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Trump Signs Legislation to Designate New National Park in Arizona
The redesignation is expected to lift visitation by about 20%, local leaders said, as the park becomes the 64th in the United States.
- On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed the Chiricahua National Park Act, redesignating the southeastern Arizona monument as the state's fourth national park and the nation's 64th.
- A bipartisan legislative effort led by Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Senator Ruben Gallego, Congressman Juan Ciscomani, and Representative Greg Stanton secured the redesignation. President Calvin Coolidge originally established the site as a national monument in 1924 under the Antiquities Act.
- Known as the "Wonderland of Rocks," the 19-square-mile park features dramatic rhyolite formations created nearly 27 million years ago. The site preserves the historical territory of the Chiricahua Apache Tribes and offers 17 miles of hiking trails, including the Bonita Creek Loop.
- Communities transitioning to national park status typically see about a 20 percent increase in visitation. Willcox Mayor Greg Hancock expects the redesignation to bring economic opportunities to the southeastern Arizona community, which relies heavily on tourism.
- Chiricahua now joins the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Saguaro as one of Arizona's four national parks. Despite the new status, maintenance projects at many sites, including Chiricahua, have been ranked "low priority" by officials focusing on other federal projects.
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Leaning Left4Leaning Right1Center22Last UpdatedBias Distribution81% Center
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81% Center
15%
C 81%
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