The National Park Service administers two Federal designation programs, the National Register of Historic Places and the National Historic Landmarks Program.

Working with State Historic Preservation Offices,Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and Federal Preservation Offices, the National Park Service maintains the National Register of Historic Places. This is the official list of properties that are deemed worthy of preservation. Places listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) tell stories that are important to a local community, the citizens of a specific state, or all Americans. Properties listed in the NRHP may be owned by private individuals, universities, non-profits, governments, and/or corporations.

Click here to learn more about the National Register of Historic Places.

Click here for an example of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The National Park Service also administers the National Historic Landmarks (NHL) Program. Properties designated as NHLs tell important stories related to the history of the nation overall. These properties must also possess a high level of historic integrity.

Skyline Drive, VA: Skyline Drive represents the increasing popularity of recreational motoring in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s and the evolving design of national park facilities to attract and accommodate increasing numbers of visitors who were visiting the parks by automobile. Skyline Drive is also strongly associated with the efforts of the United States Government and the Commonwealth of Virginia to conserve the characteristic scenic and natural resources of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains in the southern Appalachians in the form of Shenandoah National Park.