History of Trailblazing Women Celebrated at National Parks

The National Park System of the U.S. is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by the National Park Service. This portfolio includes all national parks and most national monuments, as well as several other types of protected areas. National parks have been referred to as "America's Best Idea" as director/producer Ken Burns shares in a popular documentary series. In this article, Rebecca Watson highlights ten national parks that preserve and share stories of trailblazing women who dared to imagine a different future. This work is supported by the National Parks Foundation which offers grants to parks across the country to help highlight women "whose vision, tenacity, and resilience moved them to climb mountains, burst through barriers, protect the environment, and lead social movements that changed history forever."

Here is a list of the ten parks featured in this article:

1. Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument 
2. Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area 
3. Harriet Tubman National Historical Park 
4. César E. Chávez National Monument 
5. Women's Rights National Historical Park
6. Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument
7. Rosie the Riveter / WWII Home Front National Historical Park
8. Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site 
9. Tumacácori National Historical Park 
10. Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site