WASHINGTON, Jan 8, 2026, 13:03 (EST)
Foreign visitors entering some of the United States’ busiest national parks now face a new $100 per-person surcharge on top of standard entrance fees, according to the National Park Service. The fee applies to non-U.S. residents aged 16 and older at 11 parks, including Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. 1
Why it matters is scale and timing. Those 11 parks drew about 23 million visits last year, and the new policy is already changing how gates work as staff check IDs and tour operators sort who pays what. The Park Service does not track what share of visitors comes from outside the United States, KQED reported. 2
The Interior Department has pitched the change as part of a broader overhaul of park access ahead of 2026, including digital “America the Beautiful” passes through Recreation.gov and a shift to “America-first” pricing. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the goal is to keep resident access affordable while making “international visitors contribute their fair share” toward upkeep. 3
The fee structure is layered. Tour companies are expected to tell collectors how many nonresidents are in a commercial group, the Park Service says, and the new $250 nonresident annual pass can cover the passholder plus three additional adults when per-person fees apply. Anyone can buy the nonresident pass, while buyers of the resident annual pass must show proof of U.S. citizenship or residency such as a passport, state-issued ID or a green card. 4
The Center for Biological Diversity sued last month, arguing the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act — the law that governs recreation fees on federal lands — does not allow the new resident/nonresident pass categories or nationality-based pricing. The complaint also points to changes in fee-free entry days, saying Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth were dropped while “Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday” was added to a residents-only list. 5
Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth have not been canceled as federal holidays. The federal holiday calendar shows they fall on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, and Friday, June 19, 2026. 6
The annual pass itself has become part of the argument. National Parks Traveler reported the Park Service warned that stickers or other coverings can invalidate passes marked “void if altered,” after some visitors covered the pass artwork. An Interior Department spokeswoman told the outlet the guidance was “additional clarification” meant to keep enforcement consistent. 7
Elsewhere, policy fights are playing out on a different map. Analytics Insight published a list on Thursday ranking New Hampshire, Wyoming, Nevada and Texas among states “dominating” crypto adoption in 2025, citing tax policy, mining activity and regulation; it referred to a “recent report” but did not identify it. It pointed to Wyoming’s use of DAOs — blockchain-based organizations — and “regulatory sandboxes,” supervised test zones for new products, as part of the draw. 8
But the parks fee rollout carries real downside risk. The Guardian reported long lines and visitors turning away when asked for documents, and quoted advocates warning the policy could sour international travelers on U.S. parks for years. The Park Service told the paper it was too early to know how much revenue the surcharge will generate or whether it will deter trips, while noting that countries such as Tanzania and Ecuador charge foreigners more for marquee park access. 9
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