Open Data — entry 031 of 44

Recreation Information Database

Verified Jul 2026

The Recreation Information Database is the U.S. federal government's shared catalogue of campgrounds, permits, trails, and other outdoor recreation assets across agencies like the National Park Service and Forest Service. It's fronted by api.data.gov, so every request needs a free API key even though the facility and activity data itself is public.

recreationusgovernmentparkscamping
AuthenticationAPI KeySign up with the provider to obtain credentials.
HTTPSSupportedTraffic is encrypted in transit.
CORSEnabledCallable directly from browser JavaScript.
PricingFreeNo paid tier — free for the documented use case.
FormatsJSONResponses can be requested as JSON.

GreatAPIs Score

Score78out of 100
Authentication15/25API key required
Pricing20/20Free to use
Docs14/20Documentation URL provided
Formats9/15Single response format
Freshness20/20Verified within 6 months

Embed this badge

Scored 78 on greatapis.com
<a href="https://greatapis.com/api/recreation-information-database/"><img src="https://greatapis.com/badge/recreation-information-database.svg" alt="Scored 78 on greatapis.com"></a>

Auth quickstart

  1. Sign up with the provider to get an API key.
  2. Send it on every request as a headerAuthorization: <key>
  3. The exact header isn't documented — Authorization is a common default; confirm in the provider's docs.
Stored keyNo key stored

Your key is stored only in this browser (localStorage) and sent directly to the API — never to greatapis.

Developer reference

Base URLhttps://ridb.recreation.gov/api/v1