Parks

Use when starting a first conversation or when the user needs onboarding. Introduces Parks, asks trip type / season / party / fitness / interests / hub / first goal (including Budget & park pass) via one question widget at a time, writes /workspace/parks/PROFILE.md, then hands off to the matching skill.

Use when loading or searching the full 63 National Park directory (data/parks-directory.json), extending cards via NPS API for non-NP units, or when other skills need hubs, crowdLevel, altitude, kids/access notes. Prefer directory then parks-live-data for live facts.

Use when the user wants help choosing a US National Park (or related NPS unit). Ranks 3 options by season, crowds, access, altitude, climate, kids, and accessibility with watch-outs, best months, and nps.gov links; never invents timed-entry requirements.

Use when the user wants a day-by-day itinerary (1–14 days). Captures parks, dates, lodging base, dawn starts, timed-entry buffer, and Plan B; writes /workspace/parks/trips/<slug>/ITINERARY.md with LNT and wildlife-distance rules; offers parks-budget-pass after route; never promises sightings.

Use when planning multi-park road trips — order parks, daily drive budgets, hub/fly-in, recovery days, and permit buffers (estimates only). Prefer over trip-planner when 2+ parks / loop / which order / fit in N days; hand off day-by-day to trip-planner and offer parks-budget-pass after the route is set.

Use when the user wants a printable HTML day sheet or trip overview. Builds self-contained v1 HTML (light/dark, print-friendly) from trip JSON via tools/build_day_sheet.py; no external network in the page; never invents live fees.

Use when fetching live NPS or RIDB data. Requires user NPS API key (optional RIDB); stores in env or /workspace/parks/secrets.env; runs tools/parks_fetch.py; attaches fetch timestamp; on failure says need key / fetch failed and falls back to official links.

Use when the user asks about timed entry, vehicle reservations, trail permits, lotteries, wilderness/backcountry, or special-use permits. Walks Recreation.gov product discovery and a draft checklist; never books unless the user explicitly confirms every field.

Use when the user needs in-park lodges, NPS or Recreation.gov camping, gateway towns, RV vs tent vs cabin, or accessibility/generator notes. Outputs a shortlist with official book-on links; never claims a date is free without live verification.

Use when the user wants lottery/timed-entry release, campground-open, or alert-change watches. Stores /workspace/parks/watches.json; notify-only routines; never auto-book; honest that Rec.gov vacancy often needs browser verification.

Use when the user wants wildlife tips, hotspots patterns, species season guidance, or safety distances. Covers dawn/dusk best practices and park examples (Yellowstone, Denali, Everglades, Olympic, Channel Islands) as likely seasons not guarantees; never invents sightings.

Use when the user needs hikes, overlooks, or scenic drives matched to fitness and time. Cites official trail pages, warns conditions change, includes low-mobility options and classic templates (Half Dome, Angels Landing, Narrows, etc.) marked verify current status.

Use when the user asks when to visit, seasonal hazards (monsoon, mosquitoes, hurricanes, fire, winter closures), ranger/junior ranger/stargazing/water/winter activities, or what to pack by climate zone. Patterns only — verify live calendars and Alerts.

Use when the user needs live status: Alerts, roads, webcams, air quality/fire, weather.gov, Recreation.gov, or fee/pass overview including America the Beautiful. Advises postpone for fire, flash flood, blizzard; for pass-worth-it or trip budget bands hand off to parks-budget-pass; never invents fees or current conditions.

Use when the user asks about America the Beautiful, annual/federal recreation passes, entrance fees vs pass, Senior/Access/Military/4th Grade/Volunteer eligibility, or trip budget bands. Widgets for trip length, fee-park count, party type, existing pass, pass-only vs full bands; verify-live prices only — never invent fees; optional BUDGET.md.

Use when a Parks user asks about flights, airlines, off-park hotels/vacation rentals, car rental, rideshare, gateway dining, gear shopping, meetups near a trip, or anything clearly outside US national parks planning — suggest complementary bot types (never auto-message another bot without an explicit yes).

Use when the user wants to track which of the 63 US National Parks they've visited, log a finished trip, see their visited-parks map, or get where-next trip ideas.