One of the greatest things the United States ever did was creating the National Park System. Now most people understand what a National Park is, but then there is another designation National Monument. What is that and why do we have multiple things to protect Nature. National Monuments come in so many different varieties from beautiful volcanic caves in Craters of the Moon National Monument to important historical sites the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. There are currently 133 National Monuments in the United States.
Table of Contents
What are National Monuments?
What is the difference between a National Park and a National Monument. Some of it is based on the type of things they protect. National Parks are primarily scenic, inspirational, educational, and/or recreation value. Where National Monuments have historical, cultural, and/or scientific interest. But that sort of description doesn’t give the full picture as there is so much overlap.
A lot of it is based on how it is made and how absolute the protection is for the sites. National Park creation requires an act of congress to designate as a National Park, and undoing such a designation would be incredibly difficult. Additionally, National Parks are always administered by the National Park Service, where National Monuments can be administered by several different agencies.
For National Monuments Congress can act to designate land as a National Monument, however the President also has the authority to designate an area as a National Monument. Under the Antiquities Act (54 U.S.C. § 320301), the US President has the authority to set aside objects of historic or scientific interest located on land already owned or controlled by the Federal government.
Where are National Monuments
National Monuments of the United States exist in 32 States, the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Minor Outlying Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and the Atlantic Ocean. Of all the states Arizona and California have the most National Monuments at 18. New Mexico follows behind those two states at 13. Seventeen Presidents have established National Monuments during their presidency with Barack Obama doing the most establishment or expanding of any president. Through his efforts more than a billion acres of federal land was protected.
Four National Monuments were also designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
- Statue of Liberty
- Poverty Point National Monument
- Aztec Ruins National Monument
The largest National Monuments are all Oceanic Marine Sites
- Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument
- Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument
- Marianas Trench Marine National Monument
- Rose Atoll Marine National Monument
- Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
Who Manages National Monuments
Unlike National Parks which are always administered by the National Park Service. National Monuments are administered by one of 8 different agencies. The vast majority (86) are administered in full or in part by the National Park Service. The table below gives the breakdown.
| Agency | Department | Co-Managed w/ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Park Service (NPS) | Interior | 3 BLM | 1 FWS | 86 |
| Bureau of Land Management (BLM) | Interior | 3 NPS, 6 USFS | 30 |
| United States Forest Service (USFS) | Agriculture | 6 BLM | 15 |
| Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) | Interior | 5 NOAA, 1 NPS, 1 DOE | 9 |
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) | Commerce | 5 FWS | 5 |
| United States Army | Defense | 1 | |
| United States Air Force (USAF) | Defense | 1 | |
| Department of Energy (DOE) | Energy | 1 FWS | 1 |
| Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) | Defense | 1 |
What was the First US National Monument
Established in 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt, Devil’s Tower in Eastern Wyoming has the designation of being the first National Monument in the United States. The Antiquities Act first came into law under his presidency and he wasted little time to use it to protect this amazing place. Devil’s Tower still remains a National Monument, protected for generations, and a source of inspiration for many around the world and an important historical site for Native Americans.
Can National Monuments Become National Parks
As you may know, there were a lot more than the 133 National Monuments created than currently exist. So what happened to all of them?
Over the years, 31 National Monuments became National Parks. That is quite the upgrade for each of those and improves their level of protection. Additionally many others became other types of parks such as preserves, historic parks or were disbanded or combined into larger parks. The following list is the former national parks and what happened to them.
Former National Monuments
| Former Monument | Current Status | Year Established | Year Modified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ackia Battleground National Monument | Added to Natchez Trace Parkway | 1935 | 1961 |
| Arches National Monument | Arches National Park | 1929 | 1971 |
| Becharof National Monument | Becharof National Wildlife Refuge | 1978 | 1980 |
| Bering Land Bridge National Monument | Bering Land Bridge National Preserve | 1978 | 1980 |
| Big Hole Battlefield National Monument | Big Hole National Battlefield | 1910 | 1963 |
| Biscayne National Monument | Biscayne National Park | 1968 | 1980 |
| Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument | Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park | 1933 | 1999 |
| Bryce Canyon National Monument | Bryce Canyon National Park | 1923 | 1928 |
| Capitol Reef National Monument | Capitol Reef National Park | 1937 | 1971 |
| Carlsbad Cave National Monument | Carlsbad Caverns National Park | 1923 | 1930 |
| Chaco Canyon National Monument | Chaco Culture National Historical Park | 1907 | 1980 |
| Channel Islands National Monument | Channel Islands National Park | 1938 | 1980 |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Monument | Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park | 1961 | 1971 |
| Cinder Cone National Monument | Lassen Volcanic National Park | 1907 | 1916 |
| Congaree Swamp National Monument | Congaree National Park | 1976 | 2003 |
| Death Valley National Monument | Death Valley National Park | 1933 | 1994 |
| Denali National Monument | Denali National Park and Preserve | 1978 | Added to Park 1980 |
| Edison Laboratory National Monument | Thomas Edison National Historical Park | 1955 | 2009 |
| Father Millet Cross National Monument | Abolished (now part of Fort Niagara State Park) | 1925 | 1949 |
| Fort Jefferson National Monument | Dry Tortugas National Park | 1935 | 1983 |
| Fort Laramie National Monument | Fort Laramie National Historic Site | 1931 | 1983 |
| Fossil Cycad National Monument | Withdrawn as a National Monument | 1922 | 1957 |
| Gates of the Arctic National Monument | Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve | 1978 | 1980 |
| Glacier Bay National Monument | Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve | 1925 | 1980 |
| Gran Quivira National Monument | Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument | 1909 | 1988 |
| Grand Canyon National Monument | Grand Canyon National Park | 1908 | 1919 |
| Great Sand Dunes National Monument | Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve | 1932 | 2000 |
| Holy Cross National Monument | Removed as a monument | 1929 | 1950 |
| Jackson Hole National Monument | Incorporated into Grand Teton National Park | 1943 | 1950 |
| Joshua Tree National Monument | Joshua Tree National Park | 1936 | 1994 |
| Katmai National Monument | Katmai National Park and Preserve | 1918 | 1980 |
| Kenai Fjords National Monument | Kenai Fjords National Park | 1978 | 1980 |
| Kobuk Valley National Monument | Kobuk Valley National Park | 1978 | 1980 |
| Lake Clark National Monument | Lake Clark National Park and Preserve | 1978 | 1980 |
| Lassen Peak National Monument | Lassen Volcanic National Park | 1907 | 1916 |
| Lehman Caves National Monument | Great Basin National Park | 1922 | 1986 |
| Lewis and Clark Caverns | Disbanded as National Monument (now a state park) | 1908 | 1937 |
| Marble Canyon National Monument | Grand Canyon National Park | 1969 | 1975 |
| Meriwether Lewis National Monument | Natchez Trace Parkway | 1925 | 1961 |
| Mound City Group National Monument | Hopewell Culture National Historical Park | 1923 | 1992 |
| Mount Olympus National Monument | Olympic National Park | 1909 | 1938 |
| Mukuntuweap National Monument | Zion National Park | 1909 | 1918 |
| Noatak National Monument | Noatak National Preserve | 1978 | 1980 |
| Old Kasaan National Monument | Abolished (lost much of it's historical sites) | 1916 | 1955 |
| Papago Saguaro National Monument | Abolished (not considered suitable for Monument) | 1914 | 1930 |
| Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial National Monument | Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial | 1936 | 1972 |
| Petrified Forest National Monument | Petrified Forest National Park | 1906 | 1962 |
| Castle Pinckney | Abolished | 1924 | 1951 |
| Pinnacles National Monument | Pinnacles National Park | 1908 | 2013 |
| Saguaro National Monument | Saguaro National Park | 1933 | 1994 |
| Santa Rosa Island National Monument | Gulf Islands National Seashore | 1939 | 1971 |
| Shoshone Cavern National Monument | Abolished (now Spirit Mountain Cave) | 1909 | 1954 |
| Sieur de Monts National Monument | Acadia National Park | 1916 | 1929 |
| Sitka National Monument | Sitka National Historical Park | 1910 | 1972 |
| Tumacacori National Monument | Tumacácori National Historical Park | 1908 | 1990 |
| Verendrye National Monument | Disbanded | 1917 | 1956 |
| Wheeler National Monument | Disbanded | 1908 | 1950 |
| White Sands National Monument | White Sands National Park | 1933 | 2019 |
| Wrangell-St. Elias National Monument | Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve | 1978 | 1980 |
| Yukon Flats National Monument | Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge | 1906 | 1980 |
| Yukon-Charley Rivers National Monument | Yukon–Charley Rivers National Preserve | 1978 | 1980 |
| Zion National Monument | Zion National Park | 1918 | 1919 |
Full List of National Monuments
The following table is the full list of US National Monuments. The table is searchable and you can also sort by the various columns as well. This will help if you are looking for specific monuments or if you want to see which state they are in.
| Name | State | Year Established | Administered By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Admiralty Island National Monument | Alaska | 1978 | USFS |
| African Burial Ground | New York | 2006 | NPS |
| Agate Fossil Beds | Nebraska | 1997 | NPS |
| Agua Fria | Arizona | 2000 | BLM |
| Aleutian Islands World War II | Alaska | 2008 | FWS |
| Alibates Flint Quarries | Texas | 1965 | NPS |
| Aniakchak | Alaska | 1978 | NPS |
| Aztec Ruins | New Mexico | 1923 | NPS |
| Bandelier | New Mexico | 1916 | NPS |
| Basin and Range | Nevada | 2015 | BLM |
| Bears Ears | Utah | 2016 | BLM, USFS |
| Belmont-Paul Women's Equality | District of Columbia | 2016 | NPS |
| Berryessa Snow Mountain | California | 2015 | USFS, BLM |
| Birmingham Civil Rights | Alabama | 2017 | NPS |
| Booker T. Washington | Virginia | 1956 | NPS |
| Browns Canyon | Colorado | 2015 | BLM, USFS |
| Buck Island Reef | US Virgin Islands | 1961 | NPS |
| Cabrillo | California | 1913 | NPS |
| California Coastal | California | 2000 | BLM |
| Camp Nelson Heritage | Kentucky | 2018 | NPS |
| Canyon de Chelly | Arizona | 1931 | NPS |
| Canyons of the Ancients | Colorado | 2000 | BLM |
| Cape Krusenstern | Alaska | 1978 | NPS |
| Capulin Volcano | New Mexico | 1916 | NPS |
| Carrizo Plain | California | 2001 | BLM |
| Casa Grande Ruins | Arizona | 1918 | NPS |
| Cascade–Siskiyou | Oregon, California | 2000 | BLM |
| Castillo de San Marcos | Florida | 1924 | NPS |
| Castle Clinton | New York | 1946 | NPS |
| Castle Mountains | California | 2016 | NPS |
| Cedar Breaks | Utah | 1933 | NPS |
| César E. Chávez | California | 2012 | NPS |
| Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers | Ohio | 2013 | NPS |
| Chimney Rock | Colorado | 2012 | USFS |
| Chiricahua | Arizona | 1924 | NPS |
| Colorado | Colorado | 1911 | NPS |
| Craters of the Moon | Idaho | 1924 | NPS, BLM |
| Devils Postpile | California | 1911 | NPS |
| Devils Tower | Wyoming | 1906 | NPS |
| Dinosaur | Colorado, Utah | 1915 | NPS |
| Effigy Mounds | Iowa | 1949 | NPS |
| El Malpais | New Mexico | 1987 | NPS |
| El Morro | New Mexico | 1906 | NPS |
| Florissant Fossil Beds | Colorado | 1969 | NPS |
| Fort Frederica | Georgia | 1936 | NPS |
| Fort Matanzas | Florida | 1924 | NPS |
| Fort McHenry | Maryland | 1925 | NPS |
| Fort Monroe | Virginia | 2011 | NPS |
| Fort Ord | California | 2012 | BLM |
| Fort Pulaski | Georgia | 1924 | NPS |
| Fort Stanwix | New York | 1935 | NPS |
| Fort Union | New Mexico | 1956 | NPS |
| Fossil Butte | Wyoming | 1972 | NPS |
| Freedom Riders | Alabama | 2017 | NPS |
| George Washington Birthplace | Virginia | 1930 | NPS |
| George Washington Carver | Missouri | 1943 | NPS |
| Giant Sequoia | California | 2000 | USFS |
| Gila Cliff Dwellings | New Mexico | 1907 | NPS |
| Gold Butte | Nevada | 2016 | BLM |
| Governors Island | New York | 2001 | NPS |
| Grand Canyon-Parashant | Arizona | 2000 | BLM, NPS |
| Grand Portage | Minnesota | 1960 | NPS |
| Grand Staircase–Escalante | Utah | 1996 | BLM |
| Hagerman Fossil Beds | Idaho | 1988 | NPS |
| Hanford Reach | Washington | 2000 | FWS, DOE |
| Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad | Maryland | 2013 | FWS |
| Hohokam Pima | Arizona | 1972 | NPS |
| Hovenweep | Colorado, Utah | 1923 | NPS |
| Ironwood Forest | Arizona | 2000 | BLM |
| Jewel Cave | South Dakota | 1908 | NPS |
| John Day Fossil Beds | Oregon | 1974 | NPS |
| Jurassic | Utah | 2019 | BLM |
| Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks | New Mexico | 2001 | BLM |
| Katahdin Woods and Waters | Maine | 2016 | NPS |
| Lava Beds | California | 1925 | NPS |
| Little Bighorn Battlefield | Montana | 1940 | NPS |
| Marianas Trench Marine | Northern Mariana Islands, Guam | 2009 | FWS, NOAA |
| Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home | Mississippi | 2020 | NPS |
| Military Working Dog Teams | Texas | 2013 | DOD |
| Mill Springs Battlefield | Kentucky | 2020 | NPS |
| Misty Fjords | Alaska | 1978 | USFS |
| Mojave Trails | California | 2016 | BLM |
| Montezuma Castle | Arizona | 1906 | NPS |
| Mount St. Helens Volcanic | Washington | 1982 | USFS |
| Muir Woods | California | 1908 | NPS |
| Natural Bridges | Utah | 1908 | NPS |
| Navajo | Arizona | 1909 | NPS |
| Newberry Volcanic | Oregon | 1990 | USFS |
| Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine | Atlantic Ocean | 2016 | FWS, NOAA |
| Oregon Caves | Oregon | 1909 | NPS |
| Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks | New Mexico | 2014 | BLM |
| Organ Pipe Cactus | Arizona | 1937 | NPS |
| Pacific Remote Islands Marine | US Minor Outlying Islands | 2009 | FWS, NOAA |
| Papahānaumokuākea Marine | Hawaii, U.S. Minor Outlying Islands | 2006 | FWS, NOAA |
| Petroglyph | New Mexico | 1990 | NPS |
| Pipe Spring | Arizona | 1923 | NPS |
| Pipestone | Minnesota | 1937 | NPS |
| Pompeys Pillar | Montana | 2001 | BLM |
| Poverty Point | Louisiana | 1988 | NPS |
| Prehistoric Trackways | New Mexico | 2009 | BLM |
| President Lincoln and Soldiers’ Home | District of Columbia | 2000 | AFRH |
| Pullman | Illinois | 2015 | NPS |
| Rainbow Bridge | Utah | 1910 | NPS |
| Río Grande del Norte | New Mexico | 2013 | BLM |
| Rose Atoll Marine | American Samoa | 2009 | FWS, NOAA |
| Russell Cave | Alabama | 1961 | NPS |
| Saint Francis Dam Disaster | California | 2019 | USFS |
| Salinas Pueblo Missions | New Mexico | 1909 | NPS |
| San Gabriel Mountains | California | 2014 | USFS |
| San Juan Islands | Washington | 2013 | BLM |
| Sand to Snow | California | 2016 | BLM, USFS |
| Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains | California | 2000 | BLM, USFS |
| Scotts Bluff | Nebraska | 1919 | NPS |
| Sonoran Desert | Arizona | 2001 | BLM |
| Statue of Liberty | New York, New Jersey | 1924 | NPS |
| Stonewall | New York | 2016 | NPS |
| Sunset Crater Volcano | Arizona | 1930 | NPS |
| Timpanogos Cave | Utah | 1922 | NPS |
| Tonto | Arizona | 1907 | NPS |
| Tule Lake | California | 2008 | NPS, FWS |
| Tule Springs Fossil Beds | Nevada | 2014 | NPS |
| Tuzigoot | Arizona | 1939 | NPS |
| Upper Missouri River Breaks | Montana | 2001 | BLM |
| Vermilion Cliffs | Arizona | 2000 | BLM |
| Virgin Islands Coral Reef | US Virgin Islands | 2001 | NPS |
| Waco Mammoth | Texas | 2015 | NPS |
| Walnut Canyon | Arizona | 1915 | NPS |
| Wupatki | Arizona | 1924 | NPS |
| Yucca House | Colorado | 1919 | NPS |
