METHOD, SOURCES, LIMITS
No mystery score. No manufactured certainty.
Every briefing separates source facts from our planning synthesis, shows missing layers and links back to the authority.
1. A deliberately bounded park catalogue
The first release supports five parks. Each has a manually reviewed representative coordinate, official NPS current-conditions link, calendar link and original planning context. We do not manufacture hundreds of near-identical park pages.
2. Match NWS hourly periods to the selected local date
The checker requests NWS point metadata for the park coordinate, follows the official hourly forecast endpoint and groups periods whose local date matches the date you selected. It summarizes the daily temperature range, maximum precipitation probability, upper forecast wind speed and a small set of forecast descriptions.
3. Keep official weather alerts separate
Current NWS alerts at the representative point are shown as their own layer. An active weather alert raises planning friction, but the exact headline and official details matter more than the number.
4. Use authenticated NPS data only when it is actually available
NPS API access requires an API key. When configured, ParkVisitCheck can request official current alerts and same-date events. When that access is unavailable, the product says so and links to the park’s official current-conditions page. Missing NPS data never becomes “no alerts.”
5. Explain visit friction
The categories are product heuristics for trip planning, not official NPS/NWS categories, accident probabilities, crowd predictions or safety certifications.
6. Recheck close to departure
A future forecast changes. Current park alerts can change. Road, trail, fire and facility decisions belong to official operators. Use ParkVisitCheck to reduce tab-hunting and expose uncertainty, then use the linked official source for the exact feature you need.