National Recreation Areas

Fact Box Bighorn Canyon Montana and Wyoming Established 1966 120,296 acres Visitation(2007) 203,747 Over 200,000 people come to this 120,000-acre park in a scenic area of Montana to boat, camp, fish, hike, picnic, see wildlife, ride horses, and bike. Fishing in the Bighorn River, seeing the Yellowtail Dam, boating on Bighorn Lake, and going to the park's many spectacular overlooks, the most famous being the Devil Canyon Overlook, are among the highlights. Fact Box Amistad Texas Established 1965 67,000 acres Visitation(2009) 2,573,966 Located on the Mexican border, and surrounding the United States side of the Amistad Reservoir, this park is best known for its water-based recreation activities, such as boating, fishing, swimming, scuba diving, and water-skiiing. Other recreational opportunities include camping, hiking, rock art viewing, and learning about the area's rich cultural history. Fact Box Boston Harbor Islands (image from bu.edu) Massachusetts Established 1966 1,482 acres Made up of 34 islands, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area provides many recreational opportunities. Visitors can fish, swim, picnic, camp, hike, explore tide pools, visit historic lighthouses, and see Fort Warren, a Civil War-era fort, in this park located near the nation's 24th largest city. Fact Box Chattahoochee River Georgia Established 1978 9,206 acres Visitation(2004) 2,672,138 This park, just outside of Atlanta, runs along 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River. It is a great place for fishing, boating, cycling, picnicking and hiking. The park is made up of 18 different units-- Bowmans Island, Settles Bridge, Orrs Ferry, Suwanee Creek, McGinnis Ferry, Medlock Bridge, Abbots Bridge, Jones Bridge, Holcomb Bridge, Island Ford, Vickery Creek, Gold Branch, Sope Creek, Johnson Ferry North, Johnson Ferry South, Cochran Shoals, Powers Island, and East and West Palisades. Fact Box Chickasaw Oklahoma Established 1902 9,889 acres Visitation(2004) 1,275,733 The first national park in Oklahoma, Chickasaw National Recreation Area is divided into two districts-- The Platt Historic District and the Arbuckle District. The Platt Historic District has springs, a nature center, and the 67-acre Veterans Lake. The Arbuckle District contains the beautiful Lake of the Arbuckles, where visitors can camp, picnic, boat, hike, fish, water ski, or swim. The park also offers wildlife viewing, bird watching, hunting, and auto touring.  Fact Box Curecanti  Colorado Established 1965 41,972 acres Visitation(2004) 1,006,652 Curecanti National Recreation Area is formed by three reservoirs of the Gunnison River. The park has panoramic mesas, fjord-like reservoirs, and deep, steep, narrow canyons. Recreational opportunities include boating, fishing, fly fishing, hunting, horseback riding, bird watching, swimming, scenic driving, and hiking. Fact Box Delaware Water Gap New Jersey and Pennsylvania Established 1965 68,714 acres Visitation(2005) 5,052,264 Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area preserves forty miles of the middle Delaware River and 70,000 acres in total, spanning five counties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Over 100 miles of hiking trails, plentiful wildlife, 100+ miles of scenic roadways, waterfalls, forests, mountains, valleys, floodplains, historic colonial villages, and 1000 year old agricultural fields can be found in the park, which is named after the spectacular Delaware Water Gap. Fact Box Gateway New York and New Jersey Established 1972 26,607 acres Visitation(2005) 8,294,353 Gateway National Recreation Area is divided into three units: Sandy Hook in New Jersey, Jamaica Bay in the Brooklyn and Queens boroughs of New York City, and Staten Island in New York City. The Sandy Hook unit is a barrier beach peninsula, and has two park sites: Fort Hancock and Gunnison Beach, one of Sandy Hook's seven beaches. The Staten Island Unit contains three sites: Fort Wadsworth, the historic Miller Airfield, and Great Kills Park. Jamaica Bay, the largest unit of the park, contains seven park sites: Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Floyd Bennett Airfield, the recreational Canarsie Pier, Fort Tilden, Breezy Point Tip, and Jacob Riis Park. Recreational opportunities offered in the park include camping, kayaking, wildlife watching, fishing, biking, playing sports, bird watching, gardening, picnicking, boating, hiking, seeing historic sites, archery, cross country skiing, golf, horseback riding, model airplane flying, and relaxing on one of the park's many beaches. Fact Box Gauley River West Virginia Established 1988 11,507 acres Visitation 128,796 Spanning 25 miles of the Gauley River, this park offers camping, whitewater rafting, fishing, and hunting. The park has beautiful winding rivers and steep, narrow canyons. Fact Box Glen Canyon Utah and Arizona Established 1972 1,254,429 acres Visitation(2004) 1,832,378 1.2 million acres in area, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has many scenic vistas and offers many recreational opportunities. These include camping, boating, taking a guided tour, fishing, swimming, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, scenic driving, and taking guided tours. A highlight is staying on a houseboat on Lake Powell, the main attraction in the park. Fact Box Golden Gate California Established 1972 74,820 acres Visitation(2005) 13,602,629 Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a massive park, spanning three counties, and nearly twice the size of the city of San Francisco. There are 14 sites in Marin County: Bolinas Ridge, Fort Baker, Fort Barry, Fort Cronkhite, Gerbode Valley, Kirby Cove, Marin Headlands, Muir Woods, Muir Beach, Nike Missile Site, Olema Valley, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Stinson Beach, and Tennessee Valley. San Francisco County has 16 sites: Alcatraz Island, Baker Beach, Battery Chamberlin, China Beach, Cliff House & Sutro Baths, Crissy Airfield, Crissy Field Marsh & Beach, Crissy Field Center, Fort Funston, Fort Mason, Fort Point, Lands End, Ocean Beach, Pacific West Regional Information Center, the Presidio of San Francisco, and the Sutro Historic District. San Mateo County has 5 sites: Milagra Ridge, Mori Point, Phleger Estate, Rancho Corral de Tierra, and Sweeny Ridge. Recreational opportunities include camping, whale watching, hiking, touring forts, biking, fishing, and bird watching. Fact Box Lake Chelan Washington Established 1968 61,958 acres Visitation(2005) 29,783 Over 60,000 acres, Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas is one of two recreation areas adjacent to North Cascades National Park. Three buildings in the park are on the National Register of Historic Places: The Buckner Homestead Historic District, Purple Point-Stehekin Ranger Station House, and the one-room Stehekin School. Visitors can do many outdoor activities at Lake Chelan, including horseback riding, boating, hiking, and fishing. Fact Box Lake Mead Arizona and Nevada Established 1936 1,495,666 acres Visitation(2009) 7,946,830 Lake Mead National Recreation Area is made up of Lake Mead, a reservoir of the Colorado River, and its surroundings. Lake Mead is formed by the famous Hoover Dam, and the area is known for its desert scenery. Lake Mead has many recreational opportunities, including hiking, scenic driving, camping, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, boating, picnicking, hunting, horseback riding, photography, biking, scuba diving, fishing, backpacking, and wildlife watching. The park is home of thousands of desert plants and animals. Fact Box Lake Meredith Texas Established 1990 46,349 acres Visitation(2004) 759,610 The main attraction in Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is the 10,000-acre lake which it is named for. There are many recreational opportunities to enjoy at the park, such as hiking, horseback riding, boating, fishing, hunting, bird watching, and camping. Fact Box Lake Roosevelt Washington Established 1946 100,390 acres Visitation(2005) 1,272,119 One of three national recreation areas in Washington, this park surrounds the 130-mile long Lake Roosevelt. The park provides many recreational opportunities like boating, fishing, swimming, camping, canoeing, hunting, and visiting the historic Fort Spokane and St Paul's Mission. Fact Box Ross Lake Washington Established 1968 117,574 acres Visitation(2005) 279,581 Adjacent to North Cascades National Park, this park contains three reservoirs: the 12,000-acre Ross Lake, the 910-acre Diablo Lake, and the 210-acre Gorge Lake. Ross Lake NRA is a popular recreation destination, with fishing, hunting, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, and hiking opportunities. Many trailheads for trails in North Cascades National Park are located in the park. Fact Box Santa Monica Mountains California Established 1978 154,095 acres Visitation(2005) 447,190 Located just outside of Los Angeles, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is known, among other things, for its rare mild Mediterranean climate, its 500+ miles of hiking trails, and its abundant wildlife, which includes bobcats, quail, coyotes, dolphins, and even mountain lions. Recreational opportunities include learning about Native American culture, birding, camping, biking, and horseback riding. Fact Box Whiskeytown California Established 1965 203,587 acres Visitation(2007) 782,014 Located in Northern California, the main attraction in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is the 3,200-acre Whiskeytown Lake. The park also includes 39,000 acres surrounding the reservoir. This surrounding area has mountain creeks, waterfalls, and over 70 miles of hiking trails. Recreational opportunities include horseback riding, hiking, biking, sailing, scuba diving, swimming, fishing, diving, and taking tours of historic mines from the Gold Rush.