The Parks Belong to the People: The Geography of the National Park System

by Joe Weber, Selima Sultana

In examining the 424 units of the U.S. national park system, geographers Joe Weber and Selima Sultana focus attention on the historical geography of the system as well as its present distribution, covering the diversity of places under the control of the National Park Service (NPS). This includes the famous national parks such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite and the lesser-known national monuments, memorials, lakeshores, seashores, rivers, recreation areas, preserves, reserves, parkways, historic sites, historic parks, and a range of battlefields, as well as more than twenty additional sites not fitting into any of these categories (such as the White House). The geographic view of The Parks Belong to the People sets it apart from others that have taken a solely historical approach. Where parks are located, what they are near, where their visitors come from, and how land use and activities are organized within parks are some of the fundamental issues discussed. The majority of units in the NPS are devoted to recreation areas or historic sites such as battlefields, archaeological sites, or sites devoted to a specific person, and this is reflected in the authors’ approach. What we think of as a national park has changed over the years and will continue to change. Weber and Sultana emphasize changing social and political environments in which NPS units were created and the roles they serve, such as protecting scenery, providing wildlife habitats, preserving history, and serving as scientific laboratories and places for outdoor recreation. The authors also focus on parks as public facilities and sites of economic activities. National parks were created by people for people to enjoy, at great cost and with great benefit. They cannot be understood without taking this human context into account.

292 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2024

Reviews

[Zack]

If you want a deep dive into the history, economics, administration, visitor use, pretty much everything on the national park system (not just national parks, but the whole system), this is the book for you. I picked it up at Pipe Spring National Monument after I flipped through it and saw the table of actual NPS system units that had been decommissioned, I knew I needed to pick up this book.

It is pretty even handed in terms of politics, so it did surprise me a little bit when it stepped into some anti-Chinese stances and there was another country it did something similar to, but I can't remember right now.

[Jacob Smith]

3.75 stars. I learned so much from this book. If you ever wanted to do a true deep dive on the NPS that’s not just a history book this is definitely it. This book covers everything from politics to economics to transportation. Very well thought out. Towards the end it began to get repetitive in points it was making and I was ready to be finished. I think it dragged on a little long.