okay so i've been planning a trip out west and every time i google this i get a different answer. some people say NPS bans drones entirely, others say you can get a permit, and then theres random reddit threads from 2019 that contradict each other. im bringing my mini 4 pro and honestly i just want to know if anyone has actually navigated this recently

like did you call the park? did you just not fly? i dont want to get my drone confiscated but also some of these places are just too good to pass up

NPS ban is real and it covers basically all national parks, no permit workaround for recreational fliers. some people sneak shots at dawn before rangers are around but thats obviously not advice im giving you lol. national forests are totally different though — those are USFS managed and way more permissive. if your route goes near any national forest land you might be surprised how much access you actually have. i did a whole trip through oregon last summer and barely touched the parks, just hit the forests and it was honestly better anyway less crowds

yeah the permit thing is mostly for commercial work from what i understand. i tried calling Zion once and the ranger i got was actually pretty chill about explaining it but the answer was still no. just not worth the risk imo, fines can be pretty steep