Terms of Use

Effective February 2026

Parks Decoded is a free informational resource. By using this site, you agree to these terms.

Not Official Park Guidance

Parks Decoded is an independent project and is not affiliated with the National Park Service, any concessioner, or any government agency. Our data comes from public sources (NPS API, IRMA visitor statistics) but may contain errors, lag behind real conditions, or reflect our own interpretive methodology.

Always check nps.gov for official alerts, road closures, permit requirements, and safety information before visiting any national park.

Use at Your Own Risk

Information on this site — including crowd levels, trail conditions, weather patterns, cost estimates, and campground availability — is provided for general planning purposes only. Conditions change. Parks Decoded is not liable for decisions you make based on our content.

Data Accuracy

We strive for accuracy and update our data regularly. However:

  • Visitor statistics reflect the most recent published NPS data, which may be 6-12 months behind
  • Crowd levels and congestion indexes are modeled estimates, not real-time measurements
  • Cost estimates are approximate and vary by season and availability
  • Trail and campground information can change without notice

If you spot an error, please let us know at [email protected].

Content Ownership

Original text, rankings, metrics, and design on Parks Decoded are our intellectual property. You may share links to any page and quote brief excerpts with attribution. You may not:

  • Scrape or bulk-copy content for use on another site
  • Reproduce our rankings or category lists without attribution
  • Frame or embed our pages within another site

Park photographs are used under license or from public domain sources and credited where applicable.

External Links

We link to third-party sites (NPS, Recreation.gov, Google Maps, etc.) for your convenience. We don't control those sites and aren't responsible for their content or availability.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms as the site evolves. The effective date at the top will reflect the latest revision. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance.

Contact

Questions? Reach us at [email protected].