Visiting the Grand Canyon? US park fees to jump for foreign tourists

Foreign visitors to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and other US national parks will pay higher entrance fees than Americans starting in January, President Donald Trump’s administration said on Tuesday, November 25.

The fee hike follows an executive order Trump signed in July that said additional revenue generated from foreign tourists would be used for conservation and deferred maintenance projects to improve national parks, even as his administration seeks to cut national park spending by more than a third.

The order had also directed the Park Service to ensure that US residents receive priority access over foreign visitors in any of its permitting or reservation systems.

The Interior Department said on Tuesday, November 25, that visitors from other countries will be charged $250 for an annual pass to the parks starting January 1, while US citizens and permanent residents will continue to pay $80.

Foreign tourists without an annual pass will pay a new $100-per-person fee at 11 of the most visited national parks, the department said in a statement. The list of most visited parks includes the Everglades in Florida, Yosemite in California, and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

Visitors have flocked to national parks in record numbers in recent years, with admissions soaring to a new high of 331 million in 2024, up 6 million from 2023.

Reduced personnel levels at some national parks, including Yosemite and Big Bend in Texas, have forced closures, reduced programming and impeded emergency response operations, according to the National Parks Conservation Association, a watchdog-advocacy group.

The Trump administration has proposed cutting more than $1 billion from the Park Service budget in fiscal 2026, which would represent a reduction of more than a third of the agency’s budget from the prior year. – Rappler.com