Air Tour Management Plan - Mount Rainier National Park

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The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed an air tour management plan for Mount Rainier National Park on 7/19/2022. The plan establishes measures to protect park resources and visitor experience.

Commercial air tours have occurred over Mount Rainier for many years without defined operating parameters. The air tour management plan protects national park resources and values by providing continued education and management oversight.

The plan authorizes one air tour per year on a defined route conducted over the park up to ½-mile outside the boundary. There was, on average, one air tour per year reported at Mount Rainier National Park from 2017 - 2019.

The plan operating parameters will be effective within 90 days from the date of signature on the air tour management plan.

Mount Rainier is among 24 parks in the National Park System for which the agencies are developing air tour management plans. Each air tour management plan is developed to allow air tours to be managed in a way that is consistent with the NPS mission and the FAA's authority to ensure flight safety. The plans meet the requirements of the National Parks Air Tour Management Act to address park management objectives and NPS's obligation to protect the park's natural and cultural resources, wildlife, and visitor enjoyment.

An important part of the process is the inclusion of American Indian Tribes. The agencies consulted with Tribes that attach historic and cultural significance to resources within the park.

The final air tour management plan is available at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/MORA_Final_ATMP or by clicking "Document List" on the left side of this page.

Please visit the NPS and FAA websites under "Links" on the left side of this page for more detailed information about air tour management plans.