Overview
One of the many things that makes this country great is its willingness to remember inglorious moments in its past, such as the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing the detention of more than 110,000 U.S. citizens of Japanese descent. Manzanar War Relocation Center was the first of 10 internment camps built throughout the western U.S. It held about 10,000 citizens (mostly from Los Angeles, California) in 36 blocks of wooden barracks across a one square-mile fenced enclosure.
Highlights
Museum, film, reconstructed barracks, gardens, memorial
Must-Do Activity
Opened in 2004, the National Park Service visitor center is located inside the former camp auditorium, which now houses an excellent museum. Self-guided walking and auto tours take visitors to two reconstructed barracks, the camp gardens, and a cemetery with the Manzanar Memorial.
Best Trail
You can walk or drive the 3.2-mile auto tour with 27 interpretive stops.
Instagram-worthy Photo
Located in the camp’s cemetery, the Manzanar Memorial is often swathed in origami paper cranes.
Peak Season
Summer, though temperatures can get hot with little shade.
Hours
https://www.nps.gov/manz/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Fees
None
Road Conditions
Manzanar is located right off Highway 395 west of Death Valley National Park and the dirt roads inside the site are passable by all vehicles.
Camping
Camping is available in Death Valley National Park and dispersed camping is allowed in the scenic Alabama Hills managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
The NPS visitor center is located inside the former camp auditorium
Inside the visitor center are the names of the 10,000 internees 
The Sierra Nevadas loom over the camp, which was notoriously windy 
The barracks offered little privacy and almost no protection from winter weather. 
This stone monument was erected in 1943 in one of the camp’s gardens 
This guard shack is located at the entrance to the camp
Explore More – How many Japanese-Americans served in the U.S. military during World War II?
