Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Established in 1954, the Yorkshire Dales National Park has outstanding scenery, a range of wildlife habitats and a rich cultural heritage. It’s a special place – a fantastic outdoor arena for learning, recreation and peaceful relaxation and a haven for wildlife.

The National Park is home for a huge number of heritage sites and attractions, many of which are managed by the National Park Authority, some of which are privately owned.

The Authority owns the Dales Countryside Museum: connect to the museum page by searching this site.

Covering an area of 1,762 square kilometres (680 square miles), the National Park is located in the north of England, and straddles the central Pennines in the counties of North Yorkshire and Cumbria. It is 50 miles (80.5 kilometres) north east of Manchester; Leeds and Bradford lie to the south, while Kendal is to the west and Darlington to the east.

On our website, you can find out more about our work looking after the National Park and helping people to access and enjoy it, jobs and volunteering.

We offer educational resources covering the special qualities of the National Park, wildlife and the historic environment, facts and figures and news. There are 5 National Park and Tourist Information Centres located around the Park to help with: how to get here, where to go for information, how to enjoy our wonderful National Park .

Additional info

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority owns the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes: for information about this fascinating venue and its heritage and learning resources and facilities search this site for the museum page.