The stories of our country's involvement in World War II both on and off the battlefield are ones of sacrifice and service, hardship and injustice, fortitude and victory. The National Park Service shares these stories at multiple national park sites across the U.S and beyond, helping to honor the memories of those years.
World War II Parks
Eye on the Atlantic
Acadia National Park
The US Navy operated a radio station on Acadia National Park's Big Moose Island during World War II and into the Cold War.
Battle for the Aleutians
Aleutian WWII National Historic Area
Honoring the occupation of two islands; a mass relocation of civilians; a 15-month air war; and one of the Pacific's deadliest battles.
A PLACE TO REFLECT
Amache National Historic Site
Site of the Camp Amache (Granada Relocation Center), one of the ten camps where people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during WWII.
5,204 names of honor
American Memorial Park
This 133-acre park honors the American and Marianas people who gave their lives during the Marianas Campaign of WWII.
Those Atomic People
Bandelier National Monument
Frijoles Canyon Lodge and its cabins served as housing for Los Alamos scientists, technicians, and their families during the war.
A Greyhound of the Sea
Boston National Historical Park
Tour the battle-hardened destroyer USS Cassin Young, one of the US Navy's famed "greyhounds of the sea".
U-boats Attack!
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
By June 1942, German U-Boats had sunk 397 merchant vessels off the Cape Hatteras coast, earning the area the nickname "Torpedo Junction."
Rest and Recreation
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
As part of the US military’s morale-building program, Hobbs Army Airfield sent 1,000 soldiers each month to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Basic Training School for Spies
Catoctin Mountain Park
Originally a summer camp, Catoctin Mountain Park became the Basic Special Operations Training School for a new civilian intelligence agency.
WWII Training and Recreation Camp
Denali National Park
Denali's rugged mountainous terrain was the ideal place for military training, testing, resting, and relaxing.
QUIET STRENGTH
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial
A 4-acre open air memorial that tells the story of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe and 34th US President.
A Peaceful Retreat
Eisenhower National Historic Site
The post-war home of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe and the 34th President of the US.
The Home Front's Crusading Spirit
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
Visit the home of Eleanor Roosevelt, America's First Lady during WWII and a champion of women and the wartime home front.
TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY
Fort Monroe National Monument
Remembering the women who served in the Women's Army Corps (WAC) and as U.S. Army Nurses during WWII.
VISION AND LEADERSHIP
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The memorial, situated along the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, honors FDR and his legacy, including his leadership during the war years.
Defending Land, Sea, and Air
Gateway National Recreation Area
Floyd Bennett Field and Fort Hancock, located around New York Bay, were vital military centers for naval aviation and harbor defense.
A Secret in Plain Sight
George Washington Memorial Parkway
During World War II, Fort Hunt was the location of a top-secret military intelligence and POW interrogation facility known as P.O. Box 1142.
Defending the Harbor
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The San Francisco Bay was of vital importance to the war effort. To protect it a coastal defense system was built around its Golden Gate.
Gulf Islands National Seashore
A secret WWII dog training facility on Cat Island aimed to train dogs to locate Japanese soldiers.
Radar Station in the Pacific
Haleakala National Park
The many antennas and lights atop Haleakala's 'Red Hill' led the locals to call this WWII radar station 'Haleakala National Forest.'
THE BUCK STOPS HERE
Harry S Truman National Historic Site
Visit the home of Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, who ushered in the atomic age and ended World War II.
Camps and Training Facilities
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Kilauea Military Camp, established in 1916 as a recreation facility, was used as a Japanese confinement site and a POW camp during WWII.
A refuge during War
Home of FDR National Historic Site
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 'Home on the Hudson' offers insights into his thoughts and experiences during World War II.
Hell Valley
Honouliuli National Historic Site
Honouliuli Internment Camp, for citizens, residents, and POWs, was the largest and longest-used confinement site in the Hawaiian Islands.
COMMEMORATING PATRIOTISM
Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism
Honoring Japanese Americans who lived in incarceration camps as well as those who served in the US military during the war.
ALIVE…NEED SMALL BOAT…KENNEDY
John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS
Explore the birthplace of JFK to learn about his harrowing experiences as a World War II PT boat captain.
Creating the Atomic Bomb
Manhattan Project NHP
The Manhattan Project, a World War II government research program, thrust humanity into the atomic age and changed the world.
One camp - ten thousand lives
Manzanar National Historic Site
Manzanar War Relocation Center was the first of the relocation camps built to incarcerate people of Japanese descent during WWII.
Lessons in History
Minidoka National Historic Site
Minidoka was one of ten US Government War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps where people of Japanese descent were incarcerated during WWII.
VICTORY STARTS HERE
Mojave National Preserve
In 1942, General George S. Patton established the US Army's Desert Training Center in the Mojave Desert.
Cold Weather Training
Mount Rainier National Park
The 10th Mountain Division tested the mettle of men and equipment and learned mountaineering skills at Mt. Rainier National Park.
A VITAL LINK
National Park of American Samoa
The American Samoan Islands were an essential link in the chain of communications between the US, Australia, and New Zealand.
Defending the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park, located on the strategically important Olympic Peninsula, contained multiple coastal defenses during World War II.
The Home Front
Paterson Great Falls NHP
Paterson contributed significantly to the war effort during WWII and today is honored as an American World War II Heritage City.
A Date That Will Live In Infamy
Pearl Harbor National Memorial
The National Memorial commemorates the events of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the US entry into World War II.
KEEP 'EM FLYING!
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes was home to multiple US Army Air Corps training camps as well as a US Navy lifeboat and training station.
A Tragic Wartime Accident
Port Chicago Naval Magazine NM
In 1944, 320 men were instantly killed when two ships being loaded with ammunition exploded. It was WWII's worst home front disaster.
A Training Camp for Spies
Prince William Forest Park
Prince William Forest Park's summer camp became the site of training camps for the OSS Special Operations and Communications Branches.
Early Warning
Redwood National and State Parks
Built to look like a house on a working farm, Radar Station B-71 is a rare, surviving example of a WWII early warning radar station.
United We Can Win!
Rosie the Riveter WWII Homefront NHP
Sharing the stories and honoring the efforts and sacrifices of American civilians on the World War II Home Front.
Defending the Caribbean
San Juan National Historic Site
During WWII, San Juan Military Reservation/Fort Brooke (Castillos El Morro and San Cristobel) was the main US garrison in the Caribbean.
A MYSTERY IN THE FOREST
Sitka National Historical Park
Eight WWII-era gun emplacements, part of the defense network for Sitka Sound, can still be found along the Totem Trail.
She's A WOW!!
Springfield Armory NHS
During WWII Women Ordnance Workers (WOWs) worked at Springfield Armory making rifles and equipment desperately needed by Allied Forces.
Resistance and Repression
Tule Lake National Monument
Tule Lake Segregation Center was the largest, longest occupied, and most repressive of the WRA confinement sites.
Breaking Barriers with Valor
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
Learn about the courageous and heroic actions that earned these African-American airmen respect in and out of the skies.
IN HONOR AND MEMORY
United States Marine Corps War Memorial
The memorial depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II and is dedicated to all Marines who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
THE PACIFIC THEATER
War in the Pacific NHP
Commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of those participating in the campaigns and battles of the Pacific Theater of World War II.
THE PRESIDENT'S HOUSE
The White House and President's Park
The official residence and workplace of Presidents' Roosevelt and Truman during World War II.
Sands, in the Danger Zone
White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park sits in and around the nuclear test sites for the Manhattan Project, a government program to build an atomic bomb.
Here We Mark the price of freedom
World War II Memorial
The World War II Memorial recognizes the ways Americans served, honors those who fell, and recognizes the victory they achieved.
A WWII Naval Hospital
Yosemite National Park
In 1943, the “U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital Yosemite National Park, California” began welcoming veterans for medical care and recreation.
Last updated: September 11, 2026