Can You Fly a Drone in a National Park? The Grand Teton DJ Video Explains the Rules

Can you fly a drone in a national park? In almost every US national park, no, not without the superintendent’s written permission. A deleted video of a DJ mixing music on a butte in Grand Teton National Park, filmed by drone, has put that rule back in the news, and it is a good example of why a park flight usually needs two separate approvals.

Grand Teton officials told the Jackson Hole News Guide they are aware of the video, which appeared on YouTube and Reddit on 14 October and was later deleted. The paper identified the location as Blacktail Butte. The park has not confirmed where it was filmed, whether the pilot had permission, or whether anyone has been cited, DroneXL reported.

The national park drone rule

The National Park Service bans launching, landing or operating a drone from or on park land and water unless the superintendent approves it in writing. Each park writes that sentence into its compendium, and Grand Teton’s compendium carries it word for word, covering the park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. The ban applies to recreation, photography, filming and commercial work alike.

A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine, and rangers decide enforcement case by case. The park’s reasons are wildlife, noise and visitor safety, and a spokesperson added that unauthorized flights can ground search-and-rescue and firefighting aircraft.

The rule dates to a 2014 policy memo. The Park Service’s drone page still refers to that memo, but a newer aviation reference manual chapter, approved on 25 September 2024, replaced it and kept the same ban. Either way, the practical answer for a visitor is the same.

Park permission is not the same as airspace permission

The Park Service controls who takes off from its land. The FAA controls the airspace. Park jurisdiction ends at the park boundary, and the Park Service says its policy does not change any FAA requirement. That is why a legal flight can need approval from both.

Blacktail Butte shows how. Its summit sits about three miles northeast of Jackson Hole Airport, inside the airport’s Class D airspace, which runs from the ground to 8,900 feet above sea level. Any drone flight there needs FAA authorization whatever the park says. Through LAANC, the automated approval system for Part 107 and recreational pilots, the most that can be approved over the summit is 100 feet; anything higher needs a request through FAADroneZone. When the tower is closed, the area becomes Class E surface airspace, which also needs authorization.

Can you fly a drone near a national park?

Often, yes. Because park rules stop at the boundary, launching from land outside the park can be legal as far as the Park Service is concerned, provided you follow FAA rules for that airspace and any state or local law where you take off. Check the FAA’s UAS facility maps or an FAA-approved app before you fly, keep clear of wildlife, and do not use a launch outside the boundary as cover for flying low over crowds in the park.

Recreational pilots also need to pass the free TRUST test and register any drone over 250 g; our drone registration guide covers the thresholds, and our post on an unregistered drone case at Barksdale shows how registration can become the more serious charge. Some states add their own limits, such as New York’s new 500-foot rule.

How to get permission to fly in a national park

Written permission is rare and usually goes to science, search and rescue, fire, or park management work. Contact the park directly, explain the purpose, location, dates and aircraft, and expect to show FAA authorization for the airspace as well. For a holiday video, the realistic options are to film from outside the boundary or to leave the drone at home.