Notice2025-17293
Improving Visitor Services in National Parks
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 9, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
The National Park Service (NPS) seeks comments and information to identify improvements that could be made to visitor services in parks, including more efficient ways to deliver and manage those services. This RFI is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior's implementation of Executive Order (E.O.) 14314, which directs the Secretary of the Interior to take steps to improve services for U.S. residents visiting national parks.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 172 (Tuesday, September 9, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 172 (Tuesday, September 9, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43472-43473]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17293]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[Docket No. NPS-2025-0037; NPS-WASO-VRP-NPS0040843; 255-PPWOIEADA0-
PPMVSIE1Y.Y00000]
Improving Visitor Services in National Parks
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Request for information (RFI). SUMMARY: The National Park
Service (NPS) seeks comments and information to identify improvements
that could be made to visitor services in parks, including more
efficient ways to deliver and manage those services. This RFI is part
of the U.S. Department of the Interior's implementation of Executive
Order (E.O.) 14314, which directs the Secretary of the Interior to take
steps to improve services for U.S. residents visiting national parks.
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DATES: Written comments and information are requested on or before
October 9, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons should submit ideas for improving visitor
services in parks via the Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to
NPS-2025-0037, which is the docket established for this RFI. While
responses to this RFI do not bind the NPS to any further actions
related to the responses, all comments received will be posted without
change to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal
information provided.
Electronic Access and Filing
This document and all comments received may be viewed online
through the Federal eRulemaking portal at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>
using the docket number listed above. Electronic retrieval help and
guidelines are also available at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. An
electronic copy of this document may also be downloaded from the Office
of the Federal Register website at <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov">https://www.federalregister.gov</a> and
the U.S. Government Publishing Office's website at <a href="https://www.GovInfo.gov">https://www.GovInfo.gov</a>. All comments received before the close of business on
the comment closing date indicated above will be considered and will be
available for examination in the docket at the above address. Comments
received after the comment closing date will be filed in the docket and
will be considered to the extent practicable.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jason Gibson, Acting Associate
Director
[[Page 43473]]
for Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers at 202-513-7247.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Park System is made up of 433
sites (often referred to as parks) that are administered by the NPS,
including national parks, national historical parks, national
monuments, national lakeshores, national preserves, national recreation
areas, and national seashores.\1\ In 2024, these parks received more
than 331 million recreation visits, the largest number of visits in NPS
history.\2\ The NPS provides and manages an array of visitor services
that enhance the experience of visitors to parks by promoting
enjoyment, access, health, learning, and stewardship.
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\1\ For a complete list of System units visit <a href="https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm">https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/national-park-system.htm</a>.
\2\ See <a href="https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/visitation-numbers.htm">https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/visitation-numbers.htm</a>.
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The NPS provides educational, experiential, and interpretive
programs and content that lead to greater protection, appreciation, and
enjoyment of parks, such as ranger-guided tours, skill-building
opportunities, and information displays. The NPS designs, builds, and
maintains visitor facilities, infrastructure, and other physical
resources such as visitor centers, bathrooms, campgrounds, picnic
areas, signage, docks, trails, and roads, and provides services such as
garbage removal and water distribution. These services keep visitors
safe and healthy, create opportunities for access and recreation, and
are essential for visitor satisfaction. The NPS supports the efficient
management and delivery of commercial visitor services by partners that
provide accommodations, services, and facilities, such as lodging,
food, retail, marinas, transportation, equipment rentals, and guided
recreational activities.
Visitor services provided by the NPS and its partners are central
to the NPS mission because these services promote meaningful
experiences for park visitors through greater understanding, access,
and enjoyment of America's natural, cultural, historical, and
recreational treasures. Visitor services have a great influence on the
quality of the experiences that visitors have in parks. Ensuring that
those services are provided and managed effectively and efficiently is
a priority for the NPS and the Trump administration.
Request for Information
On July 3, 2025, the President signed E.O. 14314, ``Making America
Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks.'' E.O. 14314 announced
the administration's policy to preserve opportunities for American
families to make unforgettable memories at national parks, such as
Grand Canyon National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In
furtherance of this policy, section 2(c) of E.O. 14314 directed the
Secretary of the Interior to take steps to improve services for U.S.
residents visiting national parks. This RFI helps implement that
direction by requesting information from the American public about how
the NPS can better serve the millions of visitors that come to parks
each year.
For purposes of this RFI, the term ``visitor services'' means any
service provided by the NPS or its partners to visitors in parks,
including, but not limited to, the services described above. Pursuant
to the directive in E.O. 14314 to improve visitor services, the NPS is
using this RFI to seek input from the public about how NPS can improve
visitor services in parks, including how the NPS can more efficiently
provide or manage such services in order to enhance the visitor
experience. This includes how the NPS can provide access to visitor
services in parks in a way that allows visitors to have meaningful and
enjoyable experiences given increasing visitation to more popular parks
and features.
The NPS expects the American public will have useful information
and perspectives to share about the value that visitor services
provide, including how they can be improved or otherwise changed,
whether some services are unnecessary and should be eliminated, and
ideas about expanding or developing new services. The NPS requests that
commenters provide, to the extent possible, first-hand accounts of
visitor services that were provided by the NPS or its partners that
support specific suggestions for improvement or change. This will help
the NPS evaluate suggestions made by the American public for their
benefit.
(Authority: 54 U.S.C. 100101; E.O. 14314.)
Jason Gibson,
Acting Associate Director for Interpretation, Education, and
Volunteers.
[FR Doc. 2025-17293 Filed 9-8-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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