The National Park Service (NPS) announced big news this afternoon: America has a new national park. Chiricahua National Monument in Willcox, Arizona, is now officially a national park, making it the nation’s 64th place with this designation.
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“Known as the ‘Wonderland of Rocks,’ this spectacular Arizona landscape was shaped by massive volcanic eruptions and millions of years of erosion, creating the towering rock pinnacles that define Chiricahua today,” wrote NPS in an Instagram post sharing the news. “Beyond its iconic rock formations, @chiricahuanps is rich in biodiversity and human history. Its diverse habitats support an incredible variety of plants and wildlife, while its stories span thousands of years, from Indigenous peoples and Chiricahua Apaches to Buffalo Soldiers, pioneers, ranchers and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The designation is new, but the wonder isn’t. Chiricahua has been an extraordinary place for generations, and its new status recognizes a landscape that has long inspired awe.”
See photos of Chiricahua National Park below.
Header stock image by Tom Walker/Getty Images
Read more facts about the national parks:
- Great Smoky Mountain National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Isle Royale National Park
- Big Bend National Park
- Zion National Park
- Voyageurs National Park
- Glacier National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Yosemite National Park
