Since 1916, the U.S. National Park Service has been entrusted with caring for America’s National Parks, as well as our historic and natural landmarks and national heritage areas.

Many of our natural parks contain historic places representing important aspects of that history. Collectively, these places present an American history textbook that educates visitors about the people, events, buildings, objects, landscapes, and artifacts of American History.

The National Park Service manages 421 individual units covering more than 85 million acres in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories. These include national parks, monuments, battlefields, seashores, and more.

National Parks, Monuments, & Historic Sites:

Acadia National Park, ME

Alcatraz Island, CA

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, TX

Andersonville Prison of the Civil War, GA

Antietam Battlefield, MD

Appomattox Court House, VA

Badlands National Park, SD

Bandelier National Monument, NM

Bent’s Fort National Historic Site, CO

Big Bend National Park, TX

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO

Blue Ridge Parkway, VA/NC

Bryce Canyon, UT

Canyons of the Ancients, CO

Cape Cod & National Seashore, MA

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC

Castle Clinton, NY

Chaco Culture National Park, NM

Chesapeake Bay National Park

Chickamauga & Chattanooga Military Park, GA/TN

City of Rocks National Reserve, ID

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Crater Lake National Park, OR

Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID

Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, KY-TN-VA

Death Valley, CA

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, PA-NJ

Dinosaur National Monument, CO-UT

El Morro National Monument, NM

Ellis Island – Island of Hope & Tears, NY

Fort Bowie National Historic Site, AZ

Fort Davis National Historic Site, TX

Fort Laramie National Historic Site, WY

Fort Larned National Historic Site, KS

Fort Necessity National Battlefield, PA

Fort Point National Historic Site, CA

Fort Scott National Historic Site, KS

Fort Smith National Historic Site, AR

Fort Union Trading Post, ND

The Ghosts of Lake Mead, NV-AZ

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM

Glacier National Park, MT

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, CA

Grand Portage National Monument, MN

Great Smoky Mountain National Park, NC & TN

Grand Canyon, AZ

Grand Teton National Park, WY

Harpers Ferry, WV

Hot Springs, AR

Hovenweep National Monument, CO

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN

Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, NY

Jamestown National Historic Site, VA

Johnstown Flood National Memorial, PA

Keweenaw National Historic Park, MI

Lees Ferry, AZ

Liberty Island National Monument, NY

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, MT

Mesa Verde National Park, CO

Muir Woods National Monument, CA

Pecos National Historic Park, NM

Pipe Spring National Monument

Presidio of San Francisco, CA

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Pullman National Monument, IL

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, NM

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, TX

Sand Creek Massacre Site, CO

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, MA

Shiloh National Military Park, TN

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, MT

Voyageurs National Park, MN

Washita Battlefield, OK

Whitman Massacre National Historic Site, WA

Yellowstone National Park, WY

Fort Yellowstone – Preserving the First National Park

Zion National Park, UT

National Park Photo Galleries

Also See:

Destinations in America

National Park Photo Galleries

Quirky and Off-Beat Roadside Attractions

Scenic Byways & Historic Trails

Compiled and edited by Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated July 2023.