How do I install Recreation Gov?

Copy the http config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Recreation Gov need an API key?

The publisher lists these environment variables: PIPEWORX_API_KEY.

What transport does Recreation Gov use?

Recreation Gov is reached over HTTP.

Recreation Gov MCP server

1{2 "mcpServers": {3 "io.github.pipeworx-io-recreation-gov": {4 "command": "npx",5 "args": [6 "-y",7 "mcp-remote",8 "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/recreation-gov/mcp"9 ]10 }11 }12}

mcp-recreation-gov

Recreation.gov MCP — wraps the Recreation Information Database (RIDB) API v1

Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1683+ live data sources.

Tools

Tool	Description
`search_facilities`	Search US federal recreation facilities — campgrounds, day-use areas, visitor centers, trailheads — on Recreation.gov. Filter by name/keyword, state, activity (e.g. "camping", "hiking"), or geographic radius. Returns facility IDs, names, types, phone/email, and coordinates. Example: search_facilities({ query: "Yosemite", state: "CA", activity: "camping" })
`get_facility`	Get full details for a single Recreation.gov facility (e.g. a campground) by its FacilityID. Returns description, directions, ADA access, phone/email, keywords, and coordinates. Example: get_facility({ facility_id: "232447" })
`search_recareas`	Search US federal recreation areas — the parent regions (national parks, national forests, BLM/USACE lands) that contain campgrounds and facilities — on Recreation.gov. Filter by name/keyword or state. Returns RecArea IDs, names, descriptions, phone, and coordinates. Example: search_recareas({ query: "Grand Canyon", state: "AZ" })
`list_campsites`	List the individual campsites within a Recreation.gov facility (campground) by FacilityID. Returns campsite IDs, names, type (e.g. "TENT ONLY", "RV"), loop, reservability, and type of use. Example: list_campsites({ facility_id: "232447" })

Quick Start

Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "recreation-gov": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/recreation-gov/mcp"
    }
  }
}

What this endpoint actually serves

tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/recreation-gov/mcp returns the tools in the table above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx, discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and is the authoritative answer for a given day.

This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth, connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.

Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pipeworx": {
      "url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1683+ data sources. The only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx reaches all of them from either one.

No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_facilities \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{}'

No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_facilities. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.

Standalone (no gateway account)

This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "recreation-gov": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-recreation-gov"]
    }
  }
}

Or run it directly to confirm it starts:

npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-recreation-gov

It speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.

Using with ask_pipeworx

Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:

ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Recreation Gov data" })

The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.

License

MIT

Recreation Gov

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install Recreation Gov?

Does Recreation Gov need an API key?

What transport does Recreation Gov use?

When was Recreation Gov last checked?

Documentation

mcp-recreation-gov

Tools

Quick Start

What this endpoint actually serves

No MCP client? Call it over HTTP

Standalone (no gateway account)

Using with ask_pipeworx

More

License