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OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:37 PM – Tuesday, November 25, 2025
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced sweeping changes to national park access fees on Tuesday, effective January 1, 2026, that will keep the popular “America the Beautiful” annual pass at $80 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents — while raising the price to $250 for all international visitors.
The department is also making an effort to modernize access to the parks, making the America the Beautiful passes fully digital.
Proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency (driver’s license, passport etc.) will be required at the time of purchase and may be checked at park entrances to qualify for the $80 rate.
However, current $80 annual passes purchased before December 31, 2025, will remain valid through their full 12-month term, even for dates in 2026 and beyond, giving individuals one last chance to lock in the lower rate. This provides a grace period for U.S. residents to buy now and avoid the residency verification process for new passes.
In what the Trump administration is calling the “most significant modernization of national park access in decades,” non-U.S. residents will also face a new $100-per-person surcharge — on top of existing vehicle or per-person entry fees — at the country’s most heavily visited national parks.
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| Park Name | Location | 2024 Visitation Numbers (Approx.) |
| Grand Canyon National Park | Arizona | 4.7 million |
| Zion National Park | Utah | 4.6 million |
| Yellowstone National Park | Wyoming/MT/ID | 4.9 million |
| Yosemite National Park | California | 3.9 million |
| Rocky Mountain National Park | Colorado | 4.3 million |
| Grand Teton National Park | Wyoming | 3.2 million |
| Glacier National Park | Montana | 3.3 million |
| Acadia National Park | Maine | 3.5 million |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | TN/NC | 13.3 million (top overall, but surcharge-targeted) |
| Everglades National Park | Florida | 1.2 million |
| Bryce Canyon National Park | Utah | 2.4 million |
As part of the update, 2026 will feature ten resident-only fee-free days reserved exclusively for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. These “patriotic” free-entry dates — such as Presidents’ Day, Flag Day, Constitution Day, and the National Park Service’s 110th birthday — allow Americans to visit any national park at no cost, while international visitors will still pay standard entrance fees on those days.
- Feb. 16: President’s Day
- June 14: Flag Day and President Trump’s birthday
- July 3-5: Independence Day weekend
- Aug. 25: 110th birthday of the National Park Service
- Sept. 17: Constitution Day
- Oct. 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
The changes are part of Trump’s “commitment to making national parks more accessible, more affordable and more efficient for the American people.” They also stem from President Trump’s Executive Order 14314, titled “Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks,” signed earlier this year.
“President Trump’s leadership always puts American families first,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.”
Additional revenue from nonresident fees is earmarked exclusively for deferred maintenance and visitor-service improvements across the National Park System, which faces a maintenance backlog exceeding $22 billion.
Other visitor-friendly updates taking effect in 2026 include:
- Fully digital annual passes available through Recreation.gov
- Updated pass artwork featuring iconic American landscapes
- One annual pass now covering entry for two motorcycles (previously one motorcycle per pass)
- Ten fee-free entry days reserved exclusively for U.S. residents, including new “patriotic” dates such as Presidents’ Day, Flag Day, and Constitution Day. International visitors will still pay standard entry fees on those dates.
The America the Beautiful pass provides unlimited entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites managed by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Purchases can be made via Recreation.gov or park entrances before the year’s end — and digital options roll out on December 1, 2025. Users can purchase, store, and display them on mobile devices with QR codes for faster entry, and link them to physical cards if needed.
| Types | U.S. Residents (Citizens/Permanent Residents) | Non-residents (International Visitors) |
| Annual Pass Price | $80 (unchanged) | $250 (new tier) |
| Digital Availability | Fully digital via Recreation.gov | Fully digital via Recreation.gov |
| Proof of Residency | Required (ID at purchase/entry) | N/A (automatic $250 rate) |
| Current Pass Validity | Honored through full 12-month term | Honored through full 12-month term (if bought pre-2026) |
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