national-parks-mcp-server

Plan US National Park Service trips — parks, alerts, campgrounds, things to do, events.

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What it can do

    What data it sees

    Do you need an account

    No: the server works without sign-in

    Plan US National Park Service trips — parks, alerts, campgrounds, things to do, events.

    How to connect

    How to connect national-parks-mcp-server to Claude

    The server address to paste into Claude settings:

    https://national-parks.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app).
    2. Go to Settings → Connectors.
    3. Click Add custom connector.
    4. Paste the server address copied below into Remote MCP server URL and click Add.
    5. In a chat, click + → Connectors and switch the new connector on.

    Custom connectors are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans (Free is limited to one). On Team and Enterprise an organization Owner adds the connector first under Organization settings → Connectors.

    Authorization

    After you click Add, a sign-in window for the service opens. Sign in with your own account and approve access. Claude never sees your password.

    How to connect national-parks-mcp-server to ChatGPT

    The server address to paste into ChatGPT settings:

    https://national-parks.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    1. Open ChatGPT in a browser (chatgpt.com). A Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan is required.
    2. Turn on developer mode once: Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode.
    3. Open Settings → Connectors and click Create.
    4. Fill in the form: Name (anything), Description (one line about what the service does), MCP server URL (copy it below).
    5. Under Authentication choose OAuth if the service requires sign-in, otherwise None. Click Create.
    6. In a new chat open + → Apps/Connectors and enable the connector.

    OpenAI has renamed this section before (Connectors → Apps/Plugins). If the label differs, search settings for "developer mode". On Business/Enterprise workspaces an admin must allow custom connectors first.

    Authorization

    On first use ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in window. Sign in and approve access.

    How to connect national-parks-mcp-server to Cursor

    The server address to paste into Cursor settings:

    https://national-parks.caseyjhand.com/mcp

    Fastest: click Open in Cursor below and confirm the prompt.

    Manually:

    1. In Cursor open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and click Add new global MCP server.
    2. Paste the JSON copied below into ~/.cursor/mcp.json (per project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root).
    3. Save the file. The server appears in the MCP list; authorize it there if asked.

    Authorization

    If the service needs sign-in, an authorize button appears next to the server in the MCP list.

    Server tool list (6)

    Raw names from tools/list. Only developers need these.

    nps_find_parksResolve a place name, US state, or free-text query to National Park Service parks — the required first step before the detail tools. Returns each park's parkCode (the key nps_get_park, nps_get_alerts, nps_find_campgrounds, nps_get_activities, and nps_find_events all use) plus a compact trip-planning summary (designation, states, description, coordinates, headline activities, entrance fee, NPS page). Coverage is US NPS sites only — national parks, monuments, historic sites, seashores — not state parks and not Forest Service or BLM land.
    nps_get_parkFull trip-planning detail for one or more parks by parkCode: description, activities and topics, entrance fees and passes, operating hours by area/season, contacts, directions, a free-text weather overview, representative images, and the NPS page for everything else. Get codes from nps_find_parks. Up to ten codes are fetched in a single request. Use the fields parameter to trim the payload when you only need certain sections.
    nps_get_alertsCurrent alerts for a park or a whole state — closures, hazards, caution notices, and information — with category and recency surfaced first so "is anything closed at Glacier right now?" is answered at a glance. Get park codes from nps_find_parks, or pass a stateCode for a statewide "what's closed" sweep. Returns most-recent-first; an empty result with totalCount 0 means the park reports nothing closed or hazardous — good news, not an error. An empty page with a non-zero totalCount only means start ran past the end, so read the notice rather than the empty list. Closures and road conditions change daily — re-check before departure.
    nps_find_campgroundsCampgrounds at a park or across a state: amenities (potable water, showers, RV dump station, toilets, trash collection, RV access), reservable vs. first-come-first-served site counts, reservation guidance and booking URL, accessibility, and fees — answering "where can I camp at Zion, and can I get an RV hookup?" Get park codes from nps_find_parks. Some parks list lodging or backcountry permits instead of NPS-managed campgrounds; an empty result is not an error.
    nps_get_activitiesCurated things to do and points of interest at a park — title, description, time commitment, location, accessibility, and fee/pet/reservation flags — answering "what should I do at Acadia?" Covers the NPS editorially-curated activity list (distinct from a park's raw activity tags in nps_get_park). Accepts a single 4-letter park code or a single two-letter state code, and at least one is required. Not every park has a curated list; an empty result is not an error.
    nps_find_eventsScheduled events at a park within a date range — ranger programs, festivals, tours, interpretive events — answering "what's happening at Yellowstone this weekend?" with title, dates and times, location, category, fee, and registration links. Get park codes from nps_find_parks. Paginates by page number, not offset. The events feed is sparser and less consistent than alerts or campgrounds; many parks list few or no events, and an empty result is not an error.