Manzanar National Historic Site
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.
About 2 hours from Fresno by car.
Alerts
- InformationNPS ↗Manzanar Remains Open During US 395 Pavement Project
CalTrans begins a monthslong pavement project on US 395 adjacent to Manzanar National Historic Site on Monday, May 11, 2026. Crews will be working to ensure access to Manzanar remains open, but it will be important to travel cautiously as typical access may involve detours and map apps may be inaccurate.
Fire nearby
- WildfireLand
45 mi from the park's reference point · 20 acres
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
No entrance fee is charged at Manzanar National Historic Site.
Hours
| Site Grounds | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
May draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Manzanar Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The Manzanar visitor center offers extensive exhibits, a 22-minute park film, a bookstore, a Junior Ranger program, and an information desk.
- Block 14 ↗
Block 14 was one of 36 blocks used when Manzanar War Relocation Center was in operation. The NPS has reconstructed 2 barracks, a latrine, and a mess hall in Block 14. These buildings feature exhibits inside that help tell the story of Japanese American incarceration.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Driving, Biking, and Walking at Manzanar1-2 Hours
The site is open during daylight hours, see it on foot or via the 3.2 mile driving tour road.
Opens on the Park Service site - Become a Manzanar Junior Ranger1-2 Hours
At home or at Manzanar, becoming a junior ranger is a great way to learn about the stories of Manzanar.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore Manzanar Block 14 Exhibits1-2 Hours
Walk through one of the 36 Blocks of Manzanar to feel what life would have been like here during WWII.
Opens on the Park Service site
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Inyo County CourthouseBuilding · Independence · 5.9 mi
- Smithsonian Institution ShelterBuilding · Lone Pine · 12.6 mi
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.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Manzanar. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for California's national parks
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 monthYellow-bellied Marmot 4× · American Pika 3× · American White Pelican 1× · American Black Bear 1× · Bobcat 1× · Sooty Grouse 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 132 birds, 19 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican kestrel · Cooper's hawk · Swainson's hawk · bald eagle · barn owl · ferruginous hawk · golden eagle · great horned owl · merlin · northern harrier · osprey · prairie falcon · red-shouldered hawk · red-tailed hawk · rough-legged hawk · sharp-shinned hawk · turkey vulture · western screech-owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican white pelican · Canada goose · cattle egret · great blue heron · great egret
Shorebirds & seabirdsCalifornia gull · Caspian tern · killdeer
Gamebirds & dovesCalifornia quail · mourning dove · rock dove
WoodpeckersLewis' woodpecker · Nuttall's woodpecker · acorn woodpecker · downy woodpecker · hairy woodpecker · ladder-backed woodpecker · northern flicker · red-breasted sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsCosta's hummingbird · black-chinned hummingbird · broad-tailed hummingbird · rufous hummingbird · white-throated swift
Also on the checklistAmerican crow · American goldfinch · American pipit · American redstart · American robin · Bewick's wren · Brewer's blackbird · Brewer's sparrow · Bullock's oriole · Cassin's finch · Cassin's vireo · European starling · Hammond's flycatcher · Lazuli bunting · Le Conte's thrasher · Lincoln's sparrow · MacGillivray's warbler · Nashville warbler · Pacific-slope flycatcher · Savannah sparrow · Say's phoebe · Townsend's warbler · Wilson's warbler · ash-throated flycatcher · barn swallow · belted kingfisher · black phoebe · black throated grey warbler · black-billed magpie · black-headed grosbeak · black-throated sparrow · blue grosbeak · blue-gray gnatcatcher · brown creeper · brown-headed cowbird · bushtit · cedar waxwing · chipping sparrow · cliff swallow · common nighthawk · common poorwill · common raven · dark-eyed junco · evening grosbeak · fox sparrow · gray flycatcher · great-tailed grackle · greater roadrunner · green-tailed towhee · hermit thrush · hermit warbler · horned lark · house finch · house sparrow · house wren · lark sparrow · lesser goldfinch · lesser nighthawk · loggerhead shrike · mountain bluebird · mountain chickadee · northern mockingbird · northern rough-winged swallow · olive-sided flycatcher · orange-crowned warbler · phainopepla · plumbeous vireo · pygmy nuthatch · red-winged blackbird · rock wren · ruby-crowned kinglet · sage sparrow · sage thrasher · song sparrow · spotted towhee · tree swallow · vesper sparrow · violet-green swallow · warbling vireo · western bluebird · western kingbird · western meadowlark · western scrub-jay · western tanager · western wood pewee · white-breasted nuthatch · white-crowned sparrow · yellow warbler · yellow-headed blackbird · yellow-rumped warbler
Small mammalsBotta's pocket gopher · California ground squirrel · California vole · Merriam's kangaroo rat · Panamint kangaroo rat · black-tailed jackrabbit · brush mouse · deer mouse · desert cottontail · desert woodrat · little pocket mouse · southern grasshopper mouse · western harvest mouse · white-tailed antelope squirrel
Predatorscoyote · kit fox · northern raccoon · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalselk
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 14 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Manzanar is located in the Owens Valley at 4,000' elevation, at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada. We get little precipitation but we do have four distinct seasons. Summer temperatures can soar over 100 degrees. Winter highs are usually in the 40's. Nighttime temperatures year round are 30 to 40 degrees less than daytime highs. High winds are common in any season.
Questions people ask
Does Manzanar charge an entrance fee?
No. Manzanar is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Manzanar?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Manzanar right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Manzanar Remains Open During US 395 Pavement Project.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Manzanar?
95,764 recreation visits in 2025, number 222 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Manzanar?
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 Manzanar?
Manzanar is located in the Owens Valley at 4,000' elevation, at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada. We get little precipitation but we do have four distinct seasons.
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.
