National Park โฃFees for Foreign โTourists to Increase in 2025
WASHINGTONโ (AP) – Beginning next year, mostโค international visitorsโ to seven of the United States’ most popular national parks will face significantly higher entrance fees, the โNationalโข Park Service announced today. The โmove, โstemming from a July executive order by โฃPresident Donald Trump, aims toโข bolster funding โfor park maintenance and upgrades.
The โฃfee increases will impact visitors to Yellowstone,โ Grand canyon, Yosemite, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, and Arches โคNational Parks. While โคcurrent โขentranceโข fees vary by โpark, the newโข ratesโ willโ be $200 for individual foreign visitors and $300 for foreign visitor vehicles, aโค ample jump from theโ existing range of $35 to $70 per vehicle. The changes are projected to generate additional revenue for park improvements, but have drawnโ concern from โคconservation โขgroups and the tourism industry.
According to the Department of the Interior, the increased โคrevenue โwill be dedicated to addressing deferred โmaintenance projects and enhancing โvisitor facilities within the affected parks. The U.S. Travel Association reported over โฃ14โ million international visitors โคto โnational โparks and monuments in 2018. More recently, Yellowstone National Parkโค data shows that nearly 15% of visitorsโ in 2024 were from outsideโ the U.S.,a decrease fromโค 30% in 2018.
The proclamation alsoโค included a shift in the scheduleโค forโข fee-free days,introducingโค “resident-only patriotic โfee-free days” for U.S. citizens, including Veterans Day, previously open to all visitors. the Department of the Interior had initially promoted the 2025 free days with the intention of ensuring โฃaccess to public lands for “everyone,โ no matterโ their ZIP code.”
Kati Schmidt, a spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association, stated the association will seek clarification from the Department of the Interior regarding the implementation of the new โfee structure.โ The changes are expected to takeโ affect in 2025.