Monumental Questions - What is the Difference Between National Parks and National Monuments?
Nate Lillge • August 3, 2022
Snow Mountain Wilderness in Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument
There are many differences between national parks and national monuments. The easiest to understand difference is that national parks are protected because of their scenic, inspirational, education, and recreational value. National monuments are protected because they have objects of historical, cultural, and/or scientific interest. National parks require two or more items of interest while national monuments require only one. Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument includes historical (mercury mining), cultural (Native American), AND scientific (geology) items of interest.
Another distinction is that the National Parks Service (NPS) oversees and manages all national parks while a national monument may be overseen by one (or more) agency, including Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service (USFS), US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Defense. Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument is jointly managed by BLM and USFS.
-Nate Lillge (nlillge@tuleyome.org)
Tuleyome Adventures Coordinator and Activities Leader
Certified California Naturalist
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