Typical price Drone real estate photos: about $150–$400 per homeTip Paid drone work requires an FAA Part 107 certificateGear DJI Mini 4K: about $299Typical price Drone photos + short video: about $300–$650 per listingTip Drones are banned in all national parksBend fall tip Calm mornings make the best Cascade aerialsTypical price Luxury home aerials: about $400–$1,200Tip No drones within 3 miles of big stadiums during gamesGear DJI Mini 5 Pro: about $679Typical price Drone add-on for listing photos: about $95–$150Tip Never fly near a wildfire. “If you fly, we can't.”Missoula fall tip River fog burns off by mid-morning, so fly thenTypical price Wedding drone coverage: about $400–$1,500Tip Flying near airports? Get LAANC approval firstGear DJI Air 3S: about $1,099Typical price Event aerial video: about $500–$1,500Tip No launching or landing in wilderness areasAsheville fall tip Peak color usually runs mid-to-late OctoberTypical price Construction progress flight: about $250–$600 per visitTip Check state park rules: many require a permitGear DJI Mavic 4 Pro: about $2,199Typical price Monthly construction updates: about $1,500–$3,500Tip Oregon opened 20 state parks to drones in Aug 2026Portland, Maine fall tip Lighthouse shoots need LAANC near the JetportTypical price Drone roof inspection: about $150–$600Tip Remote ID is required on drones 250 g and upGear DJI Neo 2: about $259Typical price Land and site mapping: about $10–$30 per acreTip Best light for aerials: the hour after sunriseRapid City fall tip Custer State Park allows drones; Mount Rushmore doesn'tTypical price Hire a drone pilot: about $125–$400 per hourTip Ask about drone add-ons when you book listing photosGear DJI Osmo Pocket 3: about $439Tip Fall foliage peak: book your aerial shoot earlySanta Fe fall tip Fly early, before afternoon windAnchorage fall tip Golden birch season is short, so book earlyCedar Rapids fall tip Harvest fields make great aerial patternsTypical price Drone real estate photos: about $150–$400 per homeTip Paid drone work requires an FAA Part 107 certificateGear DJI Mini 4K: about $299Typical price Drone photos + short video: about $300–$650 per listingTip Drones are banned in all national parksBend fall tip Calm mornings make the best Cascade aerialsTypical price Luxury home aerials: about $400–$1,200Tip No drones within 3 miles of big stadiums during gamesGear DJI Mini 5 Pro: about $679Typical price Drone add-on for listing photos: about $95–$150Tip Never fly near a wildfire. “If you fly, we can't.”Missoula fall tip River fog burns off by mid-morning, so fly thenTypical price Wedding drone coverage: about $400–$1,500Tip Flying near airports? Get LAANC approval firstGear DJI Air 3S: about $1,099Typical price Event aerial video: about $500–$1,500Tip No launching or landing in wilderness areasAsheville fall tip Peak color usually runs mid-to-late OctoberTypical price Construction progress flight: about $250–$600 per visitTip Check state park rules: many require a permitGear DJI Mavic 4 Pro: about $2,199Typical price Monthly construction updates: about $1,500–$3,500Tip Oregon opened 20 state parks to drones in Aug 2026Portland, Maine fall tip Lighthouse shoots need LAANC near the JetportTypical price Drone roof inspection: about $150–$600Tip Remote ID is required on drones 250 g and upGear DJI Neo 2: about $259Typical price Land and site mapping: about $10–$30 per acreTip Best light for aerials: the hour after sunriseRapid City fall tip Custer State Park allows drones; Mount Rushmore doesn'tTypical price Hire a drone pilot: about $125–$400 per hourTip Ask about drone add-ons when you book listing photosGear DJI Osmo Pocket 3: about $439Tip Fall foliage peak: book your aerial shoot earlySanta Fe fall tip Fly early, before afternoon windAnchorage fall tip Golden birch season is short, so book earlyCedar Rapids fall tip Harvest fields make great aerial patterns

Prices are estimates. How we get them

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60 legal places · 6 regions

60 of the Most Beautiful Places in the US to Fly a Drone Legally

Every spot on this list allows drones under the rule shown, sometimes only with a permit or the landowner's OK. Each entry lists the land type, the best season and light, the rule with its source, and the nearest no-fly zone to stay out of.

How to Read the List

We left out places where drones are banned, including Steptoe Butte, Ghost Ranch, Matanuska Glacier's guided access, the Mount Washington Auto Road, Stowe Mountain Resort, Mystic Seaport and Valley of Fire.

Pacific Northwest

Oregon and Washington: desert playas, newly opened Oregon state parks, Cascade lake reflections and the Palouse.

8 places

  1. Alvord Desert playa (Oregon)
  2. Bob Straub State Park (Oregon)
  3. Ophir State Wayside (Oregon)
  4. Trillium Lake (Oregon)
  5. Leslie Gulch (Oregon)
  6. Palouse rolling farmland (Washington)
  7. Cape Disappointment State Park (Washington)
  8. Takhlakh Lake (Washington)

Northern Rockies

Idaho, Montana and Wyoming: dunes, Sawtooth and Teton views, high alpine roads and ghost towns, with wilderness boundaries to respect.

12 places

  1. Bruneau Dunes State Park (Idaho)
  2. Redfish Lake (Idaho)
  3. Shoshone Falls (Idaho)
  4. Upper and Lower Mesa Falls (Idaho)
  5. Beartooth Highway / Plateau (Montana and Wyoming)
  6. Hyalite Reservoir (Montana)
  7. Garnet Ghost Town (Montana)
  8. Lake Koocanusa (Montana)
  9. Shadow Mountain (Wyoming)
  10. Green River Lakes (Wyoming)
  11. Killpecker Sand Dunes (Wyoming)
  12. Vedauwoo (Wyoming)

Desert Southwest and Great Basin

Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, California, Arizona and Colorado: hoodoos, salt flats, red rock and gorges, much of it on BLM and national forest land.

13 places

  1. Goblin Valley State Park (Utah)
  2. Dead Horse Point State Park (Utah)
  3. Factory Butte and Bentonite Hills (Utah)
  4. Bonneville Salt Flats (Utah)
  5. Fisher Towers (Utah)
  6. Black Rock Desert playa (Nevada)
  7. Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe (Nevada)
  8. Rio Grande Gorge (New Mexico)
  9. Echo Amphitheater and Abiquiu red rock (New Mexico)
  10. Enchanted Circle (Red River, Eagle Nest) (New Mexico)
  11. Alabama Hills (California)
  12. Sedona red rock (outside wilderness) (Arizona)
  13. Ouray and the Million Dollar Highway (Colorado)

New England

Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts: foliage, lighthouses, harbors and lakes, mostly from town and private land.

13 places

  1. Burlington Waterfront and Lake Champlain (Vermont)
  2. Moosalamoo NRA and Lake Dunmore (Vermont)
  3. Stowe-area farms and villages (Vermont)
  4. Kancamagus Highway (New Hampshire)
  5. Lake Winnipesaukee (New Hampshire)
  6. Portland Head Light / Fort Williams (Maine)
  7. Evans Notch (Maine)
  8. Moosehead Lake (Maine)
  9. Litchfield Hills (Connecticut)
  10. Mystic River and harbor (Connecticut)
  11. Newport ocean coast (Rhode Island)
  12. Mohegan Bluffs and Southeast Light (Rhode Island)
  13. Nantucket harbor and Jetties Beach (Massachusetts)

Appalachia and the Dakotas

West Virginia, North Dakota and South Dakota: grist mills and gorges, badlands and the Black Hills.

9 places

  1. Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park (West Virginia)
  2. Blackwater Falls State Park (West Virginia)
  3. Seneca Rocks (West Virginia)
  4. Coopers Rock State Forest (West Virginia)
  5. Little Missouri National Grassland badlands (North Dakota)
  6. Pembina Gorge (North Dakota)
  7. Custer State Park (Needles, Sylvan Lake, Wildlife Loop) (South Dakota)
  8. Spearfish Canyon (South Dakota)
  9. Buffalo Gap National Grassland (Badlands edge) (South Dakota)

Alaska and Hawaii

Glaciers, fjords and spits in Alaska; valleys and bays in Hawaii, with some of the strictest state-park rules in the country.

5 places

  1. Portage Valley (Alaska)
  2. Homer Spit (Alaska)
  3. Seward waterfront and Resurrection Bay (Alaska)
  4. Hanalei Bay (Hawaii)
  5. Waipiʻo Valley Lookout (Hawaii)

Bonus (Midwest): Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Michigan is allowed except "upon or over the viewing platforms" (Michigan DNR). Oahu is a poor choice: Honolulu parks require DPR, FAA, HECO and Marine Corps Base Kaneohe clearances (Honolulu DPR).

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