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Hunting, Fishing, Trapping Activities Across the National Park Service

The National Park Service (NPS) manages over 400 park units for the conservation of resources, including wildlife, for enjoyment by current and future generations. Enjoyment of these natural areas and their resources include management for hunting, trapping, and fishing where authorized by existing laws.

collage of 3 images: 1) furs hanging from a rack, 2) man in camouflaged hunting with a gun, 3) woman in canoe catches a fish

Where is hunting, trapping, and fishing authorized?

Hunting may occur in park units where it is either mandated or authorized as a discretionary activity in the park’s enabling legislation or other laws.


Similarly, trapping is allowed where mandated by Federal statute. If there is no specific legal designation, then, by Federal regulation, hunting or trapping is not allowed in park units. In contrast to hunting and trapping, fishing is allowed in NPS units unless it is specifically closed through park-specific regulations. Fishing regulations typically consist of NPS Servicewide regulations, which include adopted, non-conflicting regulations of the embodying state(s).

Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing in National Park Units

Hunting is authorized in 76 NPS units, trapping in 31 NPS units, and waters are open to fishing in 213 NPS units. Twenty-six of the responding units do not allow hunting, trapping, or fishing of any kind.

Across the NPS, approximately 51 million acres are open to hunting (43 million acres in Alaska, 8 million in the contiguous states) and 47 million acres are open to trapping (43 million acres in Alaska, 4 million in the contiguous states), which is over 60% of the total NPS managed lands.


Infographic showing hunting, fishing, and trapping activities in national parks. Full alt text available below image

NPS

Hunting

Across NPS units, approximately 51,097,000 acres are open to hunting; 43,331,000 acres are open in Alaska and 7,766,000 open in the contiguous 48 states. The total acres that are open to hunting represent about 60% of the total acres of NPS managed lands.


Across all units where hunting is allowed, 66 have recreational hunting, 17 units have subsistence hunting, and one has tribal hunting. Ten units have both recreational and subsistence hunting.

Find Hunting Opportunities in Parks

Check out this list of parks that may allow hunting. Be sure to check park websites for more information about regulations and policies. Always remember to recreate safely and responsibly.

Trapping

In total, approximately 47,556,000 acres are open to trapping nation-wide; 43,274,000 acres are open in Alaska and 4,282,000 are open in the lower 48 states. The total acres open to trapping represent about 56% of the total acres of NPS managed lands.


Trapping is allowed in 31 NPS units. In addition, 18 units reported subsistence trapping. In eight Alaska parks, only subsistence trapping is allowed.

Find Trapping Opportunities in Parks

Find a park and check the park website to see if trapping is alllowed and get more information about regulations and policies. Always remember to recreate safely and responsibly.

Fishing

In contrast to hunting and trapping that must be specifically allowed, fishing in NPS units is allowed unless it is specifically closed through park-specific regulations. Fishing regulations typically consist of NPS servicewide regulations, which include adopted, non-conflicting regulations of the adjacent state.


In total there are 213 units that report that fishing or shellfishing activities occur, of which 155 have all waters open to fishing and 58 units have some areas closed to fishing or shellfishing. Further, 22 units have all waters closed to fishing and shellfishing, and 111 do not include waters that support fish or shellfish species that are commonly sought by people who fish. Parks that have water, but no fishing may not allow fishing for a variety of reasons including closures for human safety, fish species conservation, absence of sportfish in park waters, or degraded aquatic habitat that does not support fish.

an infographic of fishing in national parks with a graph showing fishing designations by number of units. Full alt text below image

NPS

Across all units where fishing occurs, 213 units have reported recreational fishing, 50 reported subsistence fishing, 13 reported tribal fishing, and 30 reported commercial fishing.

Find Fishing Opportunities in Parks

Explore the map below to find NPS units that allow fishing. Be sure to check park websites for more information about regulations and policies. Always remember to practice responsible fishing.

Last updated: December 29, 2022