so i just got back from a trip out west and was planning to fly in a couple national parks and honestly the rules are so confusing. every person i asked gave me a different answer. one ranger said i needed a special use permit, another said i just couldnt fly at all, and some guy at the campsite said he flies there all the time with no problems. i ended up just not flying in the parks at all to be safe but im still not totally sure what the actual rule is. does the NPS ban apply to every single park or are there exceptions? some people on reddit said certain parks have designated areas but i couldnt find anything official about that

yeah the NPS blanket ban is real, it applies to all national parks unless you get a specific permit which is almost impossible for recreational use. the permit thing exists mostly for film crews and researchers. your ranger was right. the guy at the campsite is just getting lucky or not getting caught. ive seen people post footage from inside parks and its honestly kind of frustrating because they're making it harder for everyone to ever get those rules relaxed

i had the same problem when i went to zion last year. ended up flying just outside the park boundary which was still a pretty decent shot honestly. you can sometimes find the exact park boundaries on google maps or the FAA B4UFLY app which helped me figure out where i could legally take off. not ideal but better than risking a fine or having your drone confiscated