National Parks MCP Server
Provides access to the National Park Service API to search for U.S. national parks, view park details, check alerts and closures, find visitor centers, campgrounds, and upcoming events.
What is National Parks MCP Server?
National Parks MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to provides access to the national park service api to search for u.s. national parks, view park details, check alerts and closures, find visitor centers, campgrounds, and upcoming events.
Provides access to the National Park Service API to search for U.S. national parks, view park details, check alerts and closures, find visitor centers, campgrounds, and upcoming events.
This server falls under the Search & Data Extraction category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Provides access to the National Park Service API to search f
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y mcp-server-nationalparksManual Installation
npx -y mcp-server-nationalparksConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use National Parks MCP Server
The National Parks MCP Server connects AI clients to the official U.S. National Park Service API, providing structured access to data on all NPS-managed parks, monuments, recreation areas, and historic sites. It exposes six tools covering park search and discovery, detailed park information (hours, fees, contacts, directions), active alerts and closures, visitor centers, campgrounds with amenity and reservation details, and upcoming events filtered by date and location. Travel planners, outdoor enthusiasts, and developers building NPS-related apps use it to answer natural-language questions about U.S. national parks directly within their AI workflow.
Prerequisites
- A free NPS API key (register at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/developer/get-started.htm)
- Node.js 18 or later installed
- npm or npx available in your shell
- Claude Desktop or another MCP-compatible client
Obtain a free NPS API key
Register for a free API key at the National Park Service Developer Portal (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/developer/get-started.htm). The key is emailed to you immediately after registration.
Add the server to Claude Desktop configuration
Open claude_desktop_config.json and add the nationalparks server entry with your NPS API key.
{
"mcpServers": {
"nationalparks": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-server-nationalparks"],
"env": {
"NPS_API_KEY": "YOUR_NPS_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop
Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop to load the server. Confirm that the nationalparks server appears in the connected tools list.
Search for parks by state or activity
Use the findParks tool to search by state abbreviation, keyword, or activity type. Results include park names, codes, and descriptions.
Retrieve detailed information for a specific park
Use getParkDetails with a park code (e.g., 'yose' for Yosemite) to get full information including hours, fees, contact numbers, and directions.
National Parks MCP Server Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration for the National Parks MCP server with NPS API key.
{
"mcpServers": {
"nationalparks": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-server-nationalparks"],
"env": {
"NPS_API_KEY": "YOUR_NPS_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
These prompts exercise all six NPS tools across search, details, alerts, and events.
- "Find all national parks in California and list their entrance fees."
- "Are there any active alerts or closures at Yellowstone right now?"
- "What campgrounds are available in the Great Smoky Mountains and do they take reservations?"
- "Show me visitor centers at Grand Canyon National Park with their hours."
- "What events are happening at Acadia National Park in July?"
- "I'm planning a trip to Utah — which national parks are there and what activities do they offer?"Troubleshooting National Parks MCP Server
All tool calls return a 403 or 'API key invalid' error
Verify NPS_API_KEY is set correctly in the env block of your claude_desktop_config.json. Check that the key was copied without extra spaces. NPS keys are typically 32 alphanumeric characters.
findParks returns no results for a state
Use the two-letter state abbreviation in uppercase (e.g., 'CA' for California, 'WY' for Wyoming). The tool does not accept full state names.
npx fails to resolve mcp-server-nationalparks
Ensure you are connected to the internet and that npm registry is accessible. Run 'npx -y mcp-server-nationalparks --version' directly in a terminal to test. If behind a corporate proxy, configure npm proxy settings.
Frequently Asked Questions about National Parks MCP Server
What is National Parks MCP Server?
National Parks MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides access to the national park service api to search for u.s. national parks, view park details, check alerts and closures, find visitor centers, campgrounds, and upcoming events. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install National Parks MCP Server?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y mcp-server-nationalparks. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with National Parks MCP Server?
National Parks MCP Server works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is National Parks MCP Server free to use?
Yes, National Parks MCP Server is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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