Parks
Since 1916, the American people have entrusted the National Park Service with the care of their national parks. With the help of volunteers and park partners, we safeguard these more than 400 places and share their stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. Find a few of those stories here and then Find a Park to find more of all Americans' stories.
Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota: Grand Portage National Monument, entirely within Grand Portage Indian Reservation, is next to Gichigami, or Lake Superior. The Park protects two depots of the North West Company, the main depot on Lake Superior and the site of Fort Charlotte on the Pigeon River. The 8.5 mile Grand Portage trail connects the depots and contains most of the acerage of the Monument. Explore the partnership of the Grand Portage Ojibwe and the North West Company during the North American fur trade and the NPS today.
Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site, Arizona: The squeaky wooden floor greets your entry into the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation.When your eyes adjust to the dim light in the "bullpen" you find you've just entered a mercantile.Hubbell's has been serving Ganado selling groceries, grain, hardware, horse tack, coffee and Native American Art since 1878.
Salem Maritime National Historic Site: When the United States was young, ships from Salem, Massachusetts helped to build the new nation's economy by carrying cargo back and forth from the West to Asia. The historic buildings, wharves, and reconstructed tall ship at this nine-acre National Park tell the stories of the sailors, Revolutionary War privateers, and merchants who brought the riches of the world to America.
Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, California: Explore and honor the efforts and sacrifices of American civilians on the World War II home front.Find out how they lived, worked and got along. Many faces, many stories, many truths weave a complex tapestry of myths and realities from this time of opportunity and loss.
Other Places
The National Park Service cares for America's more than 400 national parks…and works in almost every one of her 3,141 counties. We are proud that tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens ask for our help in revitalizing their communities, preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating close to home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun. Find a few selected important places outside the parks here and explore the links for more. Then explore what you can do to share your own stories and the places that matter to you.
Huilua Fishpond, Hawaii: Huilua Fishpond, in Kahana Bay on the Island of Oahu, illustrates the unique aquafarming practices of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiians were the only ancient Polynesian people to build controlled artificial fishponds for their aquafarming.
Kenai Mountains Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area: highlights the experience of the Native Alaskans, Russians, explores, gold miners, and settlers who traveled through the branching valleys and over the waters of this rugged mountain coordinator. Public lands have preserved this scenic landscape as viewed by early travelers. In this heritage area, the isolated historic communities that developed around transportation and the Gold Rush are dwarfed by the sweeping landscapes, by the magnificence of the mountains and the strength and dominance of nature. The corridor communities share a sense of that it is a special place.
The MotorCities National Heritage Area preserves, promotes and interprets the history of the automotive industry and labor movement in southeast Michigan. Through a variety of educational, community outreach and tourism programs, the MotorCities celebrates the automotive culture by treasuring the past to inspire the future.
Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area in Colorado: The river has been crucial to the economic development of the region as well as a major recreation area.This area has also contributed to Western water law and the evolution of complex water delivery systems.Visitors can see the many head gates, flumes, water measurement devices, and intricate network of ditches along the Cache la Poudre River, all created to modify the river's flow in an attempt to meet the water need of urban development.
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The Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine is the family home of Frances Perkins (1880-1965), the first female cabinet member in U.S. history.
Powder Works Chimney
- Offices: National Historic Landmarks Program
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg shops are one of the few remaining examples of innovative nineteenth-century engineering and industrial architecture. Not only is the engineering and architecture important. The laborers who worked here played a major role in the first days of “The Great Railway Strike of 1877,” a pivotal episode in American labor history.
- Great Falls Park
Potowmack Canal
- Locations: Great Falls Park
- Offices: National Historic Landmarks Program
The Potowmack Canal Historic District consists of the largest, longest and most intact remains of the Potowmack Canal, built between 1786 and 1802, and the ruins of the small associated town of Matildaville. The development of the Potowmack Canal required interstate cooperation and the canal planners saw that the new republic would require similar collaboration thus inspiring the unification of the colonies to become the United States of America.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Kendall Lake Trailhead Information
- Locations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The Kendall Lake is one of the many amenities the Civilian Conservation Corps built in the Virginia Kendall Park. A one-mile trail loops around Kendall Lake. The Cross Country and Salt Run trails can also be accessed from this location.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Haskell Run Trailhead Information
- Locations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The Haskell Run Trail is a ½-mile loop trail that explores a creek that feeds the Cuyahoga River. The creek’s deep, wooded ravine attracts abundant birdlife. Visit in April and May to enjoy spring wildflowers. The trail also connects Happy Days Lodge with the Ledges area.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Ledges Shelter and Exhibits
- Locations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The Ledges Shelter is the largest Civilian Conservation Corps shelter in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Groups and families with up to 75 people may reserve it for a fee.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Ledges Trailhead Information
- Locations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The striking rock cliffs of the Ledges are a primary feature of Virginia Kendall Park, developed in the 1930s. Use this trailhead to access a 1.8-mile trail that circles the Ledges, a rentable shelter, a giant grassy playfield, and many wooded picnic sites.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Boston Trailhead
- Locations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The Village of Boston is a crossroads for hikers, cyclists, runners, paddlers, and horse riders. Boston Trailhead provides parking for the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, Valley, and Buckeye trails. Paddlers may park their vehicles at the trailhead after unloading equipment at the Cuyahoga River Water Trail drop-off. Horse trailers are permitted. However, the parking lot was not designed to accommodate them, and it can be a challenge to navigate.
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Brandywine Falls Trailhead Information
- Locations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Explore the power and beauty of the 60-foot Brandywine Falls from this location. Extend your visit by walking the 1.4-mile Brandywine Gorge Loop or 1.5-mile Stanford Trail. The trailhead also provides access to Summit Metro Parks’ Bike & Hike Trail.
Last updated: May 6, 2021