The United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program was officially announced on September 9, 2009. This new program encompasses a total of 56 new quarter designs that will run from 2010 through 2021.
At a rate of 5 per year, a new America the Beautiful Quarters will be issued featuring a reverse design emblematic of a National Park or National Site from each state as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. territories. After consulting with the executive in charge of each locality and with the Secretary of the Interior, the US Mint submitted a list of recommended sites to Secretary of the Treasury Timothy F. Geithner who approved it on August 25, 2009.
A detailed listing of America the Beautiful Quarters by year, name and state or territory is shown further below. For specific information on each release, click the date or location links found here:
Quarter Program Information by Date and Site
The order of issue for each coin was determined by the date the site officially came under the control of the United States government.
As such, Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas was the first coin in the new series. The national site was created as a reservation area in 1832 and renamed a National Park in 1922.
“These new quarters will honor some of our most revered, treasured and beautiful national sites — majestic and historic places located throughout the United States and its territories that truly make us ‘America the Beautiful,'” said United States Mint Director Ed Moy.
The obverse (heads side) of the America the Beautiful Quarters feature a portrait of George Washington based on the historic image that first appeared on the quarter in 1932. The United States Mint states that “subtle details and the beauty of the original model” will be seen in the William Cousins version that will be used (included design image shown above.) Cousins is no stranger to coin design, as his work has been seen on quarters since the 1999 launch of the 50 State Quarters® Program.
In addition to the quarter-dollar coins, the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Dollar Coin Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-156) that authorized them also calls for massive America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins to be released that are “exact duplicates of the quarter dollars.” These bullion strikes are 3 inches in diameter and weigh 5 ounces. According to the law, each silver bullion coin will not be available until the quarter with the same design is issued.
Following is a complete list of the chosen sites to be featured in the America’s Beautiful National Park Quarters Program. Each entry shows the state, territory or district in which the site is located along with the year it came under federal control.
National Park & Site Quarter Release Schedule
2010
- Arkansas, Hot Springs National Park Quarter, 1832
- Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park Quarter, 1872
- California, Yosemite National Park Quarter, 1890
- Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park Quarter, 1893
- Oregon, Mt. Hood National Forest Site Quarter, 1893
2011
- Pennsylvania, Gettysburg National Military Park, 1895
- Montana, Glacier National Park Quarter, 1897
- Washington, Olympic National Park Quarter, 1897
- Mississippi, Vicksburg National Military Park Quarter, 1899
- Oklahoma, Chickasaw National Recreation Area Site Quarter, 1902
2012
- Puerto Rico, El Yunque National Forest Site Quarter, 1903
- New Mexico, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, 1907
- Maine, Acadia National Park Quarter, 1916
- Hawaii, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Quarter, 1916
- Alaska, Denali National Park Quarter, 1917
2013
- New Hampshire, White Mountain National Forest Site Quarter, 1918
- Ohio, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial Site Quarter, 1919
- Nevada, Great Basin National Park Quarter, 1922
- Maryland, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Site Quarter, 1925
- South Dakota, Mount Rushmore National Memorial Site Quarter, 1925
2014
- Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter, 1926
- Virginia, Shenandoah National Park Quarter, 1926
- Utah, Arches National Park Quarter, 1929
- Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park Quarter, 1932
- Florida, Everglades National Park Quarter, 1934
2015
- Nebraska, Homestead National Monument of America Site Quarter, 1936
- Louisiana, Kisatchie National Forest Site Quarter, 1936
- North Carolina, Blue Ridge Parkway Site Quarter, 1936
- Delaware, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge Site Quarter, 1937
- New York, Saratoga National Historical Park Quarter, 1938
2016
- Illinois, Shawnee National Forest Site Quarter, 1939
- Kentucky, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Quarter, 1940
- West Virginia, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Quarter, 1944
- North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park Quarter, 1946
- South Carolina, Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) Site Quarter, 1948
2017
- Iowa, Effigy Mounds National Monument Site Quarter, 1949
- District of Columbia, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Quarter, 1962
- Missouri, Ozark National Scenic Riverways Site Quarter, 1964
- New Jersey, Ellis Island National Monument (Statue of Liberty) Site Quarter, 1965
- Indiana, George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Quarter, 1966
2018
- Michigan, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Site Quarter, 1966
- Wisconsin, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Site Quarter, 1970
- Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park Quarter, 1971
- Georgia, Cumberland Island National Seashore Site Quarter, 1972
- Rhode Island, Block Island National Wildlife Refuge Site Quarter, 1973
2019
- Massachusetts, Lowell National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
- Northern Mariana Islands, American Memorial Park Quarter, 1978
- Guam, War in the Pacific National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
- Texas, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park Quarter, 1978
- Idaho, Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Site Quarter, 1980
2020
- American Samoa, National Park of American Samoa Quarter, 1988
- Connecticut, Weir Farm National Historic Site Quarter, 1990
- U.S. Virgin Islands, Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve Quarter, 1992
- Vermont, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park Quarter, 1992
- Kansas, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Site Quarter, 1996
2021
- Alabama, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Quarter, 1998
For more, also see sister site America the Beautiful Quarters.
2010 is the inaugural year for 
With the New Year upon us, it is time to start thinking of 2010 issues coming from the United States Mint. One of the most highly anticipated among collectors is the debut of the 
The United States Mint is scheduled to announce on Wednesday, Sept. 9, the list of 56 historic sites and parks to be commemorated on the new quarter-dollar series beginning in 2010. These National Parks Quarters will run for 11 years and feature one location from each state as well as the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories.