- US National Monument, being considered for a National Park upgrade - 12,000+ acre unit of the National Park System in southeastern Arizona - Established in 1924 to protect its hoodoos and balancing rocks - IDA-certified Dark Sky Park - "Cochise Head" mountain (shown above) has an amazing resemblance to Chief Cochise - The monument's elevation varies from 5,124 feet (1,562 meters) at the entrance to 7,310 feet (2,228 meters) at the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain ... this diversity means that all four seasons happen in the park - The best months for hiking are in spring and fall - The monument's ecosystem includes apache pine, douglas fir, and ponderosa pines, as well as oaks, manzanita, and bunchgrasses ... pinyons are most common at the highest elevations, with juniper, cypress, and a variety of shrubs - Many of these species provide food for the wildlife that live there - The Civilian Conservation Corps began improving the road and building trails and structures in ...