WASHINGTON – The National Park Service said last week it is going to start charging international tourists and extra $100 to enter 11 of the most visited U.S. National Parks, while leaving them out of fee-free days that will be reserved for American residents.
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 fee change will impact 11 of the most-visited national parks. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior that list is composed of Acadia National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park and Zion National Park.
Of the 11 parks, eight rank in the top 10 for visitation, from 4.9 million visitors per year at Zion, to 3.2 million at Glacier, according to national park data. Great Smoky Mountains, which did not make the list, was No. 1, at 12,2 million visitors a year.
Why not Mesa Verde National Park, the pride of Southwest Colorado? Its numbers are too small.
Out of the 63 national parks, Mesa Verde ranks 41st for visitation, at 480,065 visitors, just ahead of Denali (Alaska), just below Wind Cave (South Dakota) and about a tenth of Zion’s visitors.
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.
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 post on X 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.
“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.”
The Journal of Cortez, Colorado, contributed to this story.
