trying to figure out if i can fly at a national recreation area, not a full national park but one of those NRA designations that the NPS manages. everywhere i read online it says no drones in national parks but then i see people saying NRAs are different and some allow it with a permit. i looked on the B4UFLY app and it just shows a warning but doesnt actually say no which made me think maybe its okay?

i emailed the park like three weeks ago and havent heard anything. do i just wait or is there someone else i can contact. my whole trip is planned around getting some footage of this canyon area and im starting to stress about it a bit honestly

yeah the NPS situation is genuinely a mess and i feel your pain. technically the blanket ban applies to NPS-managed land regardless of the specific designation, NRA, National Seashore, whatever, but some parks do issue special use permits on a case by case basis. the permit process is usually through the park superintendent's office specifically not just the general contact email so that might be why you havent heard back.

id try calling the visitor center directly and asking to be transfered to the resource management office or whoever handles special use permits. also be prepared that the answer is probably no, a lot of parks just have a flat policy now especially for recreational flying. commercial shoots with permits are sometimes a different story but its still a long shot

B4UFLY showing just a warning and not a hard no is kind of meaningless in my experience, that app is not always updated and it definitely doesnt cover every local restriction. i learned that the hard way at a reservoir that turned out to have its own county ordinance on top of everything else. honestly if you cant get a clear yes from the actual park authority before your trip i wouldnt risk it, the fines for flying in NPS land without authorization are not trivial