National parks, homosexual nation music, and thirst traps have loads in widespread, at the least on the web. Hundreds of TikTok posts combining sexually express audio, comical memes and gorgeous views of nature have flooded social media feeds. The viral development coincides with President Donald Trump’s unprecedented funding cuts concentrating on federal parks, forests, monuments, seashores and trails. The message of #ParkTok and #MountainTok is G-rated: to preserve and shield public lands. The raunchy content material is merely a wrapper to lure followers and get that message in entrance of as many individuals as attainable. At first look, the TikTok fan accounts for Yellowstone and Joshua Tree — amongst dozens of different nationwide parks, forests and recreation websites — seem like competing in an unhinged brawl. Some commenters speculate that federal park rangers or advertising strategists have gone rogue to garner outdoors monetary assist.But the unofficial accounts, that are rising in quantity every day, are run by impartial content material creators with no affiliation to the federal government. According to the National Park Service’s Office of Public Affairs, the NPS has no official presence on TikTok, as there aren’t any phrases of service between federal companies and the platform. “Viral trends focused on national parks can certainly boost park visibility and drive increased interest and awareness,” the National Park Service informed CNET in an electronic mail. “We appreciate the enthusiasm for our nation’s parks and the creative ways individuals share their experiences online.”And tens of millions of social media followers say they’re right here for it. Promoting the nation’s huge panorama and its preservation for future generations might function a type of non secular uplift in darkish occasions. Nature is attractive; finances cuts aren’t Far past the racy grownup content material, there is a unifying goal to posting movies of cascading waterfalls, colossal bushes, seductive deserts and enchanting wildlife. Researchers have famous that nationwide parks are key to conserving biodiversity and supporting folks’s well-being. And it appears everybody, not simply nature nerds, can get behind these public lands — US nationwide parks noticed a file variety of recreation visits final yr, almost 332 million.”If you actually love all this stuff, you get attached to that beauty,” mentioned Kim Tanner, the creator of the Joshua Tree fan account. “And then you realize you don’t want that beauty damaged.”The Trump administration’s 2026 finances plan contains slashing greater than $1 billion from the National Park Service. It additionally threatens to axe a whopping $33 billion from nationwide recreation administration applications and conservation and preservation grants. The grants are essential to sustaining 433 particular person areas of public lands overlaying greater than 85 million acres, that are managed by the NPS.The National Parks Conservation Association says the White House’s finances reductions are the most important proposed cuts to the National Park Service in its 109-year historical past and will “decimate at least 350 National Park sites.” Many have mentioned Trump is laying the groundwork to dump public lands and switch leisure areas over to state-level administration. According to Kristen Brengel, senior vp of presidency affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association, the NPS has already misplaced almost 2,500 staff, or almost 13% of its workers, in what she calls a “brain trust exodus” of environmental specialists. “What’s happening right now, in trying to dismantle the National Park Service from the inside out, is more horrific than anything we’ve seen before,” Brengel informed me. Getting wild for the wild TikTok is controversial, and so is intercourse. That’s exactly why traits like these have political capital, able to attracting admirers and haters, and bringing everybody else into the dialog. “The polarization on social media is reflective of our real-life political polarization,” mentioned CNET social media reporter Katelyn Chedraoui. The #ParkTok and #MountainTok creators, a few of whom are former park staff, are all nature lovers who span the political spectrum. Many of the accounts overtly denounce the administration’s threats towards the parks and direct viewers to demonstrations or fundraisers, however the development is not overtly partisan or activist-driven. “Most of their posts work on a subconscious level, prompting viewers to think about the national parks and their own experiences with them,” mentioned Chedraoui. “It’s simple but effective.” In reality, the TikTok engagement round public lands originated earlier than the finances cuts to the parks. The first three fan accounts — Mount Hood, Mount Rainier and Yellowstone — appeared proper after the elections final November. Managed by three mates who’re avid out of doors fans, the accounts put up posts early on that had been a mixture of comedian aid and wilderness awe. There wasn’t a lot thirst lure content material then. “It was just waterfalls and vistas and sunsets,” mentioned Jaime Wash, the creator behind the Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens fan accounts. Then, two of the creators began trolling one another, and people beloved it. It was pretend beef, however the diss-track template grew to become a profitable technique. By January, the development began choosing up velocity, with extra fan accounts becoming a member of the fray. Over the final a number of months, the recognition of the posts has seen ebbs and flows — till pretty just lately, when all of #MountainTok and #ParkTok blew up for his or her risqué content material. Private elements in public lands grew to become a magic formulation, a type of viral virility, that the creators knew how one can play up. “Social media users are very used to brands acting unhinged on TikTok,” mentioned Chedraoui. A bridge over troubled waterSome critics have slammed the parody accounts, accusing creators of attempting to monetize a professional trigger, or claiming that the sexually charged content material damages the parks’ reputations. But based on the creators, who collaborate recurrently in a gaggle chat, getting cash wasn’t, and by no means shall be, their intention. Wash informed me that if at any level they do gather a payout for the content material, they plan to donate the funds to the parks. After gaining such an enormous following, Wash mentioned, she felt it was her accountability to get folks concerned. In April, the Mount Hood fan account introduced out followers to Portland’s Hands Off protest. “We’re building a community to show that things aren’t helpless, that change can happen and we’re there for each other,” Wash mentioned. And moreover elevating the alarm, the posts add comedian aid and leisure to a every day cycle of doomscrolling and nervousness. Tanner informed me that #ParkTok and #MountainTok will help open folks’s eyes, displaying how fragile nature actually is. By highlighting endangered animals and the harm from issues like logging, drilling and mining, they will help tens of millions of followers perceive what’s actually at stake. The shocking energy of social mediaSocial media acts as a cultural barometer, revealing public sentiment in actual time and highlighting the problems that resonate. Platforms like TikTok additionally give grassroots actions a megaphone, permitting on a regular basis folks to bypass conventional media filters and communicate on to broad audiences. The NPCA encourages folks to enroll in motion alerts on their web site to avoid wasting the parks. www.npca.org/advocacy”We’ve seen digital action lead to tangible action,” mentioned Sheila Nguyen, affiliate director of communications and engagement for the National Parks Conservation Association. “The more people who see that social media content, the bigger the pool of people who may speak up and the more collective impact we can have,” Nguyen informed CNET in an electronic mail. In reality, social media publicity has been proven to spice up nationwide park visitation. A 2024 analysis examine discovered that constructive social media posts that embody images or movies drive the largest will increase in visitation. “The more people we can get into these parks, the better. That way, they can experience it firsthand, see it, fall in love with it, and then want to protect it,” mentioned Tanner. The National Parks Conservation Association urges folks to enroll in alerts on its advocacy web page to allow them to increase issues with congressional representatives. “We feel that Congress is the best option right now to get the administration to back off of these bad proposals,” mentioned the NPCA’s Brengel. “Congress needs to be pushed to stop some of these terrible actions.” Many TikTok creators I spoke with additionally mentioned they’re advocating methods to carry elected officers accountable. “It’s heartbreaking to think the places that I absolutely love may never be the same again,” mentioned Wash, “and I want to do anything to stop that.”
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