Tiktok

National parks, gay country music and the thirst trap have at least a lot in common, at least on the internet.

Hundreds of Tiktok posts, combined with sexually explicit audio, ridiculous memes and stunning natural scenery, have flooded social media feeds. Viral trends with President Donald Trump’s unprecedented cuts in funding cuts targeting federal parks, forests, monuments, waterfronts and trails.

The information for #ParkTok and #Mountaintok is G-level: Protecting and Protecting Public Lands. The undressed content is simply a packaging that lures followers and gets information in front of as many people as possible.

At first glance, Tiktok fans illustrate dozens of other national parks, forests and entertainment venues that seem to be competing for an irrelevant fight against Yellowstone and Joshua Tree. Some commenters speculate that federal park rangers or marketing strategists have been rogue to win financial support.

However, informal accounts that grow in numbers every day are run by independent content creators and have nothing to do with the government. According to the National Park Service Office of Public Affairs, NPS does not officially exist on Tiktok because there are no terms of service between federal agencies and platforms.

“Focusing on the viral trends in national parks can undoubtedly increase park visibility and interest and awareness,” the National Park Service told CNET in an email. “We appreciate the passion for creative ways of sharing experiences online in national parks and individuals.”

Thousands of social media followers say they are here for it. Promoting the vast landscape of the country during the dark times and its preservation for future generations may be a spiritual uplift.

Nature is sexy; budget cuts are not

Far beyond adult content, posting videos of cascading waterfalls, huge trees, seductive deserts and fascinating wildlife have a unified purpose. National parks are key to protecting biodiversity and supporting people’s well-being, researchers point out. It seems that everyone, not only nature nerds, can lag behind these public lands – U.S. National Parks hit record number of entertainment visits last year, with nearly 332 million.

“If you actually like all of these things, you’re attached to this beauty,” said Kim Tanner, creator of the Joshua Tree fan account. “And you realize you don’t want that beauty to be damaged.”

The Trump administration’s 2026 budget plan includes cutting more than $1 billion from the National Park Service. It also threatens to obtain up to $33 billion in funding from the National Entertainment Management Program and the conservation and conservation grants. Grants are critical to maintaining 433 individual areas covering more than 85 million acres of public lands managed by NPS.

The National Parks Conservancy said the White House’s budget reduction was the biggest cut in its 109-year history and could “reduce at least 350 national park sites.” Many say Trump is laying the foundation for selling public land and selling entertainment districts to state management.

Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at the National Park Conservancy, said the NPS has lost nearly 2,500 employees, or nearly 13% of its employees, which she calls the “brain trust” of environmental experts.

“What is happening right now, trying to demolish the National Park Service from the inside out is more terrifying than anything we’ve seen before,” Brenger told me.

For wild wilderness

Tiktok is controversial, and so is sex. That’s why such a trend has political capital that can attract admirers and haters and bring everyone else into the conversation.

“The polarization on social media reflects our real-life political polarization,” said CNET social media reporter Katelyn Chedraoui.

The creators of #ParkTok and #Mountaintok, some of whom are former park employees, are nature lovers who span the political realm. Many accounts publicly condemn the government’s threat to the park and watch demonstrations or fundraising directly, but the trend is not publicly partisan or activist-driven.

“Most of their posts work on a subconscious level, prompting viewers to think about the national parks and their experiences with them,” Chedraoui said. “It’s simple, but effective.”

In fact, Tiktok participation around public lands before budget cuts to the park. The first three fan accounts – Mount Hood, Mount Rainier and Yellowstone appeared after the election last November. Managed by friends of three avid outdoor enthusiasts, the account made earlier posts, which were a mix of comic relief and wilderness awe.

There wasn’t much thirsty trap content at that time. “Just just waterfalls, visions and sunsets,” said Jaime Wash, creator behind Hood Mount and St. Helens Mount fan accounts. Then, the two creators started trolling each other and people loved it.

This is fake beef, but the Diss-Track template becomes the victory strategy. By January, the trend began to increase speed and more fan accounts joined the competition. The popularity of these posts has faded and flowed over the past few months – until recently, all #Mountok and #ParkTok’s #Mountok and #ParkTok have overstated their content.

The private part of the public land becomes a magical formula, a viral gas that creators know how to play. “Social media users are very used to brands that are not performing well on Tiktok,” Chedraoui said.

A bridge over a bridge

Some critics have slammed the imitator’s accounts, accusing creators of trying to profit from legitimate causes or claiming sexually charged content that has damaged the park’s reputation.

But, according to creators who work together regularly in group chats, making money is not and will never be their intention. Wash told me that if they collected the expenses for content at any time, they planned to donate the funds to the park.

Washington said she believes it is her responsibility to get people involved after gaining such a huge following. In April, Mount Hood’s fan account brought followers to protests in Portland.

“We are building a community to show that things are not helpless, that this change can happen, and we get along with each other,” Wash said. In addition to raising alerts, these posts add comic relief and entertainment to the daily cycle of devastating and anxiety.

Tanner told me that #parktok and #mountaintok can help open people’s eyes and show how true nature is. By highlighting endangered animals and the damage to things like logging, drilling and mining, they can help millions of followers understand the real dangers.

The power of surprises on social media

Social media acts as a cultural barometer, revealing public sentiment in real time and highlighting issues that resonate with each other. Platforms such as Tiktok also provide loudspeakers for grassroots actions, allowing people to bypass traditional media filters and directly talk to a wide audience.

“We have seen digital actions lead to tangible actions,” said Sheila Nguyen, deputy director of communications and participation at the National Park Conservancy. “The more people see social media content and the bigger the people who speak out, the greater the collective impact we can have,” Nguyen told CNET in an email.

In fact, social media publicity has been shown to increase access to national parks. A 2024 study found that positive social media posts including photos or videos drove the biggest growth in visits.

“The more people we can get into these parks. That way, they can experience it firsthand, see it, fall in love with it, and then want to protect it,” Tanner said.

The National Park Conservancy urges people to register alerts on their advocacy pages so they can raise concerns about Congressional delegates. “We think Congress is the best option now to get the administration out of these bad suggestions,” said Brenger of the NPCA. “There is a need to be pushed to stop some of these horrible actions.”

Many of the Tiktok creators I talk to also say they advocate for ways to hold elected officials accountable.

“Thinking about what I absolutely love may never be as heartbreaking again, I want to do everything I can to stop that,” Wash said.