the fundamental tension remains: how to welcome the public to a “wonderland of rocks” without compromising the silence required for the sacred rituals still held within its shadows.
Chiricahua National Park Arizona Land of Standing-Up Rocks National Park Service San Carlos Apache Juan Ciscomani US National Parks