U.S. to slap big surcharge on foreign visitors to national parks

This Jan. 14, 2015, file photo, shows El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Foreign tourists visiting U.S. national parks including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone will now pay a hefty surcharge, the Trump administration announced Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, which operates the renowned U.S. national parks, said that starting in 2026 visitors from abroad will have to pay US$100 on top of the individual park fee to enter 11 of the most popular destinations in the system.

The cost of an annual pass to all the parks will meanwhile more than triple to US$250 for non-residents.

“President Trump’s leadership always puts American families first,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum in a statement.

“These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.”

Long considered a jewel of American tourism, the 63 officially designated national parks receive hundreds of millions of visitors a year -- nearly 332 million in 2024, according to the National Park Service.

The standard cost of an “America the Beautiful” pass that offers unlimited annual access is currently a flat US$80 for any purchaser.

For day use, some parks charge fees by the vehicle, and others by the person -- the annual pass covers all passengers plus the passholder, or up to four adults.

Non-US residents who buy an annual pass will not be subject to the US$100 surcharge on entry to the most visited parks, including Florida’s Everglades, Maine’s Acadia and California’s Yosemite, but that fee will apply to all other foreign visitors.

The significant extra costs for most foreigners -- U.S. citizens and permanent residents won’t be impacted -- follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s July executive order intended to “preserve” the parks for “American families.”

“Nonresidents will pay a higher rate to help support the care and maintenance of America’s parks,” read the Interior Department’s statement.

The department also emphasized “patriotic fee-free days” for residents that would include President’s Day, Veteran’s Day and Trump’s birthday, which happens to fall on the annual observance of Flag Day.