Thung Salaeng Luang was proposed for inclusion in the national parks system In 1959. Thung Salaeng Luang was declared the 3rd national park in 1963, covering an area of . At the request of the Thai Army were withdrawn from the national park. That is why a "new" national park area was created in 1972. Thung Salaeng Luang was "reestablished" as a national park on 27 May 1975, covering an area of . From the late-1960s to the early-1980s, the park's forest was used as a base for guerrillas of the Communist Party of Thailand.