Foreign visitors will pay more for US national parks in the future: From 2026, at least 100 dollars extra per person will be added to the most popular parks.
From next year, foreign visitors will have to pay significantly more in many of the best-known US national parks. As several US media outlets have reported, the higher fees are intended to ease the burden on locals and the revenue will be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the parks.
The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service announced that from January 2026, eleven major parks - including popular parks such as Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon - will charge a fee of 100 US dollars per person in addition to the regular entrance fee. Children under the age of 16 are exempt from the increase.
The normal entrance fee currently averages around 35 US dollars per car. Alternatively, international visitors can purchase an annual pass for 250 US dollars, which is valid for all passengers in a vehicle. However, those arriving on foot or by bus must pay the full additional fee. For US citizens and permanent residents, the annual pass will remain at 80 US dollars.
The government justifies the measure with the guarantee of favorable access for US taxpayers. Interior Minister Doug Burgum explained that the additional revenue would be used to maintain and care for the parks in order to keep them attractive for future generations. At the same time, the Trump administration is planning to cut National Park Service spending by more than a third in the next financial year.
Last year, the national parks received a record number of around 331 million visitors. According to the announcement, these national parks are affected by the new fee: 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 Parks and Zion National Park.
