Is it legal to posses/consume alcohol in National Parks (US)?

July 1, 2004 7:56 AM

Is it legal to posses/consume alcohol in National Parks (US)? Are the rules uniform or do certain parks have their own rules regarding this? Specifically looking for information on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
posted by mhaw to Law & Government (7 answers total)

I've never had a problem with it out west. I hear the rangers in Joshua Tree can be pretty tight. I think it just depends on the time and place. If you're having a picnic they probably aren't going to bother you. If you're pounding beers next to Old Faithful, they might look at that a little differently.
posted by trbrts at 8:28 AM on July 1, 2004

It's legal in most parks. Heck, the overgrown convenience stores in most park campgrounds sell beer.

Googling, it looks like maybe boozen verboten in the C&O Park. At least, a third-party page about a Lithuanian reunion says No Booze.

I wouldn't worry about it if you wanted to bring a case of suds in your trunk. If you get there and there's a no booze sign, just leave it in your trunk. Unless the whole point was to do some drinkin'.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:40 AM on July 1, 2004

I've been to parks where they would not let you drink from a beer can/bottle. Things were ok as long as you poured your beer in a cup.
posted by busboy789 at 9:12 AM on July 1, 2004

In Shenandoah Nat'l Park last summer, a park ranger walked up to our campsite with a "gonna-lay-down-the-law" look in his eyes. We started to sweat the cans of Yuengling we were holding. Instead he politely asked that we shut off our RV's generator, as it was after the appointed hours for such racket. Didn't bat an eyelash at the beer.
posted by speedo at 3:03 PM on July 1, 2004

Monument Valley Navaho National Park don't allow booze. It's the only park I've been to in the western states that specifically said so. Then again, they don't check every vehicle.

speedo: Generator after 10pm? There's always one ;-)
posted by i_cola at 3:21 PM on July 1, 2004

Response by poster: Called the Park and got the answer, no booze. It is however allowed in Prince William Forest Park, and Shenandoah Nat'l Park (you can actually buy beer/wine in the camp store at the Big Meadows Campground).
posted by mhaw at 9:26 PM on July 1, 2004

In Yosemite, you can drink anywhere but a moving vehicle. When I lived there, I got in the habit of popping open a can of beer to walk to the store. The store which thoughtfully provided a bottle opener screwed to the front wall. I spent most of my tenure in the park in an alcoholic haze. Good times.

On the other hand, the rangers were fond of walking up to people's tents, demanding they take their empties to the recycling now, and then arresting the hapless park employee for drunk in public. And on special occaisions kicking the shit out of them. Fuckers.
posted by stet at 10:51 PM on July 1, 2004