Welcome to Park Planning

A group of people walk along a forested boardwalk trail in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
Through its work, PPSS supports opportunities for visitor enjoyment - including hiking paths like this one at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

NPS

Planning in the National Park Service (NPS) guides informed and insightful decisions that provide relevant and timely direction to park management, and informs future decision-making for each national park system unit in accord with its stated mission. Planning also provides methods and tools for resolving issues in ways that minimize conflicts and promotes mutually beneficial solutions - solutions that articulate how public enjoyment of the parks can be part of a strategy for ensuring that resources are protected unimpaired for future generations.

The NPS prepares a variety of planning and environmental documents to help guide management of park resources and visitor use and activity. The Park Planning and Special Studies (PPSS) Division in the national NPS office provides overall direction for park planning. It works closely with the seven regional planning offices, which are responsible for plan production and technical assistance to parks. Additional capacity for plan production and planning services is provided by the Denver Service Center Planning Division. Planning is accomplished through collaboration with various NPS programs, such as Facilities, Transportation, Wilderness, Cultural Resources, and Natural Resources, to meet park planning needs.
Hikers standing along a path in front of a large petrified log and wood with blue sky overhead at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.
PPSS works to preserve and protect the many resources available for visitors to experience across the National Park Service.

NPS

What We Do
  • Collaborate with parks and regions to identify, develop, and disseminate tools and processes to support planning for facility investment tied to the highest priorities of the NPS.
  • Conduct Congressionally authorized studies and reconnaissance surveys to help determine whether sites and resources meet the criteria to be included in the National Park System.
  • Work closely with staff from the Park Facility Management Division-Transportation Program to implement a performance-based program (at the national, regional, and unit levels) in compliance with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and in alignment with NPS priorities.
For more details on special studies, management plans, foundation documents and more, please visit our Planning, Environment & Public Comment page.

Last updated: December 16, 2022

Tools