Getting More From Your Parks With the Free NPS App

A virtual postcard made in the NPS App by National Park Service interns at Wind Cave National Park. NPS.

The NPS App is like having a ranger in your phone. It is free for iOS and Android from the App Store and Google Play. Here are nine ways to use it — whether it is your first park or your hundredth.

1. Find a park near you

There are more than 400 national parks, most without "National Park" in their name, and many closer than you think. Open the app and the nearest parks appear at the top of the screen. Find a Park lets you filter by your interests.

2. Make virtual postcards

Choose the park you are visiting, then tap Photos at the bottom of the screen to turn your own pictures — family, landscapes, wildlife, selfies — into postcards to share. Post them with #FindYourPark and #sParkConnections.

3. Collect passport stamps

The Passport To Your National Parks program, run with the official partner America's National Parks, offers stamps in parks and virtually. In a park's page, look for Passport Stamp Locations.

4. Watch webcams

Tap Webcams for live views of wildlife, volcanoes, landscapes, night skies, skylines and more — from anywhere.

5. Volunteer

Many parks post open volunteer positions, especially longer-term ones, in the app: open a park and look for Volunteer Opportunities. For one-time events, contact the park or check its online calendar.

6. See the places

Open a park's What To See section to plan which places to visit — a breathtaking view, a historic site, a landmark or memorial.

7. Find things to do

Things to Do suggests ways to spend your visit — hiking, water sports, wildlife watching, indoor activities. Self-Guided Tours offer itineraries suggested by rangers.

8. Join events

All Events lists what is happening in parks today. For a specific park, check its Park Calendar for upcoming ranger programs on history, culture, nature and recreation.

9. Keep lists

Mark the parks you have been to on your Visited list, and save parks — or places within them — you want to see on your Favorites list.

"sPark Connections" was first used as the theme of National Park Week, the annual April celebration that invites everyone to connect with their parks.

Sources

Based on "sPark Connections...Using the NPS App," National Park Service; a work of the United States government in the public domain.