Chiricahua National Monument Becomes America’s Newest National Park

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is now Chiricahua National Park. The change took effect when the president signed the Chiricahua National Park Act into law on Oct. 20, 2026.

This is a redesignation, not a new site: Chiricahua was first protected as a national monument in 1924, and NPS says it has been part of the National Park System for more than a century.

The park protects about 12,000 acres of rhyolite rock spires and balanced rocks formed by a volcanic eruption roughly 27 million years ago, along with Chiricahua Apache homeland history and the Faraway Ranch homestead.

NPS says hiking, camping, scenic drives and wildlife viewing continue as before. The park is near Willcox, Arizona, and current information is at nps.gov/chir.