You can legally fly over most national parks in a manned aircraft, but you cannot fly a drone over them. The Federal Aviation Administration asks pilots of airplanes and helicopters to stay at least 2,000 feet above National Park Service lands, and binding minimum-altitude rules apply on top of that. Drones are a different story: the National Park Service prohibits launching, landing, or operating them anywhere within park boundaries, and a handful of parks add mandatory FAA airspace restrictions that carry serious enforcement consequences.
Altitude Rules for Planes and Helicopters
The FAA asks pilots of all noise-producing aircraft to stay at least 2,000 feet above ground level when flying over national parks, monuments, seashores, lakeshores, recreation areas, and scenic riverways managed by the NPS.1Federal Aviation Administration. Aeronautical Information Manual – Section 5 The same request covers national wildlife refuges and wilderness areas managed by other federal agencies. Ground level here means the highest terrain within 2,000 feet on either side of the flight path, or the top rim of any canyon or valley you are crossing.2Federal Aviation Administration. Advisory Circular 91-36D – Visual Flight Rules (VFR) Flight Near Noise-Sensitive Areas
The 2,000-foot figure is a request, not a rule, over most parks. What is binding everywhere are the FAA’s minimum safe altitudes. Over sparsely populated or open areas, you must fly at least 500 feet above the surface and stay at least 500 feet from any person, vehicle, vessel, or structure. Over congested areas, the floor rises to 1,000 feet above the tallest obstacle within a 2,000-foot horizontal radius.3eCFR. 14 CFR 91.119 – Minimum Safe Altitudes General Most park terrain qualifies as non-congested, so 500 feet is the legal minimum even where the voluntary 2,000-foot advisory applies. Legal is not the same as wise: a low pass over a park will generate noise complaints and can trigger a wildlife harassment investigation.
Drone Ban on Park Lands
Drones are banned from all NPS-managed lands and waters. In June 2014, the NPS director issued Policy Memorandum 14-05, directing every park superintendent to prohibit launching, landing, or operating unmanned aircraft within park boundaries.4National Park Service. Uncrewed Aircraft in the National Parks The ban applies to all 400-plus units in the National Park System, from Yellowstone down to small historic sites and monuments.
Superintendents enforce the ban under 36 CFR 1.5, which gives them authority to restrict any activity to protect park resources, visitor safety, or the visitor experience.5eCFR. 36 CFR 1.5 – Closures and Public Use Limits A violation is a federal misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.4National Park Service. Uncrewed Aircraft in the National Parks Rangers can also add citations for wildlife harassment or for operating a portable motor-powered device in an undeveloped area without a permit.6eCFR. 36 CFR 2.12 – Audio Disturbances
The narrow exceptions are for NPS operations like search and rescue, fire monitoring, and approved scientific research. Recreational visitors can check a park’s website for any designated drone areas, but virtually none have been established, and special use permits for recreational flying are extremely rare.7National Park Service. Uncrewed Aircraft in the National Parks A Part 107 commercial certificate gives you no special permission to fly over parks.
What About Launching From Outside the Park
A common question: can you fly a drone through park airspace if you launch and land from private land outside the boundary? The NPS controls the ground, and its ban covers launching, landing, and operating drones on NPS lands and waters. Its jurisdiction ends at the park boundary.7National Park Service. Uncrewed Aircraft in the National Parks The FAA separately controls the airspace above.
So a drone launched from private land that flies through airspace above a park without touching down on NPS property might not violate the ban itself. This is a narrow loophole. All FAA regulations still apply, including Part 107 for commercial operators, altitude limits, and any Temporary Flight Restrictions over the park. If the drone disturbs wildlife, federal harassment laws apply regardless of where you launched.
Parks With Mandatory Airspace Restrictions
A few national parks have mandatory airspace restrictions that go well beyond the voluntary advisory. These are Special Flight Rules Areas, and the best-known example is the Grand Canyon. Under 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U, the FAA has designated specific flight-free zones, mandatory minimum altitudes, terrain clearance requirements, and commercial air tour curfews for the Grand Canyon.8Legal Information Institute. 14 CFR Part 93 Subpart U – Special Flight Rules in the Vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park Violating these rules is an FAA enforcement matter and can result in certificate suspension or civil penalties.
Other federal statutes can impose additional altitude restrictions or prohibit certain flight activities over designated parks, refuges, and forests.1Federal Aviation Administration. Aeronautical Information Manual – Section 5 Before flying near any park, check current aeronautical charts and Notices to Air Missions. Temporary Flight Restrictions can appear with little warning over parks affected by wildfires or emergency operations, and they apply to all aircraft, manned and unmanned.
Commercial Helicopter and Airplane Tours
Commercial air tours over national parks have their own federal statute. Under 49 U.S.C. § 40128, no commercial operator can conduct air tours over a national park or tribal lands without applying to the FAA for operating authority and following either an approved Air Tour Management Plan or a voluntary agreement developed jointly by the FAA and NPS.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 40128 – Overflights of National Parks
These plans can restrict routes, set altitude floors, impose time-of-day limits, cap the number of flights, or ban commercial overflights entirely. Plans or voluntary agreements now cover parks including Arches, Badlands, Bryce Canyon, Glacier, Great Smoky Mountains, Mount Rainier, and Olympic, with additional plans still in development.10National Park Service. National Parks Air Tour Management Program A narrow exception allows an operator up to five flights over a particular park in any 30-day period under general Part 91 rules if they obtain a letter of agreement from both the FAA and the park superintendent.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 40128 – Overflights of National Parks
Landing in Wilderness Areas Inside a Park
Many national parks contain federally designated wilderness, which carries an extra restriction. The Wilderness Act prohibits landing any aircraft within wilderness boundaries, alongside motor vehicles, motorized equipment, and other mechanical transport. The only exceptions are minimum administrative needs and health or safety emergencies.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 1133 – Use of Wilderness Areas The Wilderness Act does not regulate aircraft flying through the airspace above wilderness. The prohibition is about landing, which includes bringing persons or belongings down or up by air. Helicopter landings are prohibited on all NPS, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Forest Service wilderness lands without prior authorization from the superintendent.12Federal Aviation Administration. Flight Advisories – Parks
Disturbing Wildlife From the Air
A separate federal law applies everywhere, not just inside parks. The Airborne Hunting Act makes it illegal to use any aircraft to harass birds, fish, or other animals. Harass is defined broadly to include disturbing, chasing, herding, or tormenting wildlife.12Federal Aviation Administration. Flight Advisories – Parks Aircraft covers any device used for flight, including drones. Penalties reach up to $5,000 in fines and one year of imprisonment, and the government can seize any aircraft and equipment used in the violation.
This law applies regardless of altitude, launch location, or whether you are inside a park boundary. A drone buzzing a herd of elk from property adjacent to a park can trigger prosecution under this statute even if no park regulation was technically violated. Wildlife officers pay particular attention during nesting and calving seasons, when animals are most vulnerable to disturbance.