Nationalparks MCP Server

MCP Server for the National Park Service (NPS) API, providing real-time information about U.S. National Parks, including park details, alerts, and

Local serverstdio

What is the Nationalparks MCP server?

Nationalparks MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. MCP Server for the National Park Service (NPS) API, providing real-time information about U.S. National Parks, including park details, alerts, and activities.

Setting it up

@smithery/cli on npm is all you need. Most clients run it directly, so configuration is a few lines and a restart.

What the assistant can call

Once Nationalparks is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • Inputs — - stateCode (optional string): Filter parks by state code (e.g., "CA" for California). Multiple states can be comma-separated (e.g., "CA,OR,WA")
  • Returns — Matching parks with detailed information

Configuration and credentials

You will need 2 environment variables: NPS_API_KEY, YOUR_NPS_API_KEY. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the nationalparks mcp server does with a few real requests.

Choosing this one

Among the developer tooling options, the useful question is rarely "what can it do" but "what does it cost you to run" — permissions, credentials, and how much of your context its toolset consumes. Nationalparks's toolset — Inputs, Returns — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by KyrieTangSheng; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
Inputs- stateCode (optional string): Filter parks by state code (e.g., "CA" for California). Multiple states can be comma-separated (e.g., "CA,OR,WA")
ReturnsMatching parks with detailed information

How to install the Nationalparks MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-nationalparks": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/cli"],
      "env": {
        "NPS_API_KEY": "your-value",
        "YOUR_NPS_API_KEY": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to claude_desktop_config.json, then restart Claude Desktop.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
NPS_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
YOUR_NPS_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Nationalparks to Inputs.
  • Use Nationalparks to Returns.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Nationalparks to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 2 tools (Inputs, Returns) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Nationalparks directly.