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Foreign visitors to some of America’s most famous national parks, including the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, will have to pay an additional fee, the Department of the Interior announced on Tuesday.
Yosemite Valley/Jeremy Bishop/Unsplash
From 2026, international tourists will be required to pay $100 (£76) (R1,716) on top of existing entrance fees at 11 of the country’s most popular sites. Annual passes for non-residents will also increase to more than $250 (R4,289), while US citizens and permanent residents will continue to pay $80 (R1,372).
The department said the fee hike is designed to “put American families first” and make the parks more affordable for domestic visitors, as reported by BBC.
“These policies ensure that US 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,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
The new charges will coincide with an upgraded online booking system and improved access for motorcyclists across the parks. The department also announced eight “patriotic fee-free” days for 2026, including Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veteran’s Day, exclusively for US residents.
The announcement follows a July executive order by President Donald Trump to raise entrance fees for overseas visitors. The administration said the extra revenue would help fund conservation and maintenance projects, even as it planned cuts to the Park Service budget.
US national parks have seen record-breaking tourism, with 331 million visitors in 2024—up at least six million from the previous year. Among the most visited sites are Florida’s Everglades, Yosemite in California, and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
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