The U.S. Has a New National Park
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Chiricahua National Park is famous for its rock spires.
The United States just got a new national park. Located in a part of southeastern Arizona known for towering rock formations called spires, Chiricahua is America’s 64th national park.
Chiricahua National Park is located in the Chiricahua Mountains, which today are inactive volcanoes. Between the mountains are desert grasslands and the famous rock spires, or towers. The spires look as if someone stacked rocks together, but they are actually the result of a volcanic eruption that took place about 27 million years ago.
Chiricahua was home to the Chiricahua Apache people for hundreds of years before the U.S. government forced them off the land in the late 1800s to make way for settlers. The Chiricahua Apache called the area “The Land of Standing-Up Rocks.”
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A visitor enjoys the scenery at Chiricahua National Park.
The U.S. Congress passed a bill to create Chiricahua National Park and sent it to President Donald Trump, who signed it into law on October 20. Before this, the area had been called Chiricahua National Monument. Both national parks and national monuments are protected and preserved by the government, but national parks are often more widely known and talked about. Making Chiricahua into a national park may attract more visitors, which could bring more money to local businesses.
“While [Chiricahua’s] name is changing, our commitment remains the same: protecting this remarkable landscape and its cultural heritage while providing opportunities for visitors to experience and enjoy it for generations to come,” said Jessica Bowron of the National Park Service.
