A rocky ‘wonderland’ in Arizona is poised to be the next US national park

An area of towering rock spires in southeastern Arizona known among Native Americans as the Land of Standing-Up Rocks is poised to become the nation’s newest national park. Legislation to create Chiricahua National Park is expected to be transmitted to the White House in coming days for President Donald Trump’s signature. It passed Congress with bipartisan backing and would be the 64th national park.

The 19-square-mile (49-square kilometer) site is within the historical territory of the Chiricahua Apache tribes. It was designated a national monument in the 1920s to preserve hundreds of pinnacle-shaped rocks formed from an ancient volcanic eruption. “We’re the Grand Canyon state, so we know about this kind of landscape,” Rep.

Juan Ciscomani, House sponsor of the Chiricahua National Park Act, said Wednesday. “The Grand Canyon is hard to top, but Chiricahua hold its own. This is something that really hasn’t been discovered.” National Park Service officials declined to say if new staff would be hired to address an expected increase in visitors as the new designation elevates the site’s profile.

The park service has undergone deep cuts to its workforce under Trump. Maintenance projects at many sites — including Chiricahua — were ranked a “low priority” by officials who have instead focused on projects wanted by the White House including repairs to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. For centuries the site of the proposed park was home to the Apache, nomadic tribes who often resisted European newcomers to North America.

They continued clashing with settlers until surrendering to U.S. troops in 1886 and being forcibly removed to the San Carlos Apache reservation. The bill creating Chiricahua National Park preserves tribal access for traditional ceremonies.

It allows temporary public closures within the park to protect those cultural uses, although Ciscomani said specifics have not been decided. San Carlos Apache tribal leaders did not take a formal position on the national park designation, a spokesperson said Wednesday. In response to questions from The Associated Press, the tribe provided its 2024 testimony before Congress, where San Carlos Apache Deputy Attorney General Justine Jimmie asked for uninterrupted access to the site.