Mission
The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. NPS cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. NPS manages over 420 national parks covering more than 85 million acres in all 50 states, with an average of 300 million visits each year.
Designated Services
Designated Services
Planning trips and exploring National Parks using the NPS Digital Experience
The NPS digital experience includes various platforms, such as NPS.gov and the NPS App, providing visitors with information and experiences related to America’s national parks. Visitors use these platforms to plan trips, explore park stories, engage with rangers, and access location-aware services such as maps and interpretive tours. The digital experience is designed to be sophisticated, integrated, and media-rich, offering features like content tagging, live streaming webcams, photo/video galleries, and integration with recreation.gov for reservations. NPS has modernized elements of its digital architecture to respond to customer expectations, and future plans include enhancing the trip planning and in-park digital experience, allowing visitors to personalize their interactions.
Discovering and applying to volunteer service opportunities on Volunteer.gov
NPS and five other public land agencies engage volunteers through the Volunteer.gov platform, a public-facing, digital volunteer recruitment and management service. Volunteers contribute to various disciplines, units, and career fields within the NPS, supporting events, working alongside staff, and providing valuable services. Volunteer.gov serves around 5,000 volunteers monthly and offers opportunities such as campground hosting, invasive species removal, wildlife monitoring, interpretive programs, and visitor center assistance. In a typical year, NPS hosts nearly 300,000 volunteers who collectively contribute to more than 6.5 million hours of volunteer service.
Action Plans
2022 Action Plan commitments are detailed in Executive Order 14058