Parks / Minidoka National Historic Site
Minidoka National Historic Site
National Historic Site · ID,WA
During World War II, over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated without due process of law. Although little remains of the barbed-wire fences and tar-papered barracks, the Minidoka concentration camp once held over 13,000 Japanese Americans in the Idaho desert. Minidoka preserves their legacy and teaches the importance of civil liberties.
Official NPS page →Entrance Fees
This park is fee-free.
Things to Do
Become a Minidoka Junior Ranger!
Become a Minidoka Junior Ranger and earn a special badge or patch! Junior Ranger booklets offer opportunities for visitors of all ages to explore and help protect this important chapter in American history.
Take a Self-Guided Walking Tour of Minidoka
Minidoka National Historic Site offers 1.6 miles (2.5 km) of gravel walking trails. Visitors may explore the site and the exteriors of historic structures at their own pace. Educational exhibits are placed along the trail to provide information.
View Exhibits at the Minidoka Visitor Center
Much of the Minidoka Visitor Center, located within a historic warehouse, is dedicated to museum exhibits. Displays and historic objects help to tell the story of the Japanese Americans incarcerated here during WWII.
Watch the Minidoka Film
"Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp" offers a moving introduction to Minidoka National Historic Site and the Japanese American incarceration during WWII. The 30-minute film, narrated by actor and incarceration survivor George Takei, can be viewed online or in person at the Minidoka Visitor Center.
Visitor Centers
- Minidoka Visitor Center
Source: National Park Service.