Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
Orphaned at age nine, Herbert Hoover left West Branch never to live here again. In later years, he returned to his humble birthplace to celebrate his long career of public service. A memorial landscape remains to tell his story: how community, hard work, honesty, and usefulness to others opened a world of opportunity— and the presidency of the United States— to a child of simple beginnings.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
There is no fee to enter Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, however, there is an admission fee to visit Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum.
Hours
| Operating Hours | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
Hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027Winter Hours | 9:00AM - 4:30PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
When to go
August draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Start your visit at the Visitor Center, where park rangers are available to answer questions and help you get oriented. Allow yourself about 30 minutes in the Visitor Center, which is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
Explore
Things to do
- Be a Junior Ranger at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
The Junior Ranger program helps kids get involved and learn more about Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. Anyone can become a Junior Ranger by completing activities during a visit to the park!
Opens on the Park Service site - Get Started at the Visitor Center30-60 Minutes
Start your visit at the Visitor Center, where park rangers are available to answer questions and help you get oriented. Allow yourself up to 30 minutes in the Visitor Center, which is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
Opens on the Park Service site - Take a Self-guided Tour30-60 Minutes
The grounds of the historic site are open 24 hours a day. Pick up a map at the Visitor Center or download the NPS App to your phone.
Opens on the Park Service site - Picnic Where the President Picnicked
Picnic where the President picnicked! Herbert Hoover celebrated his 80th birthday in 1954 at a picnic shelter built by Boy Scouts in his honor. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site has two picnic shelters.
Opens on the Park Service site - Walk the Nature Trails30-60 Minutes
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site offers over two miles of trails through the tallgrass prairie and along Hoover Creek for hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and nature study.
Opens on the Park Service site - Tour the Presidential Library & Museum1-3 Hours
The Presidential Library and Museum is independently operated and maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), a federal agency.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 8Hide
- Visit Downtown West Branch30-60 Minutes
The West Branch Commercial Historic District is just outside the historic site along Downey and Main streets. It is a national historic district which preserves fifteen downtown buildings built from 1875 through 1929.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore Herbert Hoover's Hometown With the NPS App
Use the NPS App on your visit to West Branch, Iowa, and discover the places and people that shaped the early life of the 31st President.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Prairie Walk: How prairies came to Iowa10/1512:00 PM · runs through Nov 19 · freeMeet your guide at the bench/water fountain at the Hoover Gravesite parking area to enjoy a walk on the prairie trails.
- A Christmas Past12/0405:00 PM · free
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Iowa guidebooks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBarred Owl 2× · Eastern Fox Squirrel 2× · Belted Kingfisher 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 102 birds, 45 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-owl · Great Horned Owl · Hen Harrier · Red-tailed Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersCanada Goose · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · Wood Duck
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Common Snipe · European Herring Gull · Killdeer · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Ring-necked Pheasant · Rock Dove · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAmerican Cliff Swallow · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-capped Chickadee · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Bobolink · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bruant de LeConte · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Common Grackle · Common Nighthawk · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood-pewee · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fox Sparrow · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-winged Warbler · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Great Crested Flycatcher · Henslow's Sparrow · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Loggerhead Shrike · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Northern Cardinal · Northern Oriole · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Purple Finch · Purple Martin · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Roughleg · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Sand Martin · Sedge Wren · Song Sparrow · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Warbling Vireo · Western Meadowlark · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-throated Sparrow · Winter Wren
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Brown Rat · Cinereus Shrew · Common Muskrat · Deer Mouse · Eastern Chipmunk · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Fox Squirrel · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern Mole · House Mouse · Meadow Jumping Mouse · Meadow Vole · Pine Vole · Plains Pocket Gopher · Prairie Vole · Southern Bog Lemming · Southern Flying Squirrel · Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel · Western Harvest Mouse · White-footed Deermouse · bee shrew · mole shrew
PredatorsAlleghanian Spotted Skunk · American Badger · American Mink · Bobcat · Common Gray Fox · Coyote · Cross Fox · Ermine · Least Weasel · Long-tailed Weasel · Striped Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Black Bat · Eastern Pipistrelle · Eastern Red Bat · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Bat · Northern Bat
Also on the checklistGroundhog · Virginia Opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 13 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Spring and fall are mild with moderate temperatures. Average high temperatures in the spring and fall are between 50° and 60° F, with lows from 40° F to 50° F. Summer is hot and humid with average highs around 85° F. Winter can be cold, windy, and snowy with highs averaging 30° F or lower. Rain and thunderstorms are most frequent in the spring and summer.
Questions people ask
Does Herbert Hoover charge an entrance fee?
No. Herbert Hoover is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Herbert Hoover?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 5:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Herbert Hoover?
106,672 recreation visits in 2025, number 215 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Herbert Hoover?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Herbert Hoover?
Spring and fall are mild with moderate temperatures. Average high temperatures in the spring and fall are between 50° and 60° F, with lows from 40° F to 50° F.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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