National Parks Service MCP server

The National Parks MCP Server provides real-time information about U.S. National Parks through the National Park Service (NPS) API. This server enables access to park details, alerts, visitor centers, campgrounds, and events to help users explore and plan their visits to America's national parks.

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install the National Parks MCP Server automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @KyrieTangSheng/mcp-server-nationalparks --client claude

Setting Up Your NPS API Key

1. Obtain a free API key from the National Park Service Developer Portal
2. Store this key securely as it will be used to authenticate requests

Configuring Claude Desktop

To use this server with Claude Desktop, add the following configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nationalparks": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server-nationalparks"],
      "env": {
        "NPS_API_KEY": "YOUR_NPS_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Make sure to replace YOUR_NPS_API_KEY with the actual API key you obtained from the NPS Developer Portal.

Available Tools

Finding Parks

The findParks tool allows you to search for national parks using various filters:

• State code: Filter by state (e.g., "CA" for California)
• Search term: Filter by name or description
• Activities: Filter by available activities
• Pagination: Control the number of results

Example query:

Tell me about national parks in Colorado.

Park Details

The getParkDetails tool provides comprehensive information about a specific park:

• Park code: Identify the park (e.g., "yose" for Yosemite)
• Returns: Descriptions, hours, fees, contacts, and activities

Example query:

What's the entrance fee for Yellowstone National Park?

Current Alerts

The getAlerts tool retrieves current alerts for national parks:

• Park code: Filter by park (optional)
• Search term: Filter alerts by title or description
• Pagination: Control the number of results

Example query:

Are there any closures or alerts at Yosemite right now?

Visitor Centers

The getVisitorCenters tool provides information about visitor centers:

• Park code: Filter by park (optional)
• Search term: Filter by name or description
• Pagination: Control the number of results

Example query:

What visitor centers are available at Grand Canyon National Park?

Campgrounds

The getCampgrounds tool provides information about available campgrounds:

• Park code: Filter by park (optional)
• Search term: Filter by name or description
• Pagination: Control the number of results

Example query:

Are there any campgrounds with electrical hookups in Zion National Park?

Events

The getEvents tool helps find upcoming events at parks:

• Park code: Filter by park (optional)
• Date range: Filter by start and end dates
• Search term: Filter by title or description
• Pagination: Control the number of results

Example query:

What events are happening at Acadia National Park next weekend?

Common Park Codes

When using tools that require a park code, refer to this list of popular national parks and their codes:

For a complete list of park codes, visit the NPS website.

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.