List of areas in the United States National Park System
The National Park System of the United States is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by the National Park Service. This includes all areas designated National Parks and most National Monuments, as well as several other types of protected areas of the United States.
As of 2007, there are 431 "units" of the National Park System. However, this number is somewhat misleading. For example: Denali National Park and Preserve is counted as two units, whereas Fort Moultrie National Monument is not counted as a unit because it is considered a feature of Fort Sumter National Monument.
In addition to areas of the National Park System, the National Park Service also provides technical and financial assistance to several "affiliated areas" authorized by Congress. Affiliated areas are marked on the lists below.
The National Register of Historic Places is administered by the Park Service (with nearly 79,000 entries) and automatically includes all National Park System areas designated due to their historic significance. This includes all National Historical Parks/Historic Sites, National Battlefields/Military Parks, National Memorials, and some National Monuments.
Delaware is the only state without a unit of the park system. Units are also found in Washington, D.C., Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Nearly all units managed by the National Park Service participate in the National Park Passport Stamps program.
National Parks
   |
| National Parks of the U.S. |
As of 2006, there are 58 officially-designated National Parks in the United States and its dependent areas.
- See also:
Disbanded National Parks
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln National Park | July 171916 | August 111939 | redesignated Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site |
| Fort McHenry National Park | March 31925 | August 111939 | redesignated, uniquely, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine |
| Hawaii National Park | August 11916 | September 131960 | divided into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park |
| Mackinac National Park | April 151875 | 1895 | now Mackinac Island State Park |
| Platt National Park | June 291906 | March 171976 | now Chickasaw National Recreation Area |
| Sullys Hill National Park | April 271904 | March 31931 | now Sullys Hill National Game Preserve (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) |
National Monuments
- See also:
- U.S. National Monument
- List of National Monuments of the United States (includes units not administered by the NPS)
Decommissioned National Monuments
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papago Saguaro National Monument | January 31, 1914 | April 7, 1930 | Transferred to Arizona |
| Lewis and Clark Cavern National Monument | May 11, 1908 | August 24, 1937 | Transferred to Montana |
| Father Millet Cross National Monument | August 10, 1933 | September 7, 1949 | Transferred to New York |
| Wheeler National Monument | December 7, 1908 | August 3, 1950 | Returned to United States Forest Service |
| Holy Cross National Monument | May 11, 1929 | August 3, 1950 | Returned to United States Forest Service |
| Shoshone Cavern National Monument | September 21, 1909 | May 17, 1954 | Transferred to Cody, Wyoming. |
| Old Kasaan National Monument | October 25, 1916 | July 26, 1955 | Transferred to United States Forest Service |
| Castle Pinckney National Monument | August 10, 1933 | March 29, 1956 | Transferred to South Carolina |
| Verendrye National Monument | June 29, 1917 | July 30, 1956 | Transferred to North Dakota |
| Fossil Cycad National Monument | October 21, 1922 | August 1, 1956 | Transferred to Bureau of Land Management |
National Preserves
National Historical Parks
There are 42 National Historical Parks:
National Historic Sites
There are 89 National Historic Sites:
Disbanded National Historic Sites
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Campaign National Historic Site | October 13, 1944 | September 21, 1950 | transferred to state of Georgia. |
| Mar-A-Lago National Historic Site | October 21, 1972 | December 23, 1980 | returned to Post Foundation. |
| McLoughlin House National Historic Site | merged into Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. | ||
| St. Thomas National Historic Site | December 24, 1960 | February 5, 1975 | transferred to Virgin Islands. |
Proposed National Historic Sites
| Name | Law |
|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site | (authorized by Public Law 107-137) |
| William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site | (S. 245) |
International Historic Site
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Saint Croix Island International Historic Site | Maine/New Brunswick |
National Battlefield Parks
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park | Georgia |
| Manassas National Battlefield Park | Virginia |
| Richmond National Battlefield Park | Virginia |
National Military Parks
National Battlefields
National Battlefield Site
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site | Mississippi |
National Memorials
There are 44 National Memorials:
Disbanded National Memorials
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Echota Marker National Memorial | August 10, 1933 | September 21, 1950 | transferred to state of Georgia. |
Proposed National Memorials
| Name | Law |
|---|---|
| Adams Memorial | (authorized by Public Law 107-62) |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial | (authorized by Public Law 107-117) |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial | (authorized by Public Law 104-333) |
| Mount Soledad National Memorial | (authorized by Public Law 108-447) |
National Recreation Areas
Disbanded National Recreation Areas
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga Valley National Rec. Area | December 27, 1974 | October 11, 2000 | redesignated Cuyahoga Valley National Park. |
| Shasta Lake Recreation Area | May 22, 1945 | July 1, 1948 | transferred to Forest Service. |
| Lake Texoma Recreation Area | April 18, 1946 | June 30, 1949 | returned to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. |
| Millerton Lake Recreation Area | May 22, 1945 | November 1, 1957 | transferred to state of California. |
| Flaming Gorge Recreation Area | July 22, 1963 | October 1, 1968 | transferred to Forest Service. |
| Shadow Mountain Recreation Area | June 27, 1952 | March 1, 1979 | transferred to Forest Service. |
National Seashores
National Lakeshores
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Apostle Islands National Lakeshore | Wisconsin |
| Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore | Indiana |
| Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore | Michigan |
| Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore | Michigan |
National Rivers
Below are the National Rivers (and similar designations) administered as distinct units of the National Park System. There are also some National Wild and Scenic Rivers managed as part of the parks through which they flow. Others are administered by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and various state or local agencies.
National Reserves
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| City of Rocks National Reserve | Idaho |
| Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve | Washington |
| New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve (affiliated area) | New Jersey |
Parkways
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Baltimore-Washington Parkway (affiliated area) | Maryland, Washington, D.C. |
| Blue Ridge Parkway | Virginia, North Carolina |
| Colonial Parkway (part of Colonial National Historical Park) | Virginia |
| George Washington Memorial Parkway (In 1989, the Maryland and DC portions of the Parkway were renamed Clara Barton Parkway to overcome motorist confusion). | Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C. |
| John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway | Wyoming |
| Natchez Trace Parkway | Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee |
| Oxon Run Parkway (affiliated area) | Washington, D.C. |
| Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (affiliated area) | Washington, D.C. |
| Suitland Parkway (affiliated area) | Maryland |
National Historic and Scenic Trails
These National Park Service trails are part of the larger National Trails System. Only 3 of the trails are considered official units of the Park system.
National Cemeteries
Most National Cemeteries are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, although a few are managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Army. None of the cemeteries are considered official units of the system; they are all affiliated with other parks.
Transferred National Cemeteries
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga National Cemetery | August 10, 1933 | December 7, 1944 | returned to War Department |
National Heritage Areas
- See also:
The National Park Service provides limited assistance to National Heritage Areas, but does not administer them.
Other NPS Protected Areas and Administrative Groups
There are also various administrative groups of listed parks, such as Manhattan Sites, National Parks of New York Harbor, and Western Arctic National Parklands. The NPS also owns conservation easements (but not the land itself) for part of the area called the Green Springs National Historic Landmark District.
Disbanded Other Areas
| Name | Established | Disbanded | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Visitor Center, Washington, DC | March 12, 1968 | December 29, 1981 | transferred to Department of Transportation. |
| John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | June 16, 1972 | July 21, 1994 | transferred to Kennedy Center Trustees. |
See also
References
- Bureau Historian (2006). "Former National Park System Units: An Analysis".
- National Park Service Office of Public Affairs (2006). "Units in the National Park System". Last Updated March 6, 2006. (Lists 391 NPS units by classification).
- National Park Service. "National Monument Proclamations under the Antiquities Act"
External links
- National Park Service
- Alphabetical list of places at the National Park Service website
- Former National Park System Units: An Analysis
- Template:Wikitravelpar
- Parks by Date of Establishment
| Topics | |
|---|---|
| Lists by state |
|
| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Related | |
- Lists of national parks
- National Battlefields and Military Parks of the United States
- National Historic Sites of the United States
- National Historical Parks of the United States
- National Lakeshores of the United States
- National Memorials of the United States
- National parks of the United States
- National Recreation Areas of the United States
- National Seashores of the United States
- National Monuments of the United States
- American parkways
- United States National Park Service
- National Preserves of the United States