Amache National Historic Site

Colorado

Managed by National Park Service

Established 2024

410 acres

Website: nps.gov/amch

Overview

Added to the National Park Service (NPS) system on February 15, 2024, Amache National Historic Site is the fifth unit dedicated to remembering the sad story of the forced internment of 110,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II.  Operated between 1942 and 1945, at its peak the Granada Relocation Center in southeast Colorado housed 7,310 incarcerees making it the state’s tenth largest city at the time.  Although it does not have a visitor center, the site of the internment camp is more developed than other new NPS sites since it was previously added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 and then designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.  Learn more about the history of these camps by checking out the Related Sites below and watching some of our Top 10 World War II Films or reading one of the Top 10 World War Novels. 

Highlights

Amache Museum, water tower, barracks, guard tower, cemetery, Recreation Hall

Must-Do Activity

Start at the excellent Amache Museum in Granada, which is run by local high school students and has free admission (donations accepted).  Be sure to pick up a map of the driving tour or visit the website (https://amache.org/driving-tour-map-podcasts) to listen to the audio recordings at each stop (there is smartphone coverage on site).  Drive the route in order or skip around, but make it a point to see Stop 4 (guard tower and barracks), Stop 8 (cemetery), and the Rec Hall.  Starting in June 2025, ranger-led tours will be offered at 10 a.m. on the first and third Friday of the summer months.

Best Trail

There is a short loop trail with many interpretive signs at the picnic area when you first arrive at the site by the Honor Roll square structure.  There is also an off-trail walk to the old koi pond at Stop 2 that you can navigate if you listen to the directions on the audio recordings.

Photographic Opportunity

The reconstructed barracks and guard tower at the south end of the site are two of the only structures standing above the open prairie.  They are near the water tower, which is worth a short detour to see.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/amch/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

Amache Museum: https://amache.org/visitor-information/

Fees

None; donations accepted at Amache Museum

Road Conditions

Roads through the site are gravel, but they seemed to be in good condition and seemingly passable even when wet.

Camping

Most of the southeast corner of Colorado is privately-owned agriculture land, so to find dispersed camping drive to Comanche National Grassland or Cimarron National Grassland.

Related Sites

Manzanar National Historic Site (California)

Tule Lake National Monument (California)

Minidoka National Historic Site (Idaho)

Nearest National Park

Great Sand Dunes

Explore More – Most of the 10,000 acres dedicated to Granada Relocation Center was for agriculture, so how many acres were used for residential and administrative buildings?