Starting January 1, 2026, many of the United States’ most visited national parks will begin charging a new $100 USD per-person fee for international visitors, in addition to the existing $15–$30 standard entry fees. The policy, announced by the Department of the Interior (DOI) on November 25, affects parks including Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion.
The new international charge is waived for anyone who purchases the $250 America the Beautiful annual pass, which provides unlimited access to more than 2,000 federal lands (national parks, BLM areas, and national forests). The DOI says revenue from the international-visitor fee will help tackle a large maintenance backlog across public lands and keep access affordable for U.S. taxpayers.
Park advocates and local-business groups have expressed strong concerns. Nonprofits warn the higher cost could reduce international travel to parks and harm gateway communities that depend on tourist spending. The Sierra Club’s Jackie Ostfeld noted national parks generated an estimated $29 billion in visitor spending in 2024 and cautioned that international tourism has already been affected by prior policies. A 2024 National Travel and Tourism Office study found 36% of international air travelers included U.S. parks and monuments on their trips, underscoring the parks’ draw for overseas visitors.
Observers point to recent declines in cross-border travel from Canada—air travel to the U.S. dropped for ten straight months amid trade tensions—and note Canada has promoted domestic visitation with a “Canada Strong Pass” offering free national-park entry and discounts on rail and camping.
The DOI also announced that America the Beautiful passes will be available fully digitally via Recreation.gov in 2026. Park advocates worry about practical rollout problems: many rural entrance stations lack the infrastructure to check passports or scan digital passes, and national park staffing has already been reduced by nearly 25%. Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, said the changes could impose extra burdens on an overworked workforce.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) raised additional operational questions: will fee collectors need to verify IDs at every entrance, and do all stations have reliable WiFi for digital checks? The NPCA also warned that moving to digital, transferable passes could shift where recreation revenue flows; currently about 80% of fees typically stay in the park where they were collected, a distribution that helps smaller parks.
Other DOI updates announced alongside the international fee include adjustments to annual-pass benefits and fee schedules. Annual passes will now admit two motorcycles and will feature new graphics, including a design showing both George Washington and President Trump. The department released its list of fee-free days for 2026 but omitted Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth; instead it added several resident-only patriotic fee-free days, including Memorial Day, Flag Day (noted in the announcement as President Trump’s birthday), and Constitution Day.
Officials say the package of changes is intended to balance access, fiscal needs, and taxpayer fairness, while critics caution about the potential economic and operational impacts on parks, visitors, and nearby communities as the policies take effect in 2026.