Scenic northern lakes region; interesting glacial features and history.
Wind Cave
NP
SW S.Dak.
1903
28,295 (11,459)
Limestone caverns in the Black Hills.
Wrangell–St. Elias
PP
SW Alaska
1978
13,176,371 (5,334,563)
Largest unit in the National Park System; numerous peaks over 16,000 ft (4,900 m), abundant wildlife.
Yellowstone
NP
Wyo., Mont., Idaho
1872
2,219,791 (899,015)
Geysers and hot springs, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone; first national park.
Yosemite
NP
E Central Calif.
1890
761,266 (308,205)
Mountain region with Yosemite Valley.
Zion
NP
SW Utah
1909
146,592 (59,349)
Multicolored canyon in a desert region.
National Monuments
Name
Type1
Location
Year authorized
Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Agate Fossil Beds
MO
NW Nebr.
1965
3,055 (1,237)
World-famous quarries containing numerous well-preserved Miocene mammal fossils; museum of Native American artifacts.
Agua Fria
MO
Central Ariz.
2000
71,100 (28,796)
A Native American settlement system dating to A.D. 1250–1450, spread over two mesas and the Agua Fria River canyon; more than 450 sites with pueblos, stone forts, and petroglyphs.
Alibates Flint Quarries
MO
NW Tex.
1965
1,371 (555)
Flint quarries, first worked by Native Americans c.10,000 years ago; rich archaeological and historic area.
Aniakchak
MR
SW Alaska
1978
602,779 (244,040)
Volcano; wilderness and wildlife preserve.
Aztec Ruins
MO
NW N.Mex.
1923
319 (129)
Ruins of a Pueblo town.
Bandelier
MO
N N.Mex.
1916
33,677 (13,634)
Ruins of 13th-century Pueblo cliff dwellings.
Booker T. Washington
MO
Central Va.
1956
224 (91)
Birthplace and childhood home of Booker T. Washington.
Buck Island Reef
MO
Virgin Islands, on Buck Island
1961
880 (356)
One of the finest marine gardens in the Caribbean; bird rookeries and grottoes.
Thousands of islands, rocks, and reefs within 12 mi (19 km) of California’s 840-mi (1,350-km) coastline; includes nesting grounds of seabirds and marine mammals.
Canyon de Chelly
MO
NE Ariz.
1931
83,840 (33,955)
Ruins of prehistoric Native American villages.
Canyons of the Ancients
MO
SW Colo.
2000
164,000 (66,420)
Rugged landscape that is archaeologically rich, with some sites dating to 10,000 years ago; later pit houses, cliff dwellings, and pueblos.
Cape Krusenstern
MO
Alaska
1978
649,182 (262,828)
Archaeological sites of indigenous communities dating back 4,000 years.
Capulin Volcano
MO
NE N.Mex.
1916
793 (321)
Huge cinder cone of inactive volcano.
Carrizo Plain
MO
W central Calif.
2001
204,000 (82,560)
Grasslands and wetlands, including akali Soda Lake, in Central Valley. Home to threatened or endangered species.
Casa Grande
MO
S Ariz.
1892
473 (191)
Huge building built c.600 years ago, in the ruins of a Native American pueblo.
Cascade-Siskiyou
MO
S central Oregon
2000
52,000 (21,060)
A biologically diverse and ecologically unique area that also includes Soda Mountain, Pilot Rock, and Siskiyou Pass.
Many sites include Old South Meeting House, the home of Paul Revere, obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill, and part of the Charlestown Navy Yard.
Boston African American
HS
E Mass.
1980
.38 (.15)
Site features oldest African-American church in the United States and the Black Heritage Trail.
Birthplace, childhood home, and burial place of President Herbert Hoover.
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt
HS
SE N.Y.
1944
349 (141)
Home, “Summer White House,” and burial place of Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. See Hyde Park.
Hopewell Culture
HP
S Ohio
1923
1,245 (504)
Prehistoric burial mounds of Hopewell people.
Hopewell Furnace
HS
SE Pa.
1938
848 (343)
19th-century iron-making site with reconstructed buildings and furnished cottages.
Hubbell Trading Post
HS
NE Ariz.
1965
160 (65)
Example of a late-19th-century trading post in the Southwest.
Independence
HP
SE Pa.
1948
45 (18)
Historic points of interest and the Liberty Bell; site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. See Independence Hall.
James A. Garfield
HS
NE Ohio
1980
8 (3)
Home of the 20th president and site of the first presidential memorial library.
Jean Lafitte
HP
SE La.
1939
20,020 (8,108)
Includes New Orleans’ French Quarter, the Chalmette Battlefield, and the Barataria and Acadian units.
Jimmy Carter
HS
SW Georgia
1987
71 (29)
Buildings and exhibits associated with the 39th president’s life.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
HS
E Mass.
1967
.09 (.04)
Birthplace and early boyhood home of President John F. Kennedy.
John Muir
HS
W Calif.
1964
345 (140)
John Muir House and Martínez Adobe, commemorating contributions of John Muir to conservation and literature.
Kalaupapa
HP
N Molokai Island, Hawaii
1980
10,779 (4,365)
Site of former leper colony separated from the island by 2,000-ft (610-m) cliff; there are ruins of 300 Hawaiian structures.
Kaloko-Honokohau
HP
Hawaii Island, Hawaii
1978
1,161 (470)
Site of important pre-European settlements.
Keweenaw
HP
NW Mich.
1992
1,870 (757)
Preserves features relevant to the first significant copper mining in the United States.
Klondike Gold Rush
HP
SW Alaska, NW Wa.
1976
13,191 (5,342)
Sites connected with the 1898 Klondike gold rush including Seattle’s Pioneer Square, the miners’ point of departure.
Knife River Indian Villages
HS
Central N.Dak.
1974
1,758 (712)
Ruins of villages of Hidasta and Mandan Native Americans.
Lewis and Clark
HP
NW Oreg., SW Wash.
1958
1,481 (599)
Fort Clatsop, site of the winter encampment of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and other sites associated with it. Jointly managed with nearby state historical parks.
Lincoln Home
HS
Central Ill.
1971
12 (5)
Only private home owned by Abraham Lincoln; he was living there when he was elected president.
Little Rock Central High School
HS
Central Ark.
1998
18 (7)
Site commemorating the “Little Rock Nine” and the fight for desegregation in the schools.
Longfellow
HS
E Mass.
1972
2 (.8)
Home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1837–82) in Cambridge; also George Washington’s headquarters during the siege of Boston (1775–76).
Lowell
HP
NE Mass.
1978
141 (57)
Restored site of cotton mill traces the history of the Industrial Revolution.
Lyndon B. Johnson
HP
SE Tex.
1969
1,570 (636)
Sites of the birthplace, boyhood home, and ranch of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Maggie L. Walker
HS
E Central Va.
1978
1 (.4)
Home of African-American bank president and early leader in the women’s movement.
Manzanar
HS
E Calif.
1992
814 (330)
Site of World War II internment of Japanese Americans. See relocation center.
Marsh-Billings
HP
Vt.
1992
643 (260)
Home of pioneer conservationist George Perkins Marsh.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
HS
N Ga.
1980
39 (16)
Birthplace, church, and grave of the civil-rights leader.
Martin Van Buren
HS
SE N.Y.
1974
40 (16)
Home of the 8th president.
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House
HS
Washington, D.C.
1982
.07 (.03)
Home and political headquarters of the educator and activist; the carriage house contains the Bethune Archives.
Minute Man
HP
E Mass.
1959
965 (391)
Scene of fighting on the opening day of the Revolutionary War; includes North Bridge, Minute Man statue, Battle Road (see Lexington and Concord, battles of), and the home of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Morristown
HP
N N.J.
1933
1,698 (687)
Site of military encampments during the Revolution; Washington’s headquarters, 1779–80.
Natchez
HP
SW Miss.
1988
108 (44)
Melrose plantation and other antebellum buildings.
New Bedford Whaling
HP
SE Mass.
1996
34 (14)
Commemorates the whaling heritage of New Bedford; includes a whaling museum.
New Orleans Jazz
HP
SE La.
1994
…
Preserves and interprets jazz as it has evolved in New Orleans.
Nez Percé
HP
Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wash.
1965
2,123 (860)
38 sites that preserve and commemorate the history and culture of the Nez Percé.
Nicodemus
HS
NW Kansas
1996
161 (65)
Site of town established by African Americans during Reconstruction.
Ninety Six
HS
NW S.C.
1976
989 (401)
A frontier trading post and Revolutionary War stronghold.
Palo Alto Battlefield
HS
S Tex.
1978
3,357 (1,360)
Site of the first major battle of the Mexican War.
Pecos
HP
N N.Mex.
1965
6,671 (2,702)
15th-century ruins of Pecos Pueblo, once the largest Native American settlement in the Southwest.
Pennsylvania Avenue
HS
Washington, D.C.
1965
…
Portion of Pennsylvania Ave. and adjacent area between the Capitol and the White House.
Pu’uhonua o Honaunau
HP
SW Hawaii Island, Hawaii
1955
182 (74)
Ancient Hawaiian sanctuary and royal residence.
Puukohola Heiau
HS
Hawaii Island, Hawaii
1972
86 (35)
Ruins of temple built (1791) by King Kamehameha the Great.
Sagamore Hill
HS
SE N.Y.
1962
83 (34)
Estate and Victorian-style home of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Saint Croix Island
IS
E Maine
1949
45 (18)
Commemorates the French settlement on the island in the Saint Croix River.
Saint-Gaudens
HS
W N.H.
1964
148 (60)
Memorial to the American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens; contains his home studios, gardens.
Saint Paul’s Church
HS
SE N.Y.
1943
6 (2)
18th-century church associated with the events leading to the arrest of John Peter Zenger; includes Bill of Rights museum.
Salem Maritime
HS
NE Mass.
1938
9 (4)
Wharves and buildings important during Salem’s seafaring days.
Salt River Bay
HP
Virgin Islands, on St. Croix
1992
945 (383)
Fort Sale; upland watersheds, mangrove forests, estuarine and marine environments.
San Antonio Missions
HP
S central Tex.
1978
819 (332)
Four missions situated on the San Antonio River; important examples of Spanish cultural influence.
San Francisco Maritime
HP
N Calif.
1988
50 (20)
Largest collection of historic ships in the United States; exhibits on maritime history.
San Juan
HS
NE Puerto Rico
1949
75 (30)
Oldest fortification within the limits of U.S. territory, built (16th cent.) by the Spanish to protect the harbor guarding the sea lanes to the New World.
San Juan Island
HP
NW Wash.
1966
1,752 (710)
Dedicated to the peaceful relationship between the United States, Britain, and Canada since the San Juan Boundary Dispute.
Saratoga
HP
E N.Y.
1938
3,392 (1,373)
Scene of a famous battle in the American Revolution. See Saratoga campaign.
Saugus Iron Works
HS
E Mass.
1968
9 (4)
Reconstruction of the 17th-century Colonial ironworks.
Sitka
HP
SE Alaska
1910
107 (43)
Site of the Tlingit peoples’ defeat by Russian settlers in 1804. See Sitka.
Springfield Armory
HS
Mass.
1974
55 (22)
Large weapons museum housed in former arsenal.
Steamtown
HS
NE Pa.
1986
62 (25)
A railyard containing America’s largest collection of steam-era locomotives and railroad cars.
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
HS
SE N.Y.
1962
.11 (.04)
Birthplace and boyhood home of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural
HS
W N.Y.
1966
1 (.4)
Ansley Wilcox House, where Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office (1901) as president.
Thomas Stone
HS
S Md.
1978
328 (133)
Georgian-style home, Habre-de-Ventre, of a signatory of the Declaration of Independence.
Tumacacori
HP
S Ariz.
1908
46 (19)
Mission founded by Father Eusebio F. Kino; rebuilt by the Franciscans.
Tuskegee Airmen
HS
SE Ala.
1999
90 (36)
Site commemorating the African-American Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.
Tuskegee Institute
HS
S Ala.
1974
58 (23)
First institution of higher learning for the vocational training of African Americans; founded in 1881.
Ulysses S. Grant
HS
Missouri
1989
10 (4)
Pre–Civil War home of Ulysses S. Grant.
Valley Forge
HP
SE Pa.
1976
3,466 (1,404)
Soldiers’ huts and preserved buildings re-create the 1777–78 encampment of the Continental Army.
Vanderbilt Mansion
HS
E N.Y.
1940
212 (86)
19th-century palatial Victorian residence of a grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt.
War in the Pacific
HP
Central Guam
1978
2,031 (822)
Artifacts of World War II in the Pacific theater.
Washita Battlefield
HS
Okla.
1848
315 (128)
Site of a Southern Cheyenne village attacked by General Custer on Nov. 27, 1868.
Weir Farm
HS
Conn.
1990
74 (30)
Home and studio of the American impressionist painter J. Alden Weir.
Beaches, forests, marshes, San Francisco’s Presidio, and Alcatraz Island. One of the first two national urban recreation areas.
Lake Chelan
RA
N Wash.
1968
61,958 (25,084)
Located in the Stehekin Valley and in the northern part of fjordlike Lake Chelan.
Lake Mead
RA
Ariz., Nev.
1936
1,495,666 (605,745)
Lake Mead, formed by Hoover Dam, and Lake Mohave, formed by Davis Dam; the first national recreation area established by Congress.
Lake Meredith
RA
NW Tex.
1965
44,978 (18,216)
Includes Lake Meredith, on the Canadian River, a popular water-sports area.
Lake Roosevelt
RA
NE Wash.
1946
100,390 (40,658)
Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, formed by the Grand Coulee Dam in the Columbia River; interesting geology.
Ross Lake
RA
N Wash.
1968
117,575 (47,618)
Extends along the Skagit River canyon; bisects North Cascades National Park.
Santa Monica Mountains
RA
SW Calif.
1978
153,824 (62,277)
Rugged, chaparral-covered landscape fronting on sandy beaches.
Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity
RA
N Calif.
1965
42,503 (17,214)
Reservoirs, forestland, and Whiskeytown Falls; the National Park Service runs the Whiskeytown unit, and the Forest Service administers the Shasta and Trinity units.
National Rivers
Name
Type1
Location
Year authorized
Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Alagnak
WS
SW Alaska
1980
30,665 (12,415)
White water and salmon fishing.
Big South Fork
RR
Ky., Tenn.
1976
125,242 (50,705)
Scenic gorges and valleys.
Bluestone
WS
SW W.Va.
1988
4,310 (1,745)
Fishing, hiking, boating, and scenery.
Buffalo
RI
NW Ark.
1972
94,292 (38,175)
136-mi (219-km) stretch of the Buffalo River and its valley; the first national river.
Delaware
WS
N.J.-Pa.
1978
1,973 (799)
Swimming, boating, and fishing on Delaware River through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Great Egg Harbor
WS
SW N.J.
1992
…
129 mi (208 km) long; largest canoeing river in the Pine Barrens.
Lower St. Croix
WS
E Minn., NW Wis.
1972
25,279 (10,234)
First river segment added by Congress to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Program.
Mississippi River
RR
Minn.
1988
53,775 (21,779)
Cultural, historical, and industrial features of the Mississippi River.
Missouri
WS
S.Dak. to Neb.
1978
…
Two free-flowing portions of Missouri River with islands, bars, and chutes; native floodplain forest.
New River Gorge
RI
W Va.
1978
69,834 (28,273)
Rugged whitewater river flows through deep canyons.
Niobrara
WS
N Nebr.
1991
…
Ecological crossroads between eastern woodlands and western grasslands.
Obed
WS
E Tenn.
1976
5,173 (2,094)
Numerous streams and rugged scenery.
Ozark
WS
Mo.
1964
80,786 (32,707)
Scenic parts of the Current and Jacks Fork rivers; the first national scenic river.
Rio Grande
WS
S Tex.
1978
9,600 (3,888)
191-mi (307-km) strip of land on the U.S. shore of the Rio Grande in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Saint Croix
WS
Minn., Wis.
1968
67,483 (27,321)
200 mi (322 km) of the St. Croix River and its Namekagon tributary; trails, camping, boating.
Upper Delaware
WS
Pa., N.Y.
1978
75,005 (30,366)
Fishing and boating.
National Lakeshores and Seashores
Name
Type1
Location
Year authorized
Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Apostle Islands
LS
NW Wis.
1970
69,372 (28,096)
Apostle Islands and a strip of the Bayfield Peninsula, on the south shore of Lake Superior.
Assateague Island
SS
Md., Va.
1965
39,723 (16,082)
37-mi (60-km) barrier island; beaches; wildlife refuge including wild ponies.
Canaveral
SS
E Fla.
1975
57,662 (23,353)
Barrier island dunes and marshland that includes a wildlife refuge.
Scenic route in the Blue Ridge Mts. between Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mts. national parks; many roadside parks, lookouts, and trails; the first national parkway.
California
HT
Missouri River to Calif. and Oreg.
1992
…
Former migration route extending 5,600 mi (9,010 km) from the Missouri River to California and Oregon.
Catoctin Mountain Park
PO
NW Md.
1936
5,770 (2,337)
Campgrounds, trails, and scenic drive located in the Catoctin Mts.; Camp David, the presidential retreat, is there.
Constitution Gardens
PO
Washington, D.C.
1978
52 (21)
Memorial to the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Continental Divide
ST
Mont., Idaho, Wyo., Colo., N.Mex.
1978
3,200 (1,296)
Runs the length of the Rocky Mountains.
Florida
ST
S Fla.
1983
…
Subtropical plant and animal life along 1,300-mi (2,092-km) trail.
Fort Washington Park
PO
Washington, D.C.
1930
341 (138)
19th-century fort.
George Washington Memorial Parkway
PW
Va., D.C., Md.
1930
7,248 (2,935)
Parkway connecting landmarks associated with the life of George Washington along both sides of the Potomac River from Mt. Vernon to Great Falls.
Greenbelt
PO
N Md.
1950
1,176 (476)
Woodland park.
Ice Age
ST
S Wis.
1980
…
100-mi (161-km) trail follows glacial moraines.
Iditarod
HT
Alaska
1978
…
Former Alaska Gold Rush trail extending 2,350 mi (3,781 km) from Seward to Nome.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
PW
NW Wyo.
1972
23,777 (9,622)
Scenic corridor between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks commemorating Rockefeller’s role in the creation of many national parks.
Juan Bautista de Anza
HT
W Calif.
1990
…
1,200-mi (1,931-km) trail traces the path of Spanish colonists.
Historic trail follows the route taken by Brigham Young and his followers in 1847–48.
Natchez Trace
ST
Miss., Tenn.
1983
10,995 (4,453)
Trail extends from Nashville, Tenn., to Natchez, Miss.
Natchez Trace
PW
Miss., Ala., Tenn.
1938
51,748 (20,958)
Parkway following the general location of the old trail known as the Natchez Trace.
National Capital Parks
PO
D.C., Va., Md.
1790
6,544 (2,649)
More than 300 parks, parkways, and military fortifications in and around Washington, D.C.
National Mall
PO
Washington, D.C.
1933
146 (59)
Landscaped park, part of the L’Enfant Plan for Washington, D.C.
Nez Percé
HT
Oregon, Idaho, Mont., Wyo.
1986
…
1,170-mi (1,883-km) trail commemorates the retreat of the Nez Percé under Chief Joseph in 1877.
North Country
ST
N.Y. to N.Dak.
1980
…
Extends 3,200 mi (5,149 km), connecting seven northern tier states.
Oregon
HT
Mo. to Oreg.
1978
…
Traces the c.2,000-mi (3,200-km) route of pioneers in 1841–60.
Overmountain Victory
HT
Tenn., Va., N.C., S.C.
1980
…
Follows the 300-mi (483-km) path of revolutionary Patriots.
Pacific Crest
ST
Calif., Oreg., Wash.
1968
…
Follows the Sierra and Cascade peaks 2,638 mi (4,245 km) from Mexico to Canada; along with the Appalachian Trail one of the two initial components of the National Trails System.
Piscataway Park
PO
S Md.
1961
4,486 (1,816)
Preserves the view from Mt. Vernon of the opposite shore of the Potomac River.
Pony Express
HT
Mo., Kans., Colo., Utah, Nev., Calif.
1992
…
Follows the 1,966-mi (3,163-km) route of the pony express riders in 1860–61.
Potomac Heritage
ST
Va., D.C., Md., Pa.
1983
…
704-mi (1,133-km) trail connects the tidewater regions to the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania.
Prince William Forest Park
PO
NE Va.
1936
18,572 (7,522)
Pine and hardwood forests of the Quantico Creek watershed.
Rock Creek Park
PO
Washington, D.C.
1890
1,754 (710)
Wooded preserve, one of the largest urban parks in the nation.
Santa Fe
HT
Mo., Kans., Okla., Col., N.Mex.
1987
…
Traces the 1,203-mi (1,936-km) route of famous Santa Fe Trail.
Theodore Roosevelt Island
PO
Washington, D.C., Va.
1932
89 (36)
Wilderness preserve in the Potomac River; a tribute to the “conservationist president.”
Trail of Tears
HT
N.C., Tenn., Ga., Ala., Ark., Okla.
1987
…
2,200-mi (3,540-km) trail commemorates the routes of forced migration of more than 15,000 Cherokee from their ancestral homes.
