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Arizona is now home to America’s newest national park. President Trump signed the Chiricahua National Park Act on October 20, redesignating Chiricahua National Monument as Chiricahua National Park. It is the country’s first new national park in six years, and the 64th overall.
A Wonderland of Rocks in Southeast Arizona
The park sits in the state’s southeastern corner near Willcox, about a two hour drive east of Tucson. Its roughly 12,000 acres protect a landscape of towering rhyolite rock spires and balanced rocks left by a volcanic eruption some 27 million years ago, terrain long nicknamed the Wonderland of Rocks. The Chiricahua Mountains form a sky island range where desert, grassland and forest meet, and the park draws hikers, birders, campers and stargazers.
President Coolidge first protected the area as a national monument in 1924. The park preserves the homeland of the Chiricahua Apache and the homesteading history of Faraway Ranch. Congress moved the redesignation with bipartisan support this year, with the House approving it by voice vote in March and the Senate passing it by unanimous consent on September 30. The last addition to the national park system was New River Gorge in West Virginia.
Arizona’s Four National Parks
Chiricahua becomes Arizona’s fourth national park. Grand Canyon National Park is the state’s best known and one of the most visited in the country. Saguaro National Park flanks Tucson on two sides and protects the giant cacti of the Sonoran Desert. Petrified Forest National Park runs along Interstate 40 in northeastern Arizona, known for its fossilized trees and the badlands of the Painted Desert. YeahThatsKosher’s 10-day Arizona road trip itinerary covers hiking and kosher dining across the state, including the Grand Canyon.
Kosher Options Near the Park
Chiricahua is remote, so visitors keeping kosher should plan to bring food for the day. The closest kosher options are in Tucson, about 120 miles and two hours from the park. Cafe J serves dairy meals inside the Tucson J, and Nadines Bakery on East Broadway offers pastries, breads and cakes.
The Phoenix area, about 230 miles and a three and a half hour drive, has the state’s largest kosher scene under the Greater Phoenix Vaad HaKashrus. Options include Smash Grill and La Bella Pizzeria in Phoenix, Milk + Honey at the Valley of the Sun JCC in Scottsdale, Imperial Market and Deli for takeout, and several kosher bakeries.
If You Go
Chiricahua National Park is located at 12856 E. Rhyolite Creek Road, Willcox, AZ 85643. Current trail, road and camping information is available at nps.gov/chir.
For more trip planning, Amazon carries national park guidebooks including National Geographic’s Guide to the National Parks of the United States, Moon USA National Parks: The Complete Guide to All 63 Parks, and 100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas.
More YeahThatsKosher national parks coverage: 13 US National Parks Supported by Chabad Hospitality and Higher Costs Coming for Non-U.S. Visitors to Top National Parks in 2026.
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