In addition to national parks, there are also 433 National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Battlefields and Military Sites, and National Historic Trails across all 48 states. All have passed through a rigorous process to become national monuments. Many national parks started off as national monuments.

The National Park Service (NPS) also has “affiliated areas” that are not part of the official list but receive federal funding, for example, the Oklahoma City National Memorial.

We have visited all the national monuments in this blog. While we have been very fortunate to have been able to visit many national treasures, there are many more to go!

Locations visited by state

Arizona

Meteor Crater National Landmark, or Barringer Crater (Winslow), is an impact crater about 37 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona in the desert of northern Arizona. It is approximately a mile across. This site had several earlier names, and fragments of the meteorite are officially called the Canyon Diablo Meteorite, after the adjacent Canyon Diablo.

Our Impressions: This was an amazing place! The Meteor Crater is literally a HUGE hole in the ground in the middle of a private ranch! There is a visitor center with memorabilia and a video about the meteor that struck. You can also go on a one- mile guided tour around about half of the crater. Because of the shape of the land, the bottom of the crater was used for training astronauts!

Illinois

Camp River Dubois Lewis and Clark State Historic Site (Hartford) is part of the Lewis & Clark National Heritage Trail. The historic site features a replica keelboat and a wide range of interactive exhibits. This was an area of rest and departure for Lewis and Clark as they prepared to traverse the country.

Our Impressions: Hearing stories about Lewis and Clark is not the same as seeing the maps, wagons and boats they used. We learned a lot more about Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman who was a guide and translator for Lewis and Clark.

Maine

The Frances Perkins National Monument (Newcastle) is one of the newest national monuments. The Perkins homestead in Newcastle, Maine, also called “The Brick House”, was signed into law as a national monument on 12/16/24. Frances Perkins (1880–1965), was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, Secretary of Labor, placing her as the first woman to be in the line of succession to be president in the event of a national tragedy.

Our Impressions: Francis Perkins was a legendary woman who had deep roots in Maine. In addition to being the first female cabinet member, she was responsible for many of the benefits employees enjoy today, for example, Social Security and the 8-hour workday.

Massachusetts

The National Monument to the Forefathers (Plymouth), formerly known as the Pilgrim Monument, was built to honor the labors, sacrifices and sufferings of the Mayflower Pilgrims. Dedicated on August 1, 1889, it honors their ideals of faith, morality, education, law, and liberty. At 81 feet tall, it is thought to be the world’s largest solid granite monument.

Our Impressions: The Pilgrim Monument was built as a tribute to the people who came to the U.S. on the Mayflower. Originally it was supposed to be 150 feet tall to rival the Statue of Liberty (at 151’), but it was modified because of how much it would cost to build it!

Plymouth Rock (Plymouth) is a historical landmark waterfront monument showcasing the storied rock where the Mayflower Pilgrims first landed in 1620.

Our Impressions: The first time I saw Plymouth Rock it was open to the public and you could actually touch it. Of course, times change and now the famous rock has a building around it. You can no longer touch it. It is not nearly as big as you think it might be!

Nevada

Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Boulder City) is in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. Experience outdoor thrills amidst striking landscapes and brilliant blue waters. Lake Mead NRA spreads across 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, valleys and two vast lakes. Lake Mead is a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, 24 mi (39 km) east of Las Vegas. It is the largest reservoir in the US in terms of water capacity.

Our Impressions: Even though the water in Lake Mead is down significantly, visiting the Hoover Dam and the Lake Mead NRA is well worth the trip. Hearing about a water shortage and then actually seeing the effect of too little rainfall on Lake Mead is amazing.

Pennsylvania

The Flight 93 National Memorial (Stoystown) is located in a remote area of southwestern Pennsylvania. The memorial is 78 miles southeast of Pittsburgh and 122 miles west of Harrisburg. It is the site where 40 passengers and crew of a commercial airliner lost their lives on Flight 93. These brave men and women prevented a terrorist attack on the U.S. Capitol on September 11, 2001. The memorial was dedicated on September 10, 2011.

Our Impressions: It is hard to comprehend the bravery of these 40 people. At one moment it was just a field in rural PA, and then the next moment the plane was plowing through the field and bursting into flames. The reverent feeling of being here was similar to the feeling of walking the Vietnam Veterans Wall.

Rhode Island

Roger Williams National Memorial (Providence) is a landscaped urban park located on a common lot of the original settlement of Providence, Rhode Island, established in 1636 by a minister, Roger Williams. The national memorial commemorates the life of Williams, who co-founded the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and championed religious freedom.

Our Impressions: This is a small quiet park in Providence. It is a place where you can just sit on a park bench and try to contemplate the effort some people put in to make this country what it is today.

South Dakota

Mount Rushmore National Memorial (Keystone) is a massive sculpture of four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Completed in 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln, the sculpture’s roughly 60-ft.-high granite faces depict George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The site also features a museum with many interactive exhibits.

Our Impressions: It is hard to imagine the enormity of this monument. Walking past the flags framing the monument is pretty impressive. You can take a short walk, stand on the boardwalk and be only a few feet away from the monument.

Texas

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park (Stonewall) is located about 50 miles west of Austin in the Texas Hill Country. Designated as a NHP in 1969, it protects the birthplace, home, ranch, and grave of Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States.

Our Impressions: Sometimes it is difficult to understand and appreciate the humble beginnings our presidents. This NHP is one of those examples. The house and grounds of the Johnson homestead speak of very humble beginnings!

Wyoming

Devil’s Tower National Monument (Devils Tower) was established as a NM in 1906. It is a 1,267’ butte, possibly laccolithic, composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills, near Hulett and Sundance in northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River.

Our Impressions: There is certainly not much around Devil’s Tower! It just sticks out of the ground! Unlike Scott’s Bluff, you cannot drive to the top of Devil’s Tower. There is a nice hiking path around the base of the butte. Along the hiking path there are many small, colorful pieces of art hanging on the trees. These are for good luck or good passage. Except for June, people can petition to climb the sides of Devil’s Tower. June is considered a sacred month for the local native population, and no one is allowed to climb the butte.

Summary

In all of our travels, we have visited less than a quarter of the 433 National Monuments!! We have many more to go! What have been our favorites? Plymouth Rock, the Meteor Crater National Landmark, Devil’s Tower, and the Flight 93 Memorial.

If you enjoyed this blog on national monuments, please also check out our blog on national parks!

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn and Dave
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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