The U.S. Interior Department announced Tuesday that the National Park Service will start charging international tourists $100 per person to enter some of the most popular national parks. These foreign visitors also won’t be allowed to use the fee-free days that will now be reserved for U.S. residents. This change follows a July executive order from President Donald Trump directing parks to raise entry fees for international tourists.
Read on for all the details.
The new fees will apply to 11 major parks, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite. Starting on the first of January 2026, the cost of an annual parks pass for foreign visitors will rise to $250. Nonresidents without an annual pass will be charged $100 per person to enter these parks, in addition to the standard entrance fee. Meanwhile, U.S. residents will still pay the standard entry fee or the typical annual pass price of $80.
The 11 national parks that will undergo this fee change are:
- Acadia National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Everglades National Park
- Glacier National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Grand Teton National Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Parks
- Zion National Park
None of the national parks in Washington State were included in this change. This is in spite of Olympic National Park in Washington being among the ten most-visited national parks in 2024 (it landed in the number eight spot, according to Smithsonian Magazine). Mount Rainier National Park was also not included. The third national park in Washington is North Cascades National Park, which does not charge an entry fee.
The Department also announced these fee-free parks days designated for U.S. residents only in 2026:
- President’s Day (February 16, 2026)
- Memorial Day (May 25, 2026)
- Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday (June 14, 2026)
- Independence Day weekend (July 3–5, 2026)
- 110th Birthday of the National Park Service (August 25, 2026)
- Constitution Day (September 17, 2026)
- Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (October 27, 2026)
- Veteran’s Day (November 11, 2026)