Manzanar National Historic Site

Manzanar National Historic Site is a sightseeing stop in Independence, CA, part of the Mammoth Lakes and Visalia guide. Cost: free.

5001 Highway 395 · Independence, CA

Why you should go…

Manzanar, in the Owens Valley between Lone Pine and Independence, was one of ten camps where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. It held 10,046 people at its peak. Start at the visitor center in the former high school auditorium, then walk through the replica buildings and exhibits of Block 14 to learn about daily life. A self-guided auto tour road, which you can also bike, leads to the cemetery monument that camp stonemasons built in 1943.

#national historic site
#world war ii history
#japanese american history
#owens valley
#auto tour

What's around here?

The closest stops to Manzanar National Historic Site, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
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Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor Adventure
Mount Whitney
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Hike 22 miles round trip from Whitney Portal to the highest summit in the contiguous United States, with a permit.
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Sport & Outdoor
Iconic
Kings Canyon National Park
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29 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
Sightseeing
Iconic
General Sherman Tree
$25–$50
Walk a paved half-mile trail through Giant Forest to stand at the base of the largest tree on Earth by volume.
35 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Iconic
Sequoia National Park
$25–$50
Walk among giant sequoias, stand at the base of the General Sherman Tree and climb the stairway up Moro Rock.
36 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor
Sightseeing
Outdoor Adventure
Bishop
Free
Eastern Sierra gateway town near Mammoth Lakes with access to hiking, fishing and Bishop Creek Canyon.
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