We all know about Mount Rainier and Crater Lake, the fourth and fifth oldest parks in the National Park System.

Washington's Mount Rainier National Park dates to 1899, while Oregon's Crater Lake National Park was created in 1902.

And Washington also has Olympic National Park, created in 1938, and North Cascades National Park, which dates to 1968.

But there are more. The National Park System, which celebrates its centennial in 2016, has 59 parks that carry the name "national park." That number climbs to 409 park units managed by the park service when you include the many national monuments, preserves, seashores, battlefields, historic sites and other such park units designated by Congress.

So, by all means, plan some visits next year to the signature national parks, but also keep in mind the other designated units, some of which may be in your backyard.

These are the units of the National Park Service in Oregon and Washington:

Oregon

California Trail: This national historic trail covers ground between Missouri and California, including a northern branch into Oregon via the Applegate Trail; nps.gov/cali.

Crater Lake: The deepest lake in the United States, Oregon's iconic national park, is known for its various shades of blue. It also has the headwaters springs of the Rogue River; nps.gov/crla.

John Day Fossil Beds: A national monument with three units, this protects colorful rock formations that harbor some of the best fossilized remains from the age of mammals 40 million years ago; nps.gov/joda.

Lewis & Clark Trail: This national historic trail has segments in 11 states, but Oregon was the destination during the journey that lasted from 1803-06; nps.gov/lecl.

Lewis and Clark: This national and state historical park includes areas on both sides of the Columbia River, near its mouth at Astoria, used by members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition during the winter of 1805-06; nps.gov/lewi.

Nez Perce: This national historic trail, based in Idaho, includes sites in Oregon and Washington sacred to the Nez Perce and used by the tribe during its flight from the U.S. Army in 1877; nps.gov/nepe.

Oregon Trail: This national historic trail reaches from Missouri to its final destination in Oregon's Willamette Valley. The part of the trail in eastern Oregon near Baker City retains its history especially well; nps.gov/oreg.

Oregon Caves: The most spectacular marble cavern around recently was enlarged to include all of the surrounding land in the same drainage; the cavern is a national monument and the addtion is a national preserve; nps.gov/orca.

Washington

Ebey's Landing: This national historical reserve on Whidbey Island includes no federal land. Rather, the National Park Service is an official partner to help the area around Coupeville retain its historical character; nps.gov/ebla.

Fort Vancouver: This national historic site includes a replica of a fur trading fort near the Columbia River in Vancouver, as well as the McLoughlin House in Oregon City; nps.gov/fova.

Klondike Gold Rush: Most of the national historical park is up in Alaska, but there is a visitor center in downtown Seattle where the gold was shipped; nps.gov/klse/.

Lake Chelan: The upper part of this 50-mile long Cascade gem is designated as a national recreation area and part of the North Cascades National Park Complex; nationalparks.org.

Lake Roosevelt: This national recreation area follows the impoundment behind Grand Coulee Dam 130 miles upstream to the Canadian border; nps.gov/laro.

Manhattan Project: The newest national park, this national historical park at Hanford preserves the history of the dawn of the atomic age, in Washington, New Mexico and Tennessee. The park was created Nov. 10, 2015; nps.gov/mapr.

Minidoka: This Idaho-based national historic site tells the story of the Japanese internment during World War II, with a deportation memorial at Winslow on Bainbridge Island; nps.gov/miin.

Mount Rainier: The state's iconic national park centers on Mount Rainier, the highest peak in the Cascade Range at 14,410 feet; nps.gov/mora.

North Cascades: This mostly wilderness national park covers the most remote parts of the northern Cascade Range in two lobes, with its two national recreation area components on the edges (Ross Lake and Lake Chelan); nps.gov/noca.

Olympic: This most-visited national park in the Northwest, Olympic has lots of sections easy to reach along U.S. 101 but also include Mount Olympus in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula; nps.gov/olym.

Ross Lake: When people say they are going to visit North Cascades National Park, they often mean this national recreation area because the Ross, Diablo and Gorge reservoirs near Washington 20 are the easiest part of the park complex to visit; nationalparks.org.

San Juan Island: A national historical park, it preserves the English Camp and American Camp areas of San Juan Island where armies waited while politicians decided which country the island would be in; nps.gov/sajh.

Whitman Mission: The site of the 1847 Whitman Massacre outside Walla Walla is preserved as a national historic site; nps.gov/whmi.

Wing Luke: This Asian/Pacific museum in Seattle's Chinatown/International District is an official affiliated site of the National Park Service; nps.gov/wing.

-- Terry Richard

trichard@oregonian.com

503-221-8222; @trichardpdx