Coronado National Memorial

Coronado National Memorial, located in southeast Arizona, was established by President Harry S. Truman on November 5, 1952. The park is the only unit of the National Park System that commemorates Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s 1540–1542 expedition throughout the American Southwest, preserving and interpreting the natural and human history of the border region. Encompassing 4,750 acres of land within the Huachuca Mountains and the San Pedro River Valley, the park comprises four major biomes: Sierra Madre, Rocky Mountain, Chihuahuan Desert, and Sonoran Desert. Among the memorial’s 44 species of animals and more than 170 species of birds, visitors can observe white-tailed deer, coatimundis, Mexican jays, peregrine falcons, vermilion flycatchers, and more. Coronado’s expedition, while marked with both wonder and cruelty, nonetheless represents an important part of our national story. Coronado National Memorial protects and preserves the complex history and diverse wildlife of this vast borderland.