President Donald Trump's "Making America Beautiful Again" order is set to overhaul national park fees and their reservation system.
Will your next national park visit cost more (or change access)?
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On July 3, President Donald Trump signed an executive order poised to redefine entry fees, reservation procedures, and financial models for the national park system. These new directives will primarily impact international visitors, though potential ramifications could extend to all future guests.
"It's the policy of my Administration to preserve these opportunities for American families in future generations by increasing entry fees for foreign tourists, improving affordability for United States residents, and expanding opportunities to enjoy America's splendid national treasures," explicitly states the first section of the executive order.
This recent development follows significant shifts already implemented by the Trump administration within the National Parks Service (NPS), including a reduction of 1,000 employees from the agency in February 2025. The National Parks Conservation Association reports that the parks have lost roughly 24% of their permanent staff, facing an approximate shortage of 8,000 employees for seasonal hiring.
With additional proposals to cut agency funding in 2026 having been considered, this latest executive order strongly suggests further substantial changes are on the horizon. Here's what we currently understand about these upcoming shifts.
How much will international tourists be charged to enter national parks?
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The executive order doesn't specify the precise increase in fees for international tourists, nor does it detail how these new entry fee regulations will be enforced. Currently, entry fees for national parks vary considerably by location, as outlined in the NPS database. "The Secretary of the Interior shall develop a strategy to increase revenue and improve the recreational experience at national parks by appropriately increasing entrance fees and recreation pass fees for nonresidents in areas of the National Park System that charge entrance fees or recreation pass fees," the executive order clearly states. Moreover, the order indicates that the price of the America the Beautiful Pass and "any site-specific or regional multi-entity passes" will also see an increase for international travelers. The stated primary objective behind these price adjustments is to boost revenue for the park system, thereby supporting crucial efforts in conservation, preservation, and vital infrastructure investments across the parks.
When do price increases go into effect?
A clear timeline for the effective date of these price increases, or indeed how they will be enforced, hasn't yet been established. It's worth noting that some national parks currently don't impose any entry fee at all. For now, the executive order should be understood primarily as an official set of instructions for Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Consequently, international travelers should view this executive order as an anticipated future change rather than an immediate price adjustment they need to account for.
The reservation system will be changed
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The order also explicitly directs Secretary Burgum to review existing access policies to national parks. This review includes taking steps to "rescind any that unnecessarily restrict recreation in national parks", and crucially, to "grant American residents preferential treatment with respect to any remaining recreational access rules, including permitting or lottery rules." The exact method of implementing this component remains to be seen. However, it can be broadly interpreted as a move towards potentially removing some of the reservation systems currently required by popular and often busy parks. For any national parks that choose to maintain a reservation system after this proposed overhaul, American residents are slated to receive priority access.
Are there any other changes from the executive order?
In just a single line within the executive order, President Trump officially revoked the President Memorandum of 2017, which was titled "Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Our National Parks, National Forests, and Other Public Lands and Waters." This significant change means that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts at the national parks will no longer be prioritized (and potentially funded) by the Secretary of the Interior and, by extension, the NPS. In response to inquiries about timelines and potential fee increases, the National Parks Service pointed to Secretary Burgum's public tweet concerning the executive order, without offering further immediate information.
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