Executive Order on National Park Fees

By Steve Gorman and Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to increase entrance fees at U.S. national parks for foreign visitors, while his administration aims to cut park spending by over a third.

The White House stated that the additional revenue from higher fees for foreign tourists will generate hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation and deferred maintenance projects designed to improve national parks.

The executive order instructs the Interior Department, which oversees the Park Service, to raise entrance fees for international park visitors, although it does not specify when or by how much.

It remains unclear how many of the 433 parks will be impacted, as about 100 sites currently charge admission, with varying fees.

Additionally, the order mandates that U.S. residents receive priority access in permitting and reservation systems over foreign visitors.

According to the statement, U.S. citizens effectively pay more than foreign tourists due to admission fees and a portion of their tax dollars supporting the national parks.

“Charging higher entrance fees to foreign tourists is a common policy at national parks throughout the world,” the statement noted.

This executive order comes amid a proposal from the Trump administration to cut over $1 billion from the Park Service budget in fiscal 2026, a reduction of more than one-third from the previous year.

The workforce reductions in federal agencies have already contributed to staffing shortages in national parks nationwide. Since Trump took office, permanent staffing at the Park Service has decreased by 24%, and only 4,500 seasonal workers have been hired out of a promised 8,000 for this summer, according to an analysis by the National Parks Conservation Association (NCPA).

Decreased personnel at parks like Yosemite in California and Big Bend in Texas have led to closures, reduced programming, and hindered emergency responses, the NCPA reported.

Record numbers of visitors continue to flock to national parks, with admissions reaching a new high of 331 million last year, an increase of 6 million from 2023.

(Reporting and writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington and Ismail Shakilan in Ottawa; Editing by Sonali Paul and Kim Coghill)