'America First'

USA: national parks more expensive for foreigners, Trump signs executive order

For the White House, the new tariffs for foreign tourists mean 'investing in our national treasures' and will bring 'hundreds of millions of dollars' to be spent on 'conservation projects to improve our parks' and maintenance

4 July 2025

Il cartello di benvenuto del Grand Canyon National Park è visto da una veduta vicino a Tusayan, Arizona, Stati Uniti, 28 giugno 2025. REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee

2' min read

More expensive entrance fees for foreign tourists who want to visit US parks. Nothing changes for US citizens, Donald Trump assured supporters in Iowa after signing an executive order in the name of 'America First'. There will also be priority for US residents in reservation systems operated by the National Park Service. However, it is not clear from the announcements how much visitors who are not US residents will have to pay nor how the priority system will work. Also because entrance fees vary from park to park and some are free.

At Yellowstone National Park, as well as at Yosemite and Grand Canyon, you now enter for $35 per half. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the most visited in 2024 and has free access. For the White House, the new decisions affecting foreign tourists mean 'investing in our national treasures' and will bring 'hundreds of millions of dollars' to be spent on 'conservation projects to improve our parks' and maintenance. And it's all about 'fairness' because 'American citizens fund the national parks' with 'their tax dollars'.

The executive order on entry fees to US national parks comes as the Trump administration proposes budget cuts to the National Park Service of more than 30%, amounting to more than $1 billion. According to the White House, the additional funds raised through the fee increase will help finance emergency work at the 433 sites managed by the National Park Service.

ThePark Service's permanent staff has decreased by 24% since Trump took office, and only 4,500 of the 8,000 seasonal workers promised for the summer of 2025 have actually been hired. Staff shortages have already caused partial closures, reduced educational activities and delays in emergency operations at iconic parks such as Yosemite (California) and Big Bend (Texas), according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Despite the difficulties, interest in the parks remains high, with a record 331 million visitors in 2024, six million more than in 2023.