Recreational Demonstration Areas (RDAs)

NPS-FLP facilitates the stewardship of former Recreational Demonstration Areas (RDAs). RDAs were large tracts of land acquired and developed by the National Park Service during the New Deal era to address the growing demand for public outdoor recreation near urban centers. Strategically located within reach of major population areas, RDAs were intended to demonstrate the potential of submarginal or degraded land to support public park development. These areas offered a wide range of recreational activities and served as model sites for the conversion of underused land into valuable public assets.

The Recreational Demonstration Area program, launched in the 1930s under the Resettlement Administration and later managed by the National Park Service, resulted in the establishment of forty-six RDAs across the country. While other New Deal-era federal programs provided funding for park development, most did not allow for land acquisition. In contrast, the RDA program specifically focused on acquiring land, often abandoned farmland or submarginal lands, near cities where recreation demand was high, but opportunities were limited. While some existing state parks relied on donated lands, RDAs were uniquely positioned to bring recreational resources closer to urban populations.

The Recreation Demonstration Area program had three primary objectives:
  1. to reclaim and develop land for public recreation
  2. to provide employment during the Great Depression
  3. to create new parks near urban areas where parks were most needed
With some exceptions, the National Park Service did not intend to manage the Recreational Demonstration Areas indefinitely. Once the RDAs were planned and developed, the goal was to transfer them to states or municipalities.

In 1936, by Executive Order No. 7496, the President authorized the Secretary of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to complete and administer the Recreational Demonstration (RDA) projects.

In 1942, Congress authorized the disposition of recreational demonstration projects to the States or to their political subdivisions. Public Law 16-459 requires that grantees use these lands exclusively for public parks, recreational, and conservation purposes. Section 3 of this Act stipulates that failure to comply with these conditions shall result in the reversion of the property to the United States.

In 1950, Congress further authorized land exchanges involving former recreational demonstration area lands that facilitate their administration and consolidate park holdings (Public Law 640).

As part of this program, the NPS transferred over 220,000 acres of former RDA lands across 46 sites in 21 states. NPS-FLP continues to collaborate with partners to ensure the long-term protection and stewardship of these public resources.

Learn more about Recreational Demonstration Areas.

Alabama

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Oak Mountain State Park Oak Mountain State Park 7,805 4/9/1943 Active

California

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Russian Gulch State Park Mendocino Woodlands 5,425 9/11/1947 Active

Georgia

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Alexander H. Stephens Memorial State Park Alexander H. Stephens 938 1/7/1946 Active
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park Pine Mountain 3,018 1/7/1946 Active
Hard Labor Creek State Park Hard Labor Creek 5,804 1/7/1946 Active

Illinois

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Pere Marquette State Park Pere Marquette 2,606 5/7/1943 Active

Indiana

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Tippecanoe River State Park Winamac 6,454 4/20/1943 Active
Versailles State Park Versailles 5,371 4/20/1943 Active

Kentucky

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area Otter Creek 1,768 9/11/1947 Active

Maryland

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Cunningham Falls State Park Catoctin 4,447 6/2/1954 Active

Maine

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Camden Hills State Park Camden Hills 4,962 2/10/1948 Active

Michigan

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Waterloo Recreation Area Waterloo 12,018 6/15/1943 Active
Yankee Springs State Recreation Area Yankee Springs 4,197 6/2/1954 Active

Minnesota

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
St. Croix State Park St. Croix 18,499 9/27/1943 Active

Missouri

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Cuivre River State Park Cuivre River 5,802 11/19/1946 Active
Knob Noster State Park Knob Noster 3,439 11/19/1946 Active
Lake of the Ozarks State Park Lake of the Ozarks 16,037 10/10/1946 Active

North Carolina

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
William B. Umstead State Park Crabtree Creek 4,989 5/12/1943 Active

New Hampshire

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Bear Brook State Park Bear Brook 8,970 5/12/1943 Active

Oklahoma

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Lake Murray State Park Lake Murray 2,228 2/1/1943 Active

Oregon

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Silver Falls State Park Silver Creek 5,989 1/22/1948 Active

Pennsylvania

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Blue Knob State Park Blue Knob 5,136 2/1/1946 Active
French Creek State Park French Creek 5,370 9/26/1945 Active
Hickory Run State Park Hickory Run 12,908 9/26/1945 Active
Laurel Hill State Park Laurel Hill 4,025 2/1/1946 Active
Racoon Creek State Park Racoon Creek 5,034 2/1/1946 Active

Rhode Island

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Beach Pond State Park Beach Pond 3,436 6/7/1943 Active

South Carolina

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
- Aiken Wayside 35 6/9/1944 Reverted
Cheraw State Park Cheraw 6,619 6/9/1944 Active
Colleton State Park Colleton Wayside 35 6/9/1944 Active
- Georgetown Wayside 31.74 6/9/1944 Reverted
- Greenville Wayside 63 6/9/1944 Reverted
- Greenwood Wayside 30 6/9/1944 Reverted
- Kershaw Wayside 33 6/9/1944 Reverted
Kings Mountain State Park Kings Mountain 6175 5/30/1944 Active

Tennessee

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Fall Creek Falls State Park Fall Creek Falls 15,776 6/9/1943 Active
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park Shelby Forest 12,305 5/4/1944 Active
Montgomery Bell State Park Montgomery Bell 3,744 1943 Active

Virginia

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Amherst Wayside Amherst Wayside 35 5/26/1943 Active
- Fauquier Wayside 18 3/5/1943 -
Hanover Wayside Park Hanover Wayside 36 3/5/1943 Active
- Mecklenburg Wayside 52 3/26/1943 -
Pittsylvania Wayside Pittsylvania Wayside Park 53 3/26/1943 Active
Pocahontas State Park Swift Creek 7,605 5/7/1946 Active
Pulaski Wayside Picnic Area / Draper Valley Overlook Pulaski Wayside 20 3/26/1943 Active

Wyoming

Park Name RDA Name Acres Conveyed Deed Date Status
Guernsey State Park Lake Guernsey 1,753 1957 Active

Last updated: June 10, 2025

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