War in the Pacific Historical National Park and More

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We have been taking our time visiting the War in the Pacific Historical National Park and have stopped at a few other places along the way. The National Park was established to commemorate those participating in the campaigns of the Pacific Theater of WWII and to conserve and interpret natural, scenic, and historic objects on the island of Guam. The park consists of seven separate units, located in the villages of Asan, Piti, and Agat.

Asan Beach Unit
Asan Inland Unit
Piti Guns Unit
Mt. Chachao/Mt. Tenjo Unit
Agat Unit
Mt. Alifan Unit
Fonte Plateau Unit

The Piti Guns Unit, Mt. Chachao/Mt. Tenjo Unit, and the Mt. Alifan Unit are all remote, underdeveloped and/or are hilly with difficult hiking, so we chose not to visit those sites.

The Asan Beach and Asan Inland Units were the focal point of the American invasion in 1944. Asan Beach is the site of the northern landing beach. The remains of some American military equipment and coral-encrusted ordnance lie underwater. The Asan Inland Unit is directly opposite the Asan Beach Unit. American landing forces met heavy resistance from these cliffs and hillsides (seen from the Asan Overlook). Today, thick jungle growth covers the area making hiking difficult. The Asan Bay Overlook is where the Japanese command watched as the Americans came ashore at Asan Beach.

The Agat Unit consists of Apaca Point and Ga'an Point. Apaca Point has a beehive-like system of tunnels and caverns that allowed the Japanese safe haven to fire upon invading American troops. Ga'an Point has camouflaged Bunkers and original mounted guns used to fire upon American troops as well as gunport tunnels.

Fonte Plateau Unit is the site of a Japanese naval communications center and is currently undeveloped so going inside is not a good idea.

Adelup Point is the site of the Governor's offices and the Latte of Freedom and Cultural Center as well as placement of Japanese guns during WWII.

The Taleyfac Spanish Bridge was built in 1785 and rebuilt in the 1800's. The picture of the plaque gives the history of the bridge.

Mid-point up the southern mountains, the Sela Bay Overlook offers a good view of Mt. Lamlam, Guam's highest point. From its base at the depths of the Marianas Trench to its peak of 1,332 ft. above sea level, Mt. Lamlam is one of the tallest mountains in the world. The overlook also offers spectacular view of some of the more striking features of Guam's southern natural beauty.

So, that is what we have been doing for the last few weeks besides going to the pool everyday to exercise. It has been nice to have the time to explore more of the island on this extended visit. We have never been here for more than two weeks in the past so exploring was not an option. We have seen some really lovely parks and beaches and scenery. The center of the island is very congested as it has all of the business and big hotels, shopping etc. And when you get away from that into the more rural areas is quite different.

Enjoy the pictures.

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