DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARK, FOREST AND MONUMENT
Difference between National Parks, National Forests and National MonumentsFrom the Department of the Interior
National Parks
National parks tend to be large swaths of land that protect a variety of resources, including natural and historic features. National parks can only be created by Congress -- our first national park was Yellowstone -- and are managed by the National Park Service. National parks strive to keep landscapes unimpaired for future generations while offering recreation opportunities.
There are also national preserves -- like Florida’s Big Cypress or Lake Clark National Park & Preserve in Alaska. Activities like hunting, fishing or oil and gas extraction may be permitted at national preserves if they don’t jeopardize the park’s natural resources.
In total, the National Park System has 28 different types of designations, but they’re all considered national parks no matter the name.
National Forests
National parks may protect some of the best-known natural landmarks, but national forests have just as remarkable
landscapes. The U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the Department of Agriculture, manages 154 national forests under
a multiple use concept -- meaning they provide Americans with a number of services, including lumber, grazing, minerals
and recreation.
National forests tend to be located near national parks and frequently are less crowded than parks. For example, Great
Smoky Mountains National Park is next to three national forests -- Cherokee, Pisgah and Nantahala. These forests often
also act as a protective buffer zone around parks.
National Monuments
National monuments protect a specific natural, cultural or historic feature. These could be places like Devils Tower
National Monument in Wyoming, Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument or Chicago’s Pullman National
Monument. Some special places -- like Grand Canyon, Badlands and Zion -- were first protected as national monuments
before later becoming national parks.
Since 1906, 120 national monuments have been created, and they can be managed by any of seven different agencies --
either individually or jointly.
National Wildlife Refuges
If national parks are America’s best idea, then national wildlife refuges are America’s best kept secret. The U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service manages wildlife refuges to conserve America’s fish, wildlife and plants.
Created in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt established Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Refuge
System has grown to more than 560 sites. With at least one wildlife refuge in every state and U.S. territory (and one
within an hour’s drive of most major cities), they offer a chance for urbanites and so many others to connect to nature.
While national wildlife refuges work to safeguard wildlife populations and their habitats, more than 500 of them provide
a wealth of recreation opportunities, including hiking trails, canoeing and kayaking, auto tours, wildlife viewing, hunting,
fishing and more! These natural treasure troves see more than 47 million visits from the public each year.
National Conservation Areas
National Conservations Areas are public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management that are set aside for the
benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. Similar to national parks, national conservation areas are
designated by Congress and feature scientific, cultural, historical and recreational features. They’re places like
California's Lost Coast, King Range National Conservation Area, and Utah's Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.
National conservation areas are just one part of the Bureau of Land Management's National Conservation Lands, a
system of public lands that contain some of the nation’s most spectacular landscapes. They include 873 federally
recognized areas, encompassing approximately 32 million acres, primarily across 12 western states. In addition to
national conservation areas, national conservation lands include certain national monuments, wildernesses, wilderness
study areas, wild and scenic rivers, and national scenic and historic trails.
Wilderness Areas
Wilderness areas are places untamed by humans. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allows Congress to designate wilderness
areas to ensure that America’s pristine wild lands will not disappear. Wilderness areas can be part of national parks,
national wildlife refuges, national forests or public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. There are more
than 680 wilderness areas -- protecting over 106 million acres in 44 states -- with the most recent one designated being
Boulder White Clouds in Idaho.
The Bureau of Land Management also has 517 wilderness study areas -- lands unspoiled by roads or other development
that provide outstanding opportunities for solitude. Often these places have special ecological, geological or scenic
values, like Handies Peak in Colorado or Slinkard in California. Some wilderness study areas have been designated as
wilderness areas or national monuments, while others have been opened to non-wilderness uses.
National Historic Sites and National Memorials
Although the National Park Service is best known for protecting some of our country's most inspiring landscapes, it is
also America's storyteller. Over half the national park locations preserve places and commemorate people, events and activities that are key to our nation’s history. National historic sites (like Lincoln Home or Tuskegee Airmen) contain a
single historical feature, but national historical parks like Independence National Historical Park -- where the Continental
Congress voted for Independence and then where, years later, the Constitution was written -- discuss multiple stories
from different times. No matter the name, these places tell iconic American stories that define who we are and what we
stand for.
National memorials are sites that commemorate a historical person or tragic event. Many national memorials are
located in or near the District of Columbia (think the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and Thomas Jefferson
Memorial), but several others are scattered across the country. One of the most recognizable: Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial in Missouri, which is home to the Gateway Arch (commonly called the St. Louis Arch).
National Recreation Areas
National recreation areas are lands near large reservoirs that offer visitors a chance to experience water-based outdoor
activities -- from swimming and kayaking to fishing and boating. These recreation areas also often include important
natural and cultural features. The U.S. has a total of 12 national recreation areas, which are managed either by the
National Park Service or the Forest Service, and five of these are near urban areas -- providing great opportunities for
Americans to connect to nature near them.
