Where the United States incarcerated its own citizens beneath the Sierra crest.
Photo: Blervis · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Ten thousand people lived behind barbed wire here, in the Owens Valley, in the shadow of the highest mountains in the Lower 48. After President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, the U.S. government forcibly removed more than 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants from the West Coast and confined them in ten camps. Manzanar opened in March 1942 and held over 11,000 people before the last of them left in November 1945. Roughly two-thirds were American citizens. None were charged with a crime.
What survives is mostly foundations, rock gardens, and wind. The visitor center occupies the restored camp high school auditorium, and its exhibits and film do the interpretive heavy lifting — the personal accounts here are the reason to come. Outside, a 3.2-mile paved auto tour road loops through the camp footprint past the two original sentry posts at the entrance, the reconstructed barracks, mess hall, and latrine of Block 14, the ruins of the administrative area and hospital, the Children's Village orphanage foundations, the gardens built by incarcerees, and the white Soul Consoling Tower standing in the cemetery at the far west edge. Manzanar became a National Historic Site on March 3, 1992.
It sits directly on US-395, 9 miles north of Lone Pine and 6 miles south of Independence, which makes it an unavoidable — and worth-stopping-for — waypoint on one of the great American drives. There is no fee. Give it two to three hours if you can; give it more if the day allows.
The restored Manzanar High School auditorium holds the site's main exhibits, a bookstore, and a park film. This is where the forced removal, the loyalty questionnaire, camp life, and what came after are laid out in the words of the people who lived it.
Insider tipStart here and watch the film before you drive the tour road — the empty foundations outside mean almost nothing until you've heard the accounts that go with them.
Plan a trip to this spot →Two stone sentry posts at the historic camp entrance are among the few structures still standing from 1942. They were built by incarcerated stonemasons — the people confined here built the guard posts at their own gate.
Insider tipStop here first on the way in. It's a short walk and it frames everything that follows.
Plan a trip to this spot →Two reconstructed barracks show the camp in 1942 and again in 1945, alongside a restored WWII-era mess hall, a reconstructed women's latrine, and the bare concrete slabs of the men's latrine and laundry. The 1942 room is uninsulated boards, tar paper, and cots.
Insider tipBlock 14 is open daily 9:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m., even on days the visitor center itself may be closed — worth knowing if your drive lands on the wrong weekday.
The white obelisk at the far west end of the auto tour was raised in 1943 by incarceree stonemason Ryozo Kado, its kanji reading "Soul Consoling Tower." People who died in confinement here were buried in its shadow. Visitors still leave paper cranes, coins, and offerings at its base.
Insider tipLeave what others have left undisturbed. This is an active place of mourning, not a photo backdrop.
Plan a trip to this spot →People confined here dug ponds, set stone, and planted gardens — Merritt Park, in the northern part of the tour road, was the most elaborate, a 1.5-acre garden with waterways and bridges designed in 1943 by Kuichiro Nishi. Many garden features have since been excavated and stabilized.
Insider tipThe gardens are the part of Manzanar people tend not to expect. They read as an insistence on beauty and dignity under conditions designed to strip both.
A paved road with pullouts loops through the camp past the sentry posts, Block 14, the administrative and hospital ruins, the orchards, the Children's Village orphanage foundations, and the cemetery. Pick up the tour map at the visitor center.
Insider tipVehicles and bikes stay on the established road, but you can walk out onto the grounds — the open ground is unmaintained and uneven, closer to a hike than a stroll, so wear real shoes and carry water.
One entrance, directly off US-395 — free, grounds open daily.
On the west side of US-395, 9 miles north of Lone Pine and 6 miles south of Independence. No entrance fee and no pass required. A personal vehicle is needed — there is no transit and the nearest services are in the two gateway towns. Visitor center days and hours have been adjusted several times in recent years; confirm on nps.gov/manz before you plan around them.
No lodging or camping at the site — base in an Owens Valley town on US-395.
Nine miles south, the closest full base, with motels and restaurants along the highway. Also the gateway to the Alabama Hills and the Mount Whitney portal.
Booking tipThe most convenient overnight for an early Manzanar visit.
Six miles north and the smallest of the three — the county seat, with limited lodging and dining. Quiet, and closest of all if you find a room.
Booking tipVery few beds — book ahead or plan on Lone Pine or Bishop.
About 45 miles north up US-395, the largest town in the Owens Valley and the widest choice of lodging, groceries, and food. A good hub if you're working the corridor over several days.
Booking tipBest selection on this stretch of 395, and the logical stop if you're continuing toward Mammoth.
Is there an entrance fee?
No. There is no entrance fee at Manzanar National Historic Site and no pass is required.
How long should I allow?
Two to three hours covers the visitor center exhibits and film plus the 3.2-mile auto tour with stops. A quick pass-through is possible, but the site rewards a slower visit.
What happened here?
Following Executive Order 9066, signed February 19, 1942, the U.S. government forcibly removed more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast and confined them in ten camps. Manzanar operated from March 1942 until November 1945, and over 11,000 people were incarcerated here — the majority of them American citizens, none charged with any crime.
Is the site open every day?
The grounds, including the auto tour road, gardens, and cemetery, are open daily during daylight hours, and the Block 14 barracks, mess hall, and latrine exhibits are open daily 9:00 a.m.–4:15 p.m. Visitor center days and hours have changed more than once in recent years — check nps.gov/manz before you go.
Should I say "internment" or "incarceration"?
The National Park Service uses "incarceration" and "incarcerated" at Manzanar. "Internment" is the older legal term and still appears in historical documents, but it understates what happened to U.S. citizens imprisoned without charge.
Is it appropriate to bring children?
Yes, and many families do — the exhibits handle difficult material directly but are approachable. Talk about it beforehand, and set the expectation that the cemetery in particular is a place to be quiet.
Can I walk or bike the grounds?
Vehicles and bicycles must stay on established roads, but you can walk out into the camp footprint on foot. That ground is unmaintained and uneven — sturdy shoes, sun protection, and water are essential, especially in summer heat.
Are there services at the site?
Plan to arrive fueled and provisioned. Manzanar sits well away from major cities, and the nearest gas, food, and lodging are in Lone Pine and Independence.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
