The Trump administration is planning to more than triple the cost of visiting US national parks—if you're not from the US. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the new "America-first" entrance fees are aimed at ensuring international visitors "contribute their fair share" to the upkeep of the parks. Under the new rules, non-residents will have to pay $100 per person on top of the usual entrance fees to enter 11 of the most popular parks, or they can buy a $250 annual pass, reports the Guardian. Burgum added that, "starting in 2026," US residents can buy an annual pass for "just $80," though that's the same price they pay now.
The White House summed up the announcement in a post on X: "AMERICANS OFFERED AFFORDABLE PRICES WHILE FOREIGNERS PAY MUCH MORE." The Department of the Interior also rolled out new annual passes for 2026, featuring side-by-side portraits of George Washington and President Trump, and a military pass with a photo of Trump saluting troops. Additionally, it announced new "fee-free" days for US residents in 2026, including Fourth of July weekend, Constitution Day (Sept. 17), Theodore Roosevelt's birthday (Oct. 27), and Flag Day (June 14), which also happens to be Trump's birthday.
Burgum said the goal was to make it "easier and more affordable for every American to experience the beauty and freedom of our public lands." He said the higher fees for international visitors are about conservation, quoting Theodore Roosevelt on the importance of preserving public lands. However, the Trump administration has proposed significant cuts to public lands funding, reduced national parks staff, and opened up national forests to logging, the Guardian reports. International tourism to the US is also falling. Roughly 15% of 2024 visitors to Yellowstone were from outside the country, compared to 30% in 2018, CNN reports.
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