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Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona features rock formations created by a volcanic eruption 27 million years ago. The area offers hiking, climbing, and scenic drives, and is home to rare wildlife and vegetation. The site was named after the Chiricahua Apache tribe and declared a National Monument in 1924.
Chiricahua National Monument is part of the Chiricahua Mountains in the US state of Arizona. The monument consists of formations created by a volcanic eruption that occurred about 27 million years ago. Today, the area is a popular spot for hiking, climbing, and scenic drives.
Located in southeastern Arizona, the Chiricahua Rock Formations were declared a National Monument by the United States National Park Service in 1924. The landscape is believed to have formed during a volcanic eruption called the Turkey Creek Caldera Eruption, a natural phenomenon that was about 1,000 times greater than the infamous 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helena. It resulted in layers of ash and pumice 2,000 feet (about 610 meters) thick, which hardened over time to become the Land of Rocks standing, as the Chiricahua Apache called them. Pioneers referred to the formations as Rock Wonderland.
The original monument was only 4,238 acres (17,150,578 m2). Today, the site encompasses more than 11,985 acres (48,501,574 m2), including an eight-mile (nearly 13 km) scenic drive and 17 miles (about 27 km) of hiking trails. About 60,000 people visit Chiricahua National Monument each year. Some of the top attractions include Echo Canyon, a massive canyon set into the side of the mountains; Massai Point, summit and viewpoint; and Heart of Rocks, an area with interesting rock formations, such as Duck on a Rock, Balancing Rock, Thor’s Hammer and Kissing Rocks. The most common rock formations found in the monument are gray, column-like monoliths of volcanic rock that have been sculpted into their shapes by millions of years of erosion.
Because the Chiricahua Mountains sit higher than the deserts all around, the climate is diverse and attracts unusual wildlife. This includes some rare birds, such as the great tit, and animals not found elsewhere in the area, such as javelins and ocelots. Rattlesnakes and venomous coral snakes are not uncommon near Chiricahua National Monument. The vegetation is also quite varied, from everyday pine trees to more typical desert plants, such as cacti and yuccas.
Chiricahua National Monument is so named because the area was once home to a band of the Apache tribe called the Chiricahua, which included the famous medicine man Geronimo. Some of their descendants still live in the area. Congress declared the site deserted in 1976, meaning that no further development of any kind is permitted in the Chiricahua National Monument region.
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