People walk to barracks framed by mountain peaks.
1942 image of barracks at Manzanar Dorothea Lange

Manzanar National Historic Site

National Historic Site · California · National Park Service

In 1942, the United States government ordered more than 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where the US government incarcerated Japanese immigrants ineligible for citizenship and Japanese American citizens during World War II.

Plan your visit

Know before you go

Phone
(760) 878-2194
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

What's here

Highlights: Architecture and Building · Arts · Painting · Photography · Asian American Heritage · Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite · Colonization and Settlement · Engineering · Farming and Agriculture · Incarceration · Japanese-American Internment · Immigration · Medicine · Hospital · Military · US Army · Indigenous and Native Warrior · Monuments and Memorials · Religion and Spirituality · Churches · Schools and Education · Social Movements · Civil Rights · Tragic Events · Forced Marches · Wars and Conflicts · Tribal Conflicts · World War II · Westward Expansion · Homesteading · Scenic Views

Activities & features: Biking · Road Biking · Food · Picnicking · Guided Tours · Self-Guided Tours - Walking · Self-Guided Tours - Auto · Bus/Shuttle Guided Tour · Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Park Film · Museum Exhibits · Shopping · Bookstore and Park Store

Photos

  • Japanese stone lantern with mountains in background
    NPS
  • Wooden sign with "Mananar War Relocation Center" written on it
    NPS
  • guard tower with fog and hills in background
    NPS
  • wooden bridge and stonework in foreground with mountains behind
    NPS
  • white obelisk with black Japanese characters with stormy mountains beyond
    NPS
  • flowering pear trees with mountains in background
    NPS
  • crowd surrounds white obelisk with mountains beyond
    NPS
  • stone building with stormy mountains beyond
    NPS

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12