National memorials officially recognize an area that memorializes a historic person or event. Currently, the National Park Service owns and administers 31 memorials as official units and assists five more affiliated areas where other organizations operate. Congress has also designated 22 additional independently operated sites as national memorials. Memorials need not be located on a site directly related to the subject, and many, such as the Lincoln Memorial, do not have the word “national” in their titles. There is a degree of overlap in the development of some areas designated as memorials, monuments, and historic sites, and their characterization is not always consistent with their names, such as whether the site is closely associated with whom it memorializes.

The United States National Monuments are spectacular and fascinating pieces of natural scenery and national history, such as historic sites, natural scenery, Native American prehistoric sites, and more. They are usually smaller than national parks and lack a diversity of attractions. Unlike national parks, they can be created by presidential proclamation without an act of Congress. President Theodore Roosevelt established the first national monument, Devils Tower, in Wyoming on September 24, 1906. Today, the United States has 133 protected areas known as national monuments. Though the National Park Service oversees many, others are managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.