WThere are 40 protected areas in the United States designated as national recreation areas (NRA). They are established by an act of the United States Congress. They are located in 26 states; California and Washington have the most, each with four.
WThe Allegheny National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area of the United States, located on the Allegheny Plateau in northwestern Pennsylvania. It is administered by the United States Forest Service as part of the Allegheny National Forest.
WThe Arapaho National Recreation Area (ANRA) is a United States National Recreation Area that is located near the headwaters of the Colorado River in north central Colorado adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park. ANRA is under the jurisdiction of the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. ANRA contains five lakes in the upper Colorado River Valley:Lake Granby Shadow Mountain Lake Willow Creek Reservoir Monarch Lake Meadow Creek Reservoir
WChickasaw National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area situated in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains in south-central Oklahoma near Sulphur in Murray County. It includes the former Platt National Park and Arbuckle Recreation District.
WCurecanti National Recreation Area is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti is responsible for developing and managing recreational facilities on three reservoirs, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Morrow Point Reservoir and Crystal Reservoir, constructed on the upper Gunnison River in the 1960s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to better utilize the vital waters of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. A popular destination for boating and fishing, Curecanti offers visitors two marinas, traditional and group campgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches, and boat-in campsites. The state's premiere lake trout and Kokanee salmon fisheries, Curecanti is a popular destination for boating and fishing, and is also a popular area for ice-fishing in the winter months.
WEd Jenkins National Recreation Area, formerly proposed as Springer Mountain National Recreation Area, is a National Recreation Area in Fannin and Union counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located in Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, the national recreation area was established in 1991 by Public Law 102-458. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service and contains approximately 23,330 acres (9,440 ha). Prior to its establishment the area was known as the proposed Springer Mountain National Recreation Area. Springer Mountain, near the center of the recreation area, is the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
WFlaming Gorge National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in the states of Wyoming and Utah. The recreation centerpiece of the area is the 91 miles (146 km) long Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
WThe Grand Island National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. It is part of the Hiawatha National Forest. Located on Grand Island, Michigan offshore from Munising, Michigan, the Grand Island National Recreation Area covers approximately 13,500 acres (55 km2) of Lake Superior woodland. Grand Island's glacier-cut lake shoreline measures approximately 35 miles (56 km) in length. The island's maximum dimension is 8 miles (13 km) from north to south. Grand Island was elevated to the status of a National Recreation Area by the U.S. Congress in 1990 after the U.S. Forest Service purchased the island from its former owner, Cleveland Cliffs Iron Co.
WHells Canyon National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located on the borders of the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho. The recreation area, which is managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, was established by U.S. Congress and signed by President Gerald Ford in 1975 to protect the historic and archaeological values of the Hells Canyon area and the area of the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington border.
WJemez National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Located in Santa Fe National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service recreation area comprises 57,650 acres (23,330 ha) and is administered by the U.S. Forest Service's Jemez Ranger District. The Forest Service administers the lands to promote the area for fishing, camping, rock climbing, hunting and hiking. Hunting is specifically permitted in the national recreation area. The government is required to consult with Jemez Pueblo on matters concerning cultural and religious sites and may close areas for traditional uses by the pueblo. Mining is prohibited, except on pre-existing claims.
WThe Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in Kentucky and Tennessee between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. The area was designated as a national recreation area in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy.
WMoosalamoo National Recreation Area is one of two recreation areas in the Green Mountain National Forest in the U.S. state of Vermont. The recreation area is located between Middlebury and Brandon in the northern half of the Green Mountain National Forest. The area consists of 15,875 acres (6,424 ha) surrounding Mount Moosalamoo.
WMount Baker National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in northern Washington about 15 miles (24 km) south of the Canada–US border within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
WMount Hood National Recreation Area is a 34,550-acre (13,980 ha) protected area within Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon, USA. Established on March 30, 2009 by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, the National Recreation Area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It comprises three non-contiguous units, none of which include Mount Hood itself, which is within the Mount Hood Wilderness. The Mount Hood Unit lies to the southeast of Mount Hood. The Fifteenmile Unit lies directly to the east of the mountain south of Oregon Route 35, and the Shellrock Unit is to the northeast of the mountain, paralleling Route 35.
WMount Rogers National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area (NRA) located in southwestern Virginia near the border with Tennessee and North Carolina. The centerpiece of the recreation area is the Lewis Fork Wilderness containing Mount Rogers, the highest point in the state of Virginia with a summit elevation of 5,729 feet. The recreation area is under the jurisdiction of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The recreation area was established by an act of the United States Congress on May 31, 1966.
WThe Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is located on the Oregon Coast, stretching approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of the Coos River in North Bend to the Siuslaw River in Florence, and adjoining Honeyman State Park on the west. It is part of Siuslaw National Forest and is administered by the United States Forest Service.
WThe Pine Ridge National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in the Pine Ridge region of northwestern Nebraska. The recreation area is managed by the Pine Ridge Ranger District of the Nebraska National Forest.
WRattlesnake National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located 4 miles north of Missoula, Montana in the Rattlesnake Creek drainage area. It is administered by the Lolo National Forest and is adjacent to the Rattlesnake Wilderness. Both the recreation area and the wilderness area were established by the U.S. Congress on October 19, 1980.
WThe Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. The SMMNRA is located within the greater Los Angeles region, with two thirds of the parklands in northwest Los Angeles County, and the remaining third, including a Simi Hills extension, in southeastern Ventura County.
WThe Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) is a National Recreation Area located in central Idaho, United States that is managed as part of Sawtooth National Forest. The recreation area, established on August 22, 1972, is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and includes the Sawtooth, Hemingway–Boulders, and Cecil D. Andrus–White Clouds wilderness areas. Activities within the 730,864-acre (2,957.70 km2) recreation area include hiking, backpacking, White water rafting, camping, rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, fishing, and hunting.
WSmith River National Recreation Area is located northwestern California, United States. The Smith River National Recreation Area is in Six Rivers National Forest and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Created by Congress in 1990, Smith River National Recreation Area forms a northern border to Redwood National and State Parks.
WThe Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) is a U.S. National Recreation Area, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, west of Las Vegas, Nevada. It covers over 316,000 acres. The area runs from low meadows, to the 11,918-foot (3,633 m) Mount Charleston. The SMNRA is a part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. It adjoins the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which is administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
WSpruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area (NRA) located within the Monongahela National Forest of eastern West Virginia, USA.
WThe Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area in northern California.
WWhite Mountains National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The national recreation area is located to the north of Fairbanks between the Elliott Highway and the Steese Highway in the White Mountains, with about 1,000,000 acres (400,000 ha) within its boundaries. It is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Landscape Conservation System. It is adjacent to Steese National Conservation Area. Beaver Creek flows through the area and is listed as a wild and scenic river.
WWhite Rocks National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in southern Vermont, United States, within the Green Mountain National Forest. Both the Peru Peak Wilderness and the Big Branch Wilderness areas are within the recreation area.
WWinding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located within the Ouachita National Forest. State Highway 1, known as the Talimena Scenic Byway in this area, bisects the recreation area. U. S. Highway 271 loops up through the summit. Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area and the nearby Upper Kiamichi River and Black Fork Mountain Wilderness areas were created by an act of Congress on October 18, 1988.