so this is kind of a weird one. was at a trailhead near the edge of a national park last weekend, hadnt even launched yet, just had the mavic sitting on the tailgate while i checked the app and a ranger came over and said i couldnt fly there. i told him i wasnt flying yet and he said it didnt matter and that the whole area including the parking lot was restricted. heres the thing though - the parking lot is technically outside the park boundary on a forest service road. i pulled up the map on my phone and showed him and he wasnt really sure but still told me to put it away.

is this actually a rule or was he just being overzealous? i dont want to get in trouble but i also felt like i was in the right here legally. never really looked into national park drone rules that closely before this

national park rules are kind of a mess honestly. the NPS has a blanket ban on drone launches, landings, and operation within park boundaries but the key word there is within. if you were genuinely on forest service land outside the boundary thats technically different jurisdiction. that said a lot of rangers will push back anyway because the boundaries arent always obvious on the ground and they're not going to stand there debating maps with you. realistically even if you were in the right it wasnt worth the confrontation. id just look up the specific unit on the NPS site next time before going out, some parks have designated areas or require a permit for commercial or even recreational use now

yeah the overlapping jurisdictions thing is genuinely confusing, ive run into similar situations near wilderness areas. forest service has its own rules too which arent the same as NPS. some forests have temporary flight restrictions in fire season that arent even in the apps yet. i just carry a printed copy of whatever airspace authorization i have and also a screenshot of the boundary map when im anywhere near a park or monument. hasnt come up yet but at least id have something to show