President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order which will make entrance fees to national parks in the United States more expensive for foreign tourists.
For those with US citizenship, the fees would remain the same, Trump told supporters in Iowa, linking his policy to one of his well-known slogans: “America first.”
The decree also gives US residents priority access in any permitting or reservation system operated by the National Park Service. Campsites and park access are often in high demand, especially in the summer months.
The White House says increased revenue from foreign tourists will generate hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation projects and help address a backlog of maintenance work.
The White House said it’s only fair that US citizens pay less than others because US taxpayers fund the national parks. Currently all visitors, regardless of nationality, pay the same fees, meaning US citizens effectively pay more overall due to their tax contributions, the president’s office argued.
The announcement did not specify how much more non-US residents would have to pay or how the preferential system would work.
Fees to access US national parks vary, and some don’t charge at all.
Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, for example, currently charge $35 per vehicle or $70 for an annual pass, while North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited park in 2024, is free.