Mission 66 was the National Park Service program created to upgrade parks before its 50th anniversary in 1966.
Director Conrad Wirth proposed the decade-long program in 1955 after years of growing concern that park roads, utilities, visitor centers, employee housing, and other facilities could not handle rising visitation. Congress funded the large capital-improvement effort as the agency approached its golden anniversary.
Mission 66 expanded roads and campgrounds, improved utilities, and built ranger housing. Its most visible legacy was a new generation of visitor centers designed to orient travelers and interpret park resources. The program also helped develop several new park units and recreation areas.
The program reflected a major change in transportation. After World War II, automobile ownership and highway travel brought millions more visitors to parks that had originally been reached mainly by rail or rough roads. Mission 66 is not the same as the National Park Service's centennial in 2016; its name refers to the 1966 target year.