In 1954 an area of 1,770 square kilometres (680 sq mi) was designated the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Most of the National Park is in North Yorkshire, though part lies within Cumbria. The whole park lies within the historic boundaries of Yorkshire, divided between the North Riding and the West Riding. The park is 50 miles (80 km) north east of Manchester; Leeds and Bradford lie to the south, while Kendal is to the west, Darlington to the northeast and Harrogate to the southeast. A proposed westward extension to the park would encompass much of the area between the current park and the M6 motorway, coming close to the towns of Kirkby Lonsdale, Kirkby Stephen and Appleby-in-Westmorland. This proposal to add 162 square miles to the park has now been agreed by all interested parties and merely awaits ministerial approval. For the first time the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District national parks will be contiguous.
Over 20,000 residents live and work in the park, which attracts over eight million visitors every year. The area has a large collection of activities for visitors. For example, many people come to the Dales for walking or exercise. The National Park is crossed by several long-distance routes including the Pennine Way, the Dales Way, the Coast to Coast Path and the latest national trail — the Pennine Bridleway. Cycling is also popular and there are several cycleways.
The Park has its own museum, the Dales Countryside Museum, housed in a conversion of the Hawes railway station in Wensleydale in the north of the area. The park has five visitor centres located in major destinations in the park. These are at:
- Aysgarth Falls
- Grassington
- Hawes
- Malham
- Reeth
Other places and sights within the National Park include:
- Bolton Castle
- Clapham
- Cautley Spout waterfall
- Gaping Gill
- Hardraw Force
- Horton in Ribblesdale
- Kisdon Force (waterfall) in Swaledale
- Malham Cove and Gordale Scar
- Sedbergh
- Settle
- Settle and Carlisle Railway including the Ribblehead Viaduct
- The Yorkshire Three Peaks
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