Chiricahua National Monument

Permit Information

NPS Special Use Permit required for weddings, vow renewals, and organized group events. Submit NPS Form 10 930 with the $100 non refundable application fee. Chiricahua now falls under Southeast Arizona Group Parks permit processing. Contact the permits office at 520 366 5515 and apply at least 60 days ahead, earlier during cooler months when demand is highest. Cost recovery for ranger monitoring may be billed separately.

Planning Your Day at Chiricahua National Monument

One-Spot Day

Chiricahua is remote southeastern Arizona (2 hours from Tucson, 36 miles from Willcox) with the three ceremony sites (Massai Point, Echo Canyon, Sugarloaf Mountain) all accessed from the 8 mile Bonita Canyon Drive. Pair Sugarloaf Mountain sunrise ceremony with Echo Canyon portraits and a Massai Point sunset session in a single long day, or split across two days. Lodging is limited to the park's small campground (no hookups) or hotels in Willcox 45 minutes away. No food, no gas, no lodging inside the monument. Cell service is limited throughout the park.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

NPS Special Use Permit required for weddings, vow renewals, and organized group events at Chiricahua under Southeast Arizona Group Parks permit processing. $100 non refundable application fee via pay.gov. Contact SEAZ Group Permit Coordinator at 520 824 3560 x9208 or 520 366 5515 and apply at least 60 days ahead, earlier during cooler months (March through May, October through November) when demand is highest. Cost recovery for ranger monitoring may be billed separately. Liability insurance or security deposit may be required depending on group size. No ceremonies permitted in the fire lookout cabin at Sugarloaf (staffed seasonally). Ceremony party packs in and packs out everything; no amplified sound, no structures, no chairs beyond minimal seating for elderly guests.

A Note on Light

Golden hour (1 hour before sunset) washes the rhyolite spires warm orange and deepens the shadows between pinnacles, which is when the Wonderland of Rocks earns its name. Sunrise on the pinnacles from the east at Sugarloaf Mountain catches first light for 30 minutes of dramatic alpenglow. Summer afternoons (July through August monsoon season) bring thunderstorms at 6,870 feet elevation, lightning risk on exposed summits, and dangerous flash flooding in slot passages. Spring (March through May) and fall (October through November) are the prime ceremony seasons. Winter can bring snow and ice on Bonita Canyon Drive, closing access.

Ceremony Spots at Chiricahua National Monument

• Massai Point — Couples who want sweeping pinnacle views with minimal hiking, and a built in ceremony platform with history
• Echo Canyon — Active couples who want an immersive walk through the rhyolite pinnacles rather than an overlook ceremony
• Sugarloaf Mountain Summit — Couples who want the highest point in the monument and a panoramic summit ceremony, earned by a short hike