Photo courtesy of Los Alamos Photographic Laboratory
National parks were part of the war effort during WWII. In many parks, roads and facilities once crowded with tourists hosted military equipment and personnel. Because the government owned the land the national parks were seen as ideal locations for military training camps and airfields, Rest and Recreation (R&R) areas, coastal defense sites, and housing.
But at what cost? Throughout the war, National Park Service Director Newton B. Drury and his park superintendents and site managers were in a battle of their own. Drury was responsible for protecting the unique resources of national park sites "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." He had to find a balance between aiding the war effort and resisting the overwhelming demands for potentially destructive uses of park lands and facilities. Working with the U.S. military to provide appropriate areas for military use, Drury and his superintendents and site managers were able to save many parks' pristine landscapes and historic and natural resources from long term, and in some case irreversible, damage.
To learn more about the National Parks during World War II see “Far-Reaching Effects:” The United States Military and the National Parks during World War II by Janet McDonnell, former Bureau Historian of the National Park Service. Also the NPS article National Parks’ Homefront Battle: Protecting Parks During WWII. In addition most of the National Park Brochures for the 1940s are online on our historic brochures website.
The National Park Service also has park units that didn't exist during World War II, but were created as a direct result of the war. To learn more about these park units see our Visit WWII Parks webpage.
The National Parks during WWII
Showing results 1-10 of 61
- Type: Article
- Locations: Eisenhower National Historic Site, Gettysburg National Military Park, World War II Memorial
Gettysburg National Cemetery is the final resting place for some of those who died in the air war above Europe in WWII. General Eisenhower believed these men and their sacrifices made possible the ultimate Allied victory in World War II. Learn more about their stories here.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Catoctin Mountain Park, Prince William Forest Park
When World War II broke out in Europe in 1939, U.S. intelligence operations were splintered among nearly a dozen federal agencies.
- Mount Rainier National Park
10th Mountain Division Memorial
- Type: Place
- Locations: Mount Rainier National Park
A bronze plaque honors the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division which trained at Paradise during World War II.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Bandelier National Monument, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cabrillo National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, more »
- Offices: Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science Directorate, Director, Harpers Ferry Center, Museum Management Program
The National Park Service (NPS) was only 26 years old when the United States entered World War II. The young bureau faced very real threats to its mission, with increasing pressure to contribute its natural and cultural resources to the war effort even as its budget and staff were slashed. Under the leadership of Director Newton B. Drury, the NPS was able to do its part for the war while maintaining its public trust responsibilities to the American people.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Eisenhower National Historic Site, Gettysburg National Military Park
Robert and Dorothy McCormick both served in the United States Navy during WWII. Their family’s story reminds us of the many ways we can serve others and of the many ways in which history connects us all.
- Denali National Park & Preserve
A Plane Crashes in WWII-era Denali
- Type: Article
- Locations: Denali National Park & Preserve
On September 18, 1944, an Army C-47 left Anchorage for Fairbanks with a civilian pilot from Northwest Airlines, and 18 servicemen on board. The aircraft struck a mountain (now named Mt. Deception) 16 miles east of Mt. McKinley (Denali). Park and concession staff ventured on a dangerous mission to seek reach the wreckage in the hard backcountry of Denali.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Acadia National Park, Roosevelt Campobello International Park, Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, World War II Memorial
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt found his perfect Christmas tree from a tiny island in Maine, just two days after Pearl Harbor.
- Type: Article
- Locations: Catoctin Mountain Park, Prince William Forest Park
With the onset of World War II, the OSS's secret operations—espionage, counter-intelligence, disinformation, and guerrilla leadership—expanded.
- Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Ainahou Ranch House and Gardens Cultural Landscape
- Type: Article
- Locations: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
The 'Ainahou Ranch House and Gardens is located within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, approximately four miles south and down slope from Kilauea Caldera. The 13.3-acre historic site sits within a native mesic forest at an elevation of 3000 feet. Within this forest, gardens that surround a unique craftsman house create an exotic setting which reflects the site's development by renowned horticulturalist, Herbert C. Shipman from 1941 to 1971.
- Gettysburg National Military Park
Alva B. Johnson
- Type: Person
- Locations: Gettysburg National Military Park
Alva B. Johnson WWII Navy Veteran
Last updated: August 15, 2024