Supercharge your AI with Recreation.gov (RIDB). Map US facilities and activities with natural conversation.
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Recreation.gov (RIDB) connects your AI agent to federal data on US parks, campgrounds, and trails. It lets you search for specific facilities by keywords or coordinates, list supported activities like hiking or camping, and pull detailed metadata directly from the Recreation Information Database.
Get structured government data without clicking through a dozen websites.
What your AI can do
Get activity
Retrieves detailed information about a single, specified outdoor activity type.
Get facility
Pulls all available metadata and details for one specific recreation facility using its ID.
Get organization
Gets structured information about a federal agency that manages public lands or resources.
Use get_facility to retrieve complete details on any named recreation facility.
Call list_activities to get the full list of supported outdoor actions, like 'Hiking' or 'Boating'.
Run list_facilities to pull bulk data on multiple sites, optionally filtering by state or activity type.
Use list_facility_media to fetch all associated pictures and visual assets for a given facility ID.
Execute geospatial searches against recreation areas using coordinate parameters.
Ask an AI about this
Compatible AI Apps
OAuth 2.0 CompatibleWaiting for input…
Recreation.gov (RIDB) MCP Server: 10 Tools for Public Lands Data
These ten tools let you query everything from specific park details to media assets, giving your agent deep access to federal recreation information.
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Start using Recreation.gov (RIDB) on VinkiusGet Activity
Retrieves detailed information about a single, specified outdoor activity type.
Get Facility
Pulls all available metadata and details for one specific recreation facility using...
Get Organization
Gets structured information about a federal agency that manages public lands or...
Get Recarea
Retrieves detailed metadata for one specific recreation area, including its...
List Activities
Lists all the official outdoor activities supported by the database, letting you...
List Facilities
Retrieves a list of recreation facilities, allowing bulk searching with filters like state or activity type.
List Facility Media
Fetches all associated images and media files for a specific facility ID.
List Organizations
Provides a list of federal organizations that manage public lands, helping you...
List Recarea Media
Retrieves media assets and images associated with an entire recreation area.
List Recareas
Lists all available recreational areas, helping you identify the correct scope for...
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Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more
The Model Context Protocol standardizes how applications expose capabilities to LLMs. Instead of operating in isolation, your AI gains direct access to external platforms, live data, and real-world actions through secure, standardized connections.
This connection provides 10 powerful capabilities that interface natively with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and other compatible AI platforms. No middleware. No custom integration required.
Finding accurate US park data used to involve jumping between five different government websites.
You start by checking the main park page, then you jump to a separate 'Activities' portal to see what's supported. Then you hit the map service just for coordinates. Finally, if you need pictures, you have to find another media gallery link. It’s friction-filled and slow.
With this MCP server, your agent handles it all. You ask it one thing—like 'Give me a list of all camping spots in Colorado that support fishing.' And boom. The agent runs `list_facilities` and filters the results instantly. You get structured JSON data right away.
Recreation.gov (RIDB) MCP Server: Get site media with `list_facility_media`
Manually, you'd find a facility ID and then have to copy that ID into a separate image gallery portal just to see the photos. It’s two distinct steps, and those portals often break or require logins.
Now, after calling `get_facility` for site 12345, your agent can run `list_facility_media` immediately afterward. You get all the images embedded right into your chat response. The whole process is one natural conversation.
What your AI can actually do with this
You're connecting your AI agent directly to federal data covering US parks, campgrounds, and trails via Recreation.gov’s Information Database. Instead of clicking through a dozen different government websites, your agent handles the database calls so you get structured info right in the chat.
When you need to figure out what's available, start by calling list_activities to pull up every official outdoor action supported by the system; this lets you filter your searches based on activities like 'Hiking,' 'Boating,' or 'Camping.' If you want a broad overview of locations, running list_recareas gives you a list of all available recreational areas.
You can then use the coordinates to execute geospatial searches against those recreation areas.
When you know what you're looking for, your options get specific. To find details on one particular spot, run get_facility, which pulls every piece of metadata and detail associated with a single named facility ID. If you need more than just one site, use list_facilities to pull bulk data across multiple sites; this tool lets you filter that list by state or specific activity type.
For deep dives into specific locations, the tools are built for granularity. You can run get_recarea to get detailed metadata on an entire recreation area, including its boundaries and how it's managed. If your focus is on the managing body, calling list_organizations gives you a list of federal agencies that manage public lands; subsequently, you use get_organization to pull structured data about that specific agency.
To make sure you have all the visual assets for any location, run list_facility_media to fetch every associated picture and media file tied to a single facility ID. For an entire recreation area, running list_recarea_media retrieves the full set of images and assets attached to that whole scope. If you need info on what specific actions are possible at a site, use get_activity to retrieve detailed information about one specified outdoor activity type.
This framework allows your agent to pull complete records for anything from operating hours and management agency details to full descriptions for any location or area in the database. You'll use these tools—like list_facilities, list_activities, and get_facility—to make sure you never have to manually navigate through multiple federal websites again.
019e38e1-8c07-73e9-8fec-03b0d49ab76c Here's how it actually works
The bottom line is: you talk to your AI client like talking to a human expert who has immediate access to federal databases, instead of navigating government websites yourself.
Subscribe to the server and input your API Key into your AI client's settings.
Ask your agent a question (e.g., 'Find campgrounds in Colorado for fishing').
The agent calls list_facilities or get_facility, retrieves structured data, and presents it to you.
Who is this actually for?
Any developer building an app that needs accurate, structured location data for outdoor use. This is for the GIS analyst tired of scraping inconsistent sources, or the travel app builder who can't rely on general map APIs. If your product depends on specific federal recreation details, this is what you need.
Building a booking engine that needs to verify available campgrounds and check activity support before displaying results.
Running automated queries against federal land data, needing structured outputs for analysis instead of PDFs or web tables.
Writing destination guides that require accurate operating hours and specific historical metadata for park sites.
What Changes When You Connect
Get structured facility data instantly. Instead of clicking through multiple government pages, simply call get_facility to pull all metadata for a specific park or campground into your chat window.
Filter by activity type efficiently. Use list_activities first, then pass that list to list_facilities. This is far faster than manually checking every site's description for 'hiking' support.
See the visuals right away. After locating a facility, run list_facility_media. You get all associated images and media without leaving your workflow—perfect for travel guides.
Understand land management. Use get_organization or list_organizations to identify which federal agency controls the resource. This is critical for accuracy and attribution in research applications.
Handle large datasets easily. The list_facilities tool lets you search multiple parks by state or activity type simultaneously, pulling a comprehensive list that manual searching can't match.
See it in action
Building an itinerary for campers
A user needs to find available camping spots in Arizona for the weekend. They ask their agent, which runs list_facilities, filtering by 'Arizona' and 'Camping'. The agent returns a list of IDs and basic details, allowing the user to select three options for the final itinerary.
Researching environmental data
A GIS analyst needs to map all federal sites that support fishing near specific coordinates. They use get_recarea with radial search parameters and then cross-reference the results using list_activities to confirm 'Fishing' support for accurate mapping.
Creating a destination guide
A content creator needs to write about a specific national park. They run get_facility and receive all operating hours, management details, and rich descriptions in one call. Then they use list_facility_media to pull images for the article.
Checking resource jurisdiction
Before posting content about a specific park, a developer uses get_organization on the facility ID. This confirms which federal agency (like the National Park Service or Forest Service) is in charge, ensuring their information is factually correct.
The honest tradeoffs
Over-relying on general search
Manually browsing recreation.gov's website and trying to copy/paste location data or descriptions into a spreadsheet.
Don't browse; program the query. Use list_facilities with filters, then call get_facility for specific details. This automates the entire data extraction process.
Forgetting media assets
Retrieving a facility list using list_facilities, but ending the conversation without seeing any pictures of the site.
Remember that text isn't enough. Always follow up location calls with list_facility_media to get all associated images for rich context.
Confusing area vs facility data
Trying to search for a specific campground using only the broad name of the surrounding recreation area.
If you know the site, use get_facility. If you are searching by coordinates or need general context about the region, start with get_recarea.
When It Fits, When It Doesn't
Use this server if your project requires precise, structured data directly from federal recreation sources. You must be able to define criteria like 'State: CA' AND 'Activity: Hiking'. Don't use it if you just need general travel inspiration or basic mapping—Google Maps is fine for that.
However, don't assume this covers everything. This server handles recreation data (parks, trails, etc.). If you need real-time weather feeds, local restaurant menus, or current traffic conditions, you’ll need a different API category. Always check if your required dataset is specific to federal public lands before calling these tools.
Questions you might have
How do I find facilities in a specific state using list_facilities? +
You pass the state name directly as a filter parameter when calling list_facilities. This returns a filtered list of relevant facility IDs, saving you manual review time.
Can I check which federal agency runs this park using get_organization? +
Yes. After getting the facility details with get_facility, you can run get_organization to pull the name and ID of the managing federal agency, which is great for attribution.
What's the difference between list_activities and get_activity? +
list_activities gives you a full catalog of every supported activity (Hiking, Fishing). get_activity takes one specific name from that list and pulls detailed rules or descriptions for just that action.
Do I need to run get_recarea before list_facilities? +
No. You use them independently. Use list_activities if you want to filter by what people do. Use list_facilities if you know the type of place you are looking for.
How do I use the list_facility_media tool to get pictures or media for a specific campground? +
It fetches all associated images and media based on a facility ID. You must provide the unique facility identifier; otherwise, it can't pull the right content.
If I know the name of an entire park or recreation area, how do I get its complete metadata using get_recarea? +
The tool retrieves all descriptive details and management information for one specific recreational area. Just pass the unique ID to pull a full record instead of just basic location data.
What should I run if I need a comprehensive list of all federal agencies that manage public lands? +
Use the list_organizations tool. This gives you a directory of every managing agency, letting you know who controls a specific area before you search for facilities.
When using list_facilities, what parameters do I pass to keep results manageable? +
Always include filters like state codes, keywords, or activities. Running the tool without narrowing parameters will return too much data and likely time out.
How can I find campgrounds in a specific state like Colorado? +
You can use the list_facilities tool and provide 'CO' in the state parameter. You can also add a query like 'campground' to narrow down the results to camping facilities specifically.
Can I see photos of a specific recreation area before visiting? +
Yes! Use the list_recarea_media tool with the specific recAreaId. It will return links to images and videos associated with that area in the RIDB database.
How do I find out which federal agency manages a park? +
First, use get_facility or get_recarea to find the organization ID associated with the site. Then, use get_organization with that ID to see the full details of the managing agency.
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