← Back to Monumento Nacional da Caverna Timpanogos

Drone Rules for Monumento Nacional da Caverna Timpanogos

American Fork, Utah (UT) • Estados Unidos
2038 E Alpine Lp Rd, American Fork, UT 84003, EUA
Lat: 40.4439 • Lng: -111.705
Ground Not allowed Last updated: May 29, 2026
Summary
Edit rules/place details on map

Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Timpanogos Cave National Monument under NPS regulations, controlled by the National Park Service. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the park superintendent. Perched on the steep north face of Mount Timpanogos withi

Authorization Status

  • Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
  • Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
  • Airspace: 🚫 Salt Lake City Class B (SLC) — most restrictive category
  • Cave: ⚠️ CRPA — fragile helictite formations protected

Geographic Boundaries

Timpanogos Cave National Monument is located in Utah County, Utah, on the north face of Mount Timpanogos, within Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.

  • Total area: ~250 acres
  • Coordinates: 40.4408° N, 111.7078° W
  • Includes Hansen Cave, Middle Cave, Timpanogos Cave (connected system), and American Fork Canyon trail access
  • Cave elevation: ~6,730 ft MSL
  • Within Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) Class B
  • Nearest city: American Fork, UT (~7 miles south)

Regulations

  • NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units
  • 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority
  • 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval within park
  • Cave Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. § 4301) — protects fragile helictite formations, cave pearls, and rare cave fauna
  • FAA Class B Airspace (SLC) — ALL UAS require explicit ATC clearance
  • FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
  • LAANC: most grid cells show 0 ft AGL under SLC Class B floor

Penalties

  • NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
  • CRPA cave violations: fines up to $10,000 + imprisonment
  • FAA Class B violation: civil penalties up to $27,500/day
    • immediate certificate suspension/revocation
  • Equipment confiscation by park rangers

Special Permissions

  • NPS Special Use Permit required
  • FAA Class B ATC clearance mandatory — no LAANC auto-approval
  • Cave research: CRPA federal authorization required
  • Steep canyon terrain: operational safety review mandatory Submit requests to: Timpanogos Cave NM Superintendent, RR 3 Box 200, American Fork, UT 84003
Map is not loaded yet
Load the map only when you need to view the rule outline.
This shows the latest mapped outline for this rules page. Click a shape to view its note when available.
Rule sources
  • https://www.nps.gov/tica/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations within Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Cave Resources Protection Act helictite formation protections and FAA Salt Lake City Class B airspace mandatory ATC clearance add multi-layer restrictions.
Parent Rule Pages