With more than 1.6 million members and supporters beside us, we are the voice of America’s national parks, working to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations.

National Parks  Conservation Association

Valerie Ross Manokey worked hard to honor the legacy of her ancestor, Harriet Tubman.

The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park honors the remarkable legacy of Harriet Tubman. Born into slavery around 1822, she emerged as a courageous abolitionist and humanitarian. After escaping slavery in 1849, Tubman returned to the South numerous times, leading over 70 enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. The park encompasses key locations associated with Tubman's life, including her birthplace and the landscape she traversed while leading enslaved individuals to freedom. Visitors can engage with exhibits, trails, and interpretive programs, gaining a profound understanding of Tubman's extraordinary contributions to the abolitionist movement and her role in shaping American history.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad

One Park. One Story. Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP

One of Virginia's most popular national parks is a haven for native fish, but warming waters could prove devastating for this keystone species.

Just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows. With over 200,000 acres of protected lands that are haven to deer, songbirds, and black bear, there's so much to explore. Take a hike on one of the many trails through the park, relax in a quiet meadow, or have a picnic lunch with a view. You can also drive the scenic Skyline Drive for stunning views of the Shenandoah Valley. No matter how you choose to spend your time in Shenandoah National Park, you're sure to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Shenandoah

Do Brook Trout Have a Future in Shenandoah?

When Carter G. Woodson created the precursor to Black History Month in 1926, it was a groundbreaking initiative that shaped public thinking.

The Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site commemorates the life and work of Carter Godwin Woodson (1875–1950), an African-American historian, author and journalist who played a pivotal role in the development of Black history as a field of study. Born in Virginia to freed slaves, he worked as a coal miner and experienced firsthand the difficulties that African Americans faced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He went on to college and eventually became the first professionally trained African American historian, graduating from Harvard with a PhD in 1912. Woodson settled in Washington, D.C. in this Victorian rowhouse in 1922, became the Dean of Howard University, and wrote more than 25 books. In 1926, he launched Negro History Week, which eventually evolved into Black History Month. Today, the Carter G. Woodson Home pays tribute to his legacy by preserving his home and providing educational programming about his life and work.


Carter G. Woodson Home 

Remembering the Founder of Black History Month

She is a revered American hero — but there’s more to Harriet Tubman’s story than what we learn in school.

5 Facts You Might Not Know About Harriet Tubman

These tips are sensible and easy to follow, and they’ll help you be a good park steward while avoiding embarrassment on social media.

The Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior building in Washington, DC, is the home office of the National Park Service.

National Parks Conservation Association

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One Park. One Story. Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad NHP

Do Brook Trout Have a Future in Shenandoah?

Remembering the Founder of Black History Month

5 Facts You Might Not Know About Harriet Tubman

6 Tips to Keep Parks — and Yourself — Safe

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