NPS MCP Server

NPS MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that gives Claude (or any MCP-compatible AI client) access to the National Park Service API. Ask questions about parks, alerts, campgrounds, events, parking, and more — all in natural language.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• An NPS API key — free, get one at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/developer/get-started.htm

Installation

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/AniruddhaShukla/nps-mcp.git
cd nps-mcp

# 2. Create and activate a virtual environment
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# 3. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

# Copy the example env file
cp .env.example .env

# Open .env and replace the placeholder with your real API key
# NPS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Your .env file is listed in .gitignore and will never be committed.

Running the Server

python server.py

The server communicates over stdio (standard MCP transport) and stays running until you stop it. You don't interact with it directly — your MCP client does.

Connecting to Claude Desktop

1. Open your Claude Desktop config file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this block inside the "mcpServers" object (create the object if it doesn't exist):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "national-parks": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/nps-mcp/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "NPS_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the paths with the actual absolute paths on your machine. Using the env block here means you don't even need the .env file — the key is passed directly.

3. Restart Claude Desktop. To verify it's working, click the paperclip / attachment icon in the chat input bar, then select Connectors — you should see national-parks listed with a blue toggle indicating it's running. You can enable or disable it per conversation from there.

Connecting to Claude Code

claude mcp add national-parks -- /absolute/path/to/.venv/bin/python /absolute/path/to/nps-mcp/server.py

Then set the environment variable in your shell before running Claude Code:

export NPS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
claude

Testing with MCP Inspector

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector python server.py

This opens a browser UI where you can call each tool manually and inspect responses.

Available Tools

🗺️ Trip Planning

🚨 Alerts & News

🏛️ Facilities

🥾 Activities & Experiences

♿ Amenities

🎟️ Fees & Passes

📸 Multimedia

📚 Educational Content

Known Park Codes

All 63 officially designated U.S. National Parks are pre-mapped. For any other NPS site (monuments, seashores, recreation areas, etc.) use search_parks to find its code.

Northeast| Code | Park ||------|------|| acad | Acadia National Park || neri | New River Gorge National Park & Preserve || shen | Shenandoah National Park || viis | Virgin Islands National Park |

Southeast| Code | Park ||------|------|| bisc | Biscayne National Park || cong | Congaree National Park || drto | Dry Tortugas National Park || ever | Everglades National Park || grsm | Great Smoky Mountains National Park || hosp | Hot Springs National Park || maca | Mammoth Cave National Park |

Midwest| Code | Park ||------|------|| cuva | Cuyahoga Valley National Park || indu | Indiana Dunes National Park || isro | Isle Royale National Park || jeff | Gateway Arch National Park || voya | Voyageurs National Park |

Great Plains| Code | Park ||------|------|| badl | Badlands National Park || thro | Theodore Roosevelt National Park || wica | Wind Cave National Park |

Rocky Mountain| Code | Park ||------|------|| blca | Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park || brca | Bryce Canyon National Park || cany | Canyonlands National Park || care | Capitol Reef National Park || grsa | Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve || grte | Grand Teton National Park || meve | Mesa Verde National Park || romo | Rocky Mountain National Park || yell | Yellowstone National Park || zion | Zion National Park |

Southwest| Code | Park ||------|------|| arch | Arches National Park || bibe | Big Bend National Park || cave | Carlsbad Caverns National Park || deva | Death Valley National Park || grca | Grand Canyon National Park || grba | Great Basin National Park || gumo | Guadalupe Mountains National Park || pefo | Petrified Forest National Park || sagu | Saguaro National Park || whsa | White Sands National Park |

California| Code | Park ||------|------|| chis | Channel Islands National Park || jotr | Joshua Tree National Park || kica | Kings Canyon National Park || lavo | Lassen Volcanic National Park || pinn | Pinnacles National Park || redw | Redwood National & State Parks || sequ | Sequoia National Park || yose | Yosemite National Park |

Pacific Northwest| Code | Park ||------|------|| crla | Crater Lake National Park || mora | Mount Rainier National Park || noca | North Cascades National Park || olym | Olympic National Park |

Hawaii| Code | Park ||------|------|| hale | Haleakalā National Park || havo | Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park |

Alaska| Code | Park ||------|------|| dena | Denali National Park & Preserve || gaar | Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve || glba | Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve || katm | Katmai National Park & Preserve || kefj | Kenai Fjords National Park || kova | Kobuk Valley National Park || lacl | Lake Clark National Park & Preserve || wrst | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve |

Other| Code | Park ||------|------|| glac | Glacier National Park (Montana) || npsa | National Park of American Samoa |

Example Queries

Once connected to Claude, try asking:

Trip Planning

• "Help me plan a visit to Yellowstone National Park."
• "I'm visiting the Grand Canyon next week — what should I know?"

Alerts & Conditions

• "Are there any closures or alerts at Yellowstone right now?"
• "Are there road closures at Glacier National Park?"

Activities

• "Which national parks offer stargazing?"
• "Where can I go kayaking in a national park?"
• "What are the best things to do at Zion?"

History & Topics

• "Which parks relate to Civil War history?"
• "Find parks connected to Indigenous culture."

Facilities & Accessibility

• "Find accessible restroom locations at Yellowstone."
• "What visitor centers are in Grand Canyon and when are they open?"
• "Show me parking lots at Yellowstone and their occupancy."

General Discovery

• "What national parks are in Utah?"
• "Find campgrounds in Yosemite."
• "What are the entrance fees for the Grand Canyon?"
• "Does Yellowstone have any live webcams?"

License

This project is released under the MIT License — free to use, modify, and distribute for any purpose.

The NPS API is a free public service provided by the U.S. National Park Service.