If you have ever wondered how many national monuments in USA exist today, the short answer is 137. That number surprises a lot of travelers, because most people can only name a handful of these protected places, like Devils Tower in Wyoming or the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Yet behind those famous names sits a much larger system of natural wonders, ancient ruins, battlefields, and historic landmarks spread across the country, from the deserts of Arizona to the islands of the Pacific.
National monuments are easy to confuse with national parks, and the two systems overlap in some ways, but they are not the same thing. A national monument is a protected area set aside because it holds something of historic or scientific interest, and it can be created far more quickly than a national park. That flexibility is exactly why the list has grown, shifted, and changed over more than a century. In this guide, we will walk through the current count, how monuments are created, who manages them, and which ones are most worth adding to your travel list.
How Many National Monuments in USA Are There Today?
The reason the answer to how many national monuments in USA exist keeps shifting is that the list is a living one. Presidents and Congress add new monuments, and occasionally an existing monument is promoted to national park status, which removes it from the monument count. As of late 2026, the current total stands at 137 protected areas known as national monuments. That figure follows the change in October 2026, when Chiricahua in Arizona became a national park, bringing the count down from 138.
The newest monuments on the list are Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands, both designated in California on January 14, 2025. The oldest is Devils Tower in Wyoming, proclaimed by President Theodore Roosevelt on September 24, 1906. Between those two bookends lies more than a century of American conservation history, and the full list now reaches 33 states, plus Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Minor Outlying Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Current total: 137 national monuments
- First monument: Devils Tower, Wyoming, proclaimed September 24, 1906
- Newest monuments: Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands, California, designated January 14, 2025
- States with the most monuments: California with 20, followed by Arizona with 19 and New Mexico with 13
- Managing agencies: nine federal agencies across five departments
What Is a National Monument, Exactly?
A national monument is a protected area created by proclamation of the president or by an act of Congress. The president’s authority comes from the Antiquities Act of 1906, a law that allows the president to proclaim national monuments on land already owned or controlled by the federal government, in order to protect historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest. Congress can also create a monument through legislation, and many monuments have been established that way.
What makes the designation so useful is its focus. A national park usually protects a large landscape with a broad range of resources, while a national monument often protects one specific treasure: a single rock formation, an archaeological site, a historic home, a battlefield, or a stretch of coastline. That is why the monument system is so diverse. At least 78 monuments primarily protect places of natural significance, including sites known for geology, volcanoes, and marine environments. At least 66 primarily protect historic sites, including places associated with Native American history, African American history, and military forts. Four monuments have also been designated as World Heritage Sites.
This diversity is part of the appeal for travelers. You can stand beneath the towering granite of Devils Tower one week and walk through the ancient cliff dwellings of Canyon de Chelly the next, and both experiences come from the same conservation idea: some places are too important to lose, and protecting them now means future generations can still see them. If you are curious about how the larger park system compares, our guide to how many national parks the USA has explains the difference in scale between the two systems.
How Many National Monuments in USA Does Each Agency Manage?
Understanding how many national monuments in USA each agency manages helps explain why visiting them can feel a little different from place to place. Nine federal agencies in five departments share the job. The National Park Service administers the largest share, about 88 of the monuments, and those are the ones most travelers know best, because they come with visitor centers, ranger programs, and the familiar brown signs of the National Park System.
The remaining monuments are managed by other agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Forest Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which handles marine monuments. A few monuments are co-managed by two agencies working together. For example, Grand Canyon-Parashant, Craters of the Moon, and Avi Kwa Ame are jointly administered by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, while Tule Lake is shared with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
For visitors, the practical difference is small but worth knowing. A monument managed by the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management may have fewer facilities than a flagship National Park Service site, but it may also be quieter, wilder, and closer to the landscape as it has always been. Always check the managing agency’s website before you go, since hours, road conditions, and permit rules can vary, especially in remote desert and mountain locations.
A Short History: From Devils Tower to Today
The story of national monuments begins with Theodore Roosevelt, who signed the Antiquities Act in 1906 and used it the same year to protect Devils Tower, a striking rock formation rising above the Wyoming plains. Roosevelt went on to establish 18 monuments, although only nine still retain that designation today, since several were later promoted to national park status or folded into other protected areas. His example set the pattern: presidents of both parties have used the Antiquities Act ever since.
Eighteen presidents have created national monuments under the Antiquities Act since the program began. Only three presidents, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, did not create any. Bill Clinton created 19 monuments and expanded three others. Barack Obama created or expanded 34 monuments by proclamation, the most of any president, protecting more than half a billion acres of public land and water in the process, much of it in large marine monuments in the Pacific.
The system has also grown through Congress, which has designated monuments by law and, just as importantly, has upgraded some of the most beloved monuments into national parks. That promotion path is a mark of success, not failure. When a place like Chiricahua outgrows its monument status and becomes a national park, it gains a higher profile and often more funding, even though the monument count drops by one. The same journey has carried many famous parks, which began their protected lives as monuments before Congress gave them full park status.
National Monuments vs. National Parks: What’s the Difference?
Travelers often ask whether a national monument is simply a smaller national park, and the honest answer is that size is only part of the story. National parks must be created by Congress through legislation, a process that can take years of debate. National monuments can be created quickly by presidential proclamation, which makes them a faster tool for protecting a place under threat, whether from development, looting, or natural damage.
National parks also tend to protect broad landscapes and multiple resources at once, while monuments usually focus on a specific feature or story. That focus does not make monuments lesser places. The Statue of Liberty National Monument protects one of the most recognized symbols in the world. Muir Woods National Monument protects a grove of ancient redwoods that feels like a cathedral. Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine protects the fort whose defense inspired the national anthem. Each of these places earned protection because of one powerful story, not because of its size.
There is one more difference worth knowing. Because monuments can be established on land managed by different agencies, they sometimes sit inside or beside national forests, wildlife refuges, or other public lands, and their boundaries can be less obvious than a national park’s entrance gate. That is part of the adventure, but it also means doing a little homework before you visit pays off, especially for monuments in remote areas where cell service is limited.
The Most Loved National Monuments to Visit
With 137 places to choose from, deciding where to start can feel overwhelming. These favorites cover the full range of what the system protects, and each one rewards a visit in a different way:
- Devils Tower, Wyoming: the first national monument, a dramatic volcanic rock formation sacred to several Native American tribes, with hiking trails around its base and world-class rock climbing.
- Statue of Liberty, New York: the iconic symbol of freedom in New York Harbor, reached by ferry, with a museum and pedestal access for those who plan ahead.
- Muir Woods, California: towering old-growth redwoods just north of San Francisco, an easy and unforgettable walk beneath trees hundreds of years old.
- Bears Ears, Utah: a vast desert landscape of mesas, canyons, and ancient rock art, co-managed with Tribal Nations and rich in archaeological sites.
- Mount St. Helens, Washington: a volcanic monument where visitors can see how a landscape recovers after the famous 1980 eruption.
- Canyon de Chelly, Arizona: a canyon homeland of the Navajo Nation, with ancient cliff dwellings best seen on a guided tour with a Navajo guide.
- Stonewall, New York: a small but powerful monument in New York City marking a turning point in the fight for LGBTQ rights.
- Papahānaumokuākea, Hawaii and the Pacific: one of the largest marine conservation areas on Earth, protecting coral reefs, wildlife, and Native Hawaiian cultural heritage, though public access is highly restricted.
Many travelers also love the quieter monuments, like Rainbow Bridge in Utah, a natural sandstone arch reached by boat across Lake Powell, or Bandelier in New Mexico, where visitors can climb ladders into ancient cliff dwellings. The best monument trip is often the one that mixes a famous name with a place you had never heard of before you started planning.
Planning Around How Many National Monuments in USA You Want to See
Planning around how many national monuments in USA you want to see starts with a simple truth: no one visits all 137 in a single trip, and no one needs to. The smartest approach is to pick a region and go deep. The Southwest alone, with California, Arizona, and New Mexico holding more than 50 monuments between them, could fill a lifetime of road trips, from desert petroglyphs to Spanish missions to volcanic craters.
Start by choosing one or two anchor monuments, then look for smaller monuments nearby. A trip to the Grand Canyon, for example, pairs naturally with nearby monuments in Arizona and Utah. A visit to Washington, D.C., can include monuments in the capital itself alongside historic sites in Virginia and Maryland. Families often enjoy mixing a big natural wonder with a historic monument, so children get both a hike and a story in the same day.
A few practical tips will make any monument trip smoother. Check whether the monument requires reservations, timed entry, or a guided tour, since some, like Muir Woods and Canyon de Chelly, manage access carefully to protect fragile resources. Bring water, sun protection, and good walking shoes, especially in desert monuments where shade is scarce. Respect tribal lands and sacred sites, stay on marked trails, and never remove artifacts or rock art. The monuments belong to all Americans, and keeping them intact is part of the visit.
Why the Count Matters
It might seem like trivia to argue over whether the number is 137 or 138, but the count tells a bigger story about how America chooses what to protect. Every monument represents a decision that a place mattered enough to set aside for the public, sometimes against strong opposition, and sometimes just in time. The Antiquities Act has survived court challenges, political debates, and boundary reviews precisely because the places it protects keep proving their value to visitors, scientists, and local communities.
The count also reminds us that conservation is unfinished work. New monuments are still being designated, older ones are still being studied, and some face ongoing legal and political questions about their boundaries. Staying curious about these places, visiting them, and learning their stories is one of the simplest ways to take part in that history. The system was built on the idea that public lands should be shared, and every visit is a vote for keeping them that way.
Conclusion
So, how many national monuments in USA should be on your list? All of them, eventually, but start with the ones that stir your curiosity most. Whether you are drawn to ancient ruins, volcanic landscapes, civil rights landmarks, or quiet desert canyons, there is a monument waiting that matches your interest, and it is probably closer than you think. Pick one, plan a visit, and share what you discover with someone who has never been. America’s monuments were set aside for all of us, and they are at their best when they are explored, respected, and passed on. For more American travel and history stories, explore the rest of ENG Post and start planning your next adventure today.