The U.S. Interior Department said Tuesday the National Park Service is going to start charging the millions of international tourists who visit U.S. national parks each year $100 per person to enter some of the most popular sites, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents.
The fee change for international visitors will impact 11 national parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite, according to the Interior Department.
As part of the changes, which are set to take effect Jan. 1, foreign tourists will also see their annual parks pass price jump to $250, while U.S. residents will continue to be charged $80, according to the department’s statement.
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Only approximately 100 of the more than 400 parks in the national park system collect an entrance fee.
The announcement declaring “America-first entry fee policies” comes as national parks deal with the strain of a major staff reduction and severe budget cuts, along with recovering from damage during the recent government shutdown and significant lost revenue due to fees not being collected during that time. The park service furloughed well over half its staff during the shutdown.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a post on the social platform X that the changes make sure U.S. taxpayers who support the park service “continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations!”
A White House social media post laying out the increased fees ended with the phrase, “AMERICANS FIRST.”
The announcement follows a July executive order in which President Donald Trump directed the parks to increase entry fees for foreign tourists.
At the time, Mr. Trump also ordered the Interior Department to give U.S. residents “preferential treatment” over foreign visitors regarding “recreational access rules, including permitting or lottery rules” that parks might have in place.
In its 2026 fiscal year budget proposal released in May, the Interior Department estimated that such a surcharge on international visitors would generate more than $90 million annually.
“There’s a lot to unpack in this announcement, including many questions on its implementation – all which NPCA will raise with the Department of Interior,” Kati Schmidt, a spokesperson for National Parks Conservation Association, said in an email.
The U.S. Travel Association estimated that in 2018, national parks and monuments saw more than 14 million international visitors. Yellowstone reported that in 2024, nearly 15% of its visitors were from outside the country, which was down from 30% in 2018.
The money made off the new fees will help support the national parks, including with upgrading facilities for visitors and maintenance, according to the statement.
The “resident-only patriotic fee-free days” next year include Veterans Day, which was one of the parks’ eight free days open to everyone in 2025. The Department of the Interior had announced those days by saying they wanted to ensure that “everyone, no matter their zip code, can access and enjoy the benefits of green spaces and our public lands.”
