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Chiricahua National Monument

Coordinates: 32°00′20″N 109°21′24″W / 32.00569°N 109.35672°W / 32.00569; -109.35672
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Chiricahua National Monument
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
The Balanced Rock formation
Map showing the location of Chiricahua National Monument
Map showing the location of Chiricahua National Monument
LocationCochise County, Arizona, USA
Nearest cityWillcox, AZ
Coordinates32°00′20″N 109°21′24″W / 32.00569°N 109.35672°W / 32.00569; -109.35672
Area11,984 acres (4,850 ha)[1]
CreatedApril 18, 1924 (1924-April-18)
Visitors40,646 (in 2013)[2]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteChiricahua National Monument

Chiricahua National Monument is a unit of the National Park System located in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The monument was established on April 18, 1924 to protect its extensive hoodoos and balancing rocks. The Faraway Ranch, which was owned at one time by Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson, is also preserved within the monument.[3]

Geography

Located approximately 36 miles (58 km) southeast of Willcox, Arizona, the monument preserves the remains of an immense volcanic eruption that shook the region about 27 million years ago. The thick white-hot ash spewed forth from the nearby Turkey Creek Caldera, cooled and hardened into rhyolitic tuff, laying down almost two thousand feet of dark volcanic ash and pumice, highly siliceous in nature, which eventually eroded into the natural features that we see at the monument today.[4]

In 2008, the Chiricahua National Monument Historic Designed Landscape, covering roughly 80% of the national monument, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

  • Stone columns, called hoodoos, are the most common formation in the monument
    Stone columns, called hoodoos, are the most common formation in the monument
  • Hoodoos in Totem Canyon
    Hoodoos in Totem Canyon
  • The Big Balanced Rock
    The Big Balanced Rock
  • Arizona Cypress and Johann's Pinyon
    Arizona Cypress and Johann's Pinyon
  • Pinnacle Balanced Rock - Heart of Rocks Loop trail
    Pinnacle Balanced Rock - Heart of Rocks Loop trail
  • Park road
    Park road

See also

References

  1. ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2013" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-03-28. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
  2. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
  3. ^ "Chiricahua National Monument: Nature & Science". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
  4. ^ "Geology Field Notes: Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-07-03.
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chiricahua National Monument.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Chiricahua National Monument.


180° panoramic view captured in HDR in Chiricahua National Monument in S.E. Arizona
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