This Otherworldly 'Sky Island' Might Be America's Next National Park

[Celerity]

Arizona’s best-kept secret is ready for its close-up.

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/things-to-do-in-chiricahua-national-monument-arizona-next-national-park



About 120 miles east of Tucson, Arizona lies a sea of monolithic wonders forged in volcanic fury. Here, thousands of rocky hoodoos twist skyward under a vivid blanket of stars. The Martian-like landscape is crawling with rare creatures and abstract natural phenomena unlike any you’ve ever seen. And soon, Southeastern Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument could take its rightful place in the spotlight. Hot on the heels of Virginia’s newly minted New River Gorge National Park, a new bipartisan bill could soon promote Chiricahua from national monument to national park. And should Congress pass the bill following two failed attempts, this 12,025-acre stunner will become the 64th wilderness in the America’s Best Idea club.

Dubbed the “The Land of Standing-Up Rocks” by the Apache, Chiricahua’s iconic rhyolite pillars earned it national monument status back in 1924. These otherworldly oddities—reminiscent of the orange-hued hoodoos of Utah’s Bryce Canyon—number in the thousand and were formed millions of years ago by a volcanic eruption 1,000 times more powerful than Mount St. Helens. Adding to the mystique, Chiricahua is one of Arizona’s “sky islands,” a prodigious mountain range that emerges from the desert like a hazy mirage.



The unique geological features of sky islands result in some pretty unpredictable climate conditions; think tank tops and Tevas at the lower elevations and winter coats and beanies closer to the highest peaks. And as the elevation changes, so do the ecological communities. Located at the convergence of the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Madres, the Sonoran Desert, and the Chihuahuan Desert, Chiricahua is home to five world biomes that range from deserts and grasslands to chaparral, deciduous, and coniferous forests. It’s basically the Grand Central Station of ecosystems, and it’s teeming with innumerable desert-dwelling critters and creepy crawlies.

As of August, the bill was gathering dust in Washington, so it could be a while before we know for sure if Chiricahua will join Petrified Forest, Saguaro, and the Grand Canyon and become Arizona’s fourth National Park. But that shouldn’t stop you from seeing it for yourself today. Here’s how to best experience the starry skies, ancient lava flows, and wildlife of this Southwestern dreamscape.

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[pecosbob]

1. Otherworldly is right...spectacular.

Get the hell outta there though if it looks like rain.

[lapfog_1]

2. Love Love Love the Chiricahuas

off the beaten track... but absolutely beautiful.

[MagickMuffin]

3. Thank you for posting especially all the pics

Hopefully I can experience this when I go to AZ to visit friends.

[we can do it]

4. Nice! We will have to check it out. Quick note: New River Gorge NP is in West Virginia, not VA.

[Bayard]

5. Great pics!

Entrancing views. A national park would be fantastic.

[spike jones]

6. It looks like a rock climber's vision of heaven. n/t

[maxsolomon]

7. With the GQP in charge of Congress, that's not becoming a NP anything soon.

And considering the crush of visitors that National Parks experience, maybe keeping it a National Monument is just fine.

[dlk]

8. Stunning scenery!

Thanks for sharing.

[Bo Zarts]

9. I love the Chiricahuas, but would rather see it designed wilderness ..

It is a very inhospitable land, and would be “a pearl before the swine” in most cases. Many of your typical park visitors would not see the sights depicted in these photos. Many would visit to ride abominable off-road vehicles, despoiling the sacred land of Cochise (who is buried here, in a secret location .. the Cochise Stronghold).
I’m a big proponent of public lands, in the vain of Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot. And these lands can remain accessible, without inviting the maddening crowds.

[Magoo48]

10. Great pics,

and good news.

[Richard D]

11. What a beautiful place

I've not heard of it, but it is on my wish list now.

[Hekate]

12. Breathtaking indeed.

Thank you for this.

[LudwigPastorius]

13. Hoodoo?

You do.

I do, what?

Remind me of a man.

What man?

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

16. Hoodoo.

[Oneironaut]

14. Nooooo! Now people are going to fuck it up.

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

15. This concerns me...

... I remember vandals toppling similar natural features elsewhere. Utah? Yeah, Utah.

Ex-Scouts Who Toppled Ancient Rock Formations Reach Plea Deal
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/03/18/291201681/ex-scouts-who-toppled-ancient-rock-formations-reach-plea-deal

[Rebl2]

20. My thought

too, but it is beautiful! What is the animal in that one picture jumping from one rock to another other-anyone know?

[WestMichRad]

25. I think it's a ringtail

Also known as ring-tailed cat, civet cat and miner’s cat (Bassariscus astutus), a member of the raccoon family. Described as having a body resembling that of a cat, with a fox-like snout and tail of similar length as the body with typically 14 to 16 stripes. The wiki page shows its range, which includes AZ.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringtail

Recognized as the state mammal of Arizona.

[Judi Lynn]

17. Easy to see people could get attached to these powerful places. Thank you for sharing the images.

I agree with other poster's concern that before they become better known, there should be sufficient efforts made to secure them against thoughtless, heartless, or malicious sight-seers.

[Celerity]

19. +1

[Solly Mack]

18. People ruin things. Not always but I'm sure that Coati would prefer its home not turn into a tourist

attraction.

Protect the land from the hubris of humans. Protect it.

People will still make their way there, but it needs to stay untouched as possible.

No camp sites. No restrooms buildings. No gift shops. No RV parking. Just no.

Keep it wilderness.

Keep it clean.

Keep it free for the wildlife there.

[Zeitghost]

23. Those with disabilities

Like to visit public lands as well. Restricting access to public resources those privileged with youth, strength and no disability that would prevent hiking smacks of ableism. I say this as someone who has been privileged enough to have hiked and backpacked well over 1000 miles on our public lands.

Our National Park system does an amazing job of providing access to all while still preserving wild places and the critters that call them home.

[Solly Mack]

24. I can see making a place easier for all to visit. But that can be done without changing

the area too much.

Wanting to keep the wild wild isn't an attack on anyone.

[Zeitghost]

26. You say that

While at the same time arguing that they should not build restrooms or camp sites.

How are those who are, say confined to a wheelchair, supposed to visit remote and wild areas without a means to get there or stay there or use the restroom while visiting?

[Solly Mack]

27. You want to grind an axe, have at it. But I'm not a whet stone.

Attempting to paint me as someone who wants to prevent those with disabilities from using public parks is bullshit.

[Zeitghost]

28. So where do they use the restroom?

In your ideal park?

I get it, it's never easy to accept our bias and inherent discrimination. But why be so dismissive when asked to consider a different, more inclusive view?

[Solly Mack]

29. LMAO

[Zeitghost]

30. And we wonder why progress is so hard

SMH...

[panfluteman]

21. Spectacular Indeed! A Little Background Info on the Chiricauhuas

The Chiricahuas were a favorite mountain hideout for the Apache Indians like Geronimo when they were evading the American Cavalry who wanted to round them up and send them off to a distant reservation. In fact, there is a certain band of the Apache tribe called the Chiricahua Apaches. This Sky Island also spans both sides of the US / Mexico border, and has often been a place, or mountain range, through which illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America have hiked across, guided by Coyotes. Looking at these breathtaking photos, it is a real shame that I never got around to visiting or hiking in the Chiricahua mountains when I lived in Tucson.

Arizona is a breathtakingly beautiful state indeed. There are also other parts of the state that could also be designated national parks besides the Grand Canyon and the Chiricahuas, with one of my favorites being the Salt River Canyon, which lies on highway 60, right in between the San Carlos and White Mountain Apache reservations. I call it Geronimo's Paradise.

[sellitman]

22. Got me some cool wallpaper.

Thanks!!!