Details:
Maturango Museum – Manzanar National Historic Site
This is a Maturango Museum Member Only Field Trip.
If you are interested in going on this field trip and you are not a current member of the Maturango Museum, you will need to become a member prior to signing up for the field trip. This is a Member Only Event. See below link to become a member.
maturango.org/become-a-member-2/
Come with us on October 24, 2025 to the Owens Valley and visit the Manzanar National Historic Site.
Manzanar was one of 10 War Relocation Centers where the US Government incarcerated Japanese American citizens and Japanese immigrants who were ineligible for citizenship during World War II. Most of the internees were from the Los Angeles area, Terminal Island, and the San Fernando Valley. Others came from the San Joaquin Valley and Bainbridge Island Washington; the latter transferred to Minidoka in 1943.
We will be visiting the Visitor’s Center, Block 14, and then take the Auto Tour, stopping along the way to visit the various exhibits including Merritt Park and the Cemetery & Monument. What makes this trip unique is I have arranged for a 30-minute Q&A with one of the Rangers during our time at Manzanar.
Note: Parking can be limited on the Auto Tour so at the Manzanar site carpooling is encouraged.
Our journey will start at the Maturango Museum and arrange carpools (if people want to carpool) and ultimately head north on 395 to the Owens Valley trying to stay together as much as possible without annoying others on the road. We’ll stop at the Interagency Center just before Lone Pine to use the facilities and look around a bit (about 30 minutes). The Interagency Center has a lot of information and if you feel that you need more time to peruse, I encourage you to do that after we’ve completed our Manzanar visit. The Interagency Center closes at 4:30pm, gates close at 4:15pm.
From the Interagency Center we’ll again head north on 395 to Manzanar. It is about 16 miles. We’ll park at the Visitor’s Center. There are many different things to see while at Manzanar and I’m expecting us to be at the site for 3-4 hours, including lunch and the Q&A Session.
Please note from the NPS Website: Limited visitor amenities are available at Manzanar. Visitors must bring their own drinking water, carry out their own trash, and are recommended to bring personal handwashing/sanitizing supplies.
