findParks
Search for national parks based on state, name, activities, or other criteria
LABSCO SUMMARY
Trip questions answered from the park service's records rather than a travel blog.
The six tools share one shape — a parkCode plus q, limit and start for paging — so once findParks returns the code the rest is mechanical. Everything reads: nothing here reserves a campsite or registers you for an event. getEvents is the only tool that takes a date window, so alerts, hours and amenities are whatever the park service is publishing at the moment you call.
What it is
A read-only server over National Park Service data, keyed throughout by the parkCode that findParks returns.
What you get
- Park search by state code, activity, or free text, returning the parkCode every other tool takes
- One park's full record through getParkDetails
- Current alerts — closures, hazards and notices — for a named park or across parks
- Visitor centres with their operating hours
- Campgrounds with their amenities
- Upcoming events, narrowed by a dateStart and dateEnd window
Requirements
An NPS API key in NPS_API_KEY.
Setup effort
One command plus a key — npx -y @smithery/cli install @KyrieTangSheng/mcp-server-nationalparks --client claude, then supply credentials
USE CASES
01
Choosing a park for a long weekend of hiking
Narrow by state code and the activity you actually want, then read the details of the two or three that come back before committing to the drive.
02
Checking a planned trip still works after a storm
Read the alerts on the park for closures and hazards, then confirm the visitor centre is open and when, since that is usually where the trip starts.
03
Fitting a campsite and a ranger event into the same weekend
Look at which campgrounds have the amenities you need, then check what is scheduled at the park across those dates so the two fit together.
6 tools
Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.
getAlerts
Get current alerts for national parks including closures, hazards, and important information
getCampgrounds
Get information about available campgrounds and their amenities
getEvents
Find upcoming events at parks
getParkDetails
Get detailed information about a specific national park
getVisitorCenters
Get information about visitor centers and their operating hours
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
6 tools when we connected. Each list tool returns 10 results by default and up to 50, so ask for a limit when you want more.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- NPS_API_KEY in your environment
CONTEXT COST
Light Standing cost
Rated by the size of the 6 tool definitions that ride along on every turn, not by how many there are
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Server setup
Claude Desktop — Smithery
TERMINAL
npx -y @smithery/cli install @KyrieTangSheng/mcp-server-nationalparks --client claudeMCP Clients
Claude Desktop — npx
CLAUDE DESKTOP — NPX · JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"nationalparks": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-server-nationalparks"
],
"env": {
"NPS_API_KEY": "<YOUR_NPS_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}
