In a move that could reconstruct how millions of visitors experience America’s most iconic landscapes, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on July 3 to change admission and booking systems policies across the national park system.
At the heart of orders is the rate hike only for international visitors. US citizens and residents will continue to pay standard admission prices, while non-residents will face higher rates at the gate. That rate has not been determined yet. The internal department is tasked with identifying new additional charges for multi-parks and annual passes, such as the “America The Beautiful” pass, which provides daily access to parks and annual and lifetime access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas across the United States. Orders only apply to parks where there is already an admission fee. This applies to 100 of the 433 park units (including everything from national parks and national monuments to national historic sites and national lake shores).
“To fund the improvements and enhanced experiences throughout the park system, I have just signed an executive order to raise admission fees for foreign tourists while keeping American prices low,” Trump said at a July 3 rally in Iowa.
The proceeds will go directly towards much-needed improvements to aging park infrastructure, helping to close the system’s growing maintenance backlog. According to budget documents issued by the Department of the Interior in May, the increase in visitor fees could raise up to $90 million on national parks and other federally managed public lands.
The US always charges the same rates for residents and non-residents, while other countries have different rate structures for parks. For example, in Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park, you’ll need $100 from visitors, and locals pay $6 for entry.
The order also mandates improvements to reservation and permit systems used in high-demand parks such as Yosemite and glaciers. A notable shift will give US residents priority access to lottery and booking queues for campsites, wilderness permits, and limited environments.
Beyond logistics changes, the order will abolish an Obama-era initiative aimed at expanding access to public land among underserved and underrated communities and increasing diversity of National Park Service staff.
The executive order will take effect soon, but the full implementation of fee increases and booking changes is expected to roll out over the next 12 months. The internal division is expected to issue draft rules by early fall, and will be subject to a public comment period.
Orders are timing as the National Park Service has tackled staffing shortages after budget cuts earlier this year. Park Services has lost 24% of its permanent staff since January, according to the National Park Conservation Association, an independent advocacy group. Lack of staffing has resulted in delays in time, visitor centres and maintenance at some parks this summer.
