The best camping near Manhattan Project National Historical Park

See where America's brightest scientific minds devised a way to end World War II in Japan. Three top-secret sites developed the atomic bomb. Known as the Manhattan Project, these experiments changed the world forever.

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was an industrial site in the mountains. This area provided reactors for producing enriched uranium and plutonium. Preserved buildings showcase how workers went about producing small amounts of these metals in a graphite reactor. More than 75,000 workers lived here.

Hanford, Washington, was a massive industrial complex its own right. It employed about 51,000 workers. The government quickly condemned buildings and evicted residents of the area to construct the facilities.

Los Alamos, New Mexico, was the desert site that completed the project. Engineers and scientists put the bomb together at Los Alamos. The actual device was shipped 230 miles south where it was detonated. Three years of work and millions of man-hours made the Manhattan Project a success. Exhibits here show the massive responsibility the U.S. military bore for unleashing this horrible weapon on the world.

Most of the people working on the Manhattan Project never knew its ultimate goal. They found out later when the government declassified this secret experiment.