The ideology America first (America first), even in nature. The Interior Department announced on Tuesday the new taxes that foreigners who want to purchase an annual pass to visit national parks will have to pay in 2026: 250 dollars (216 euros), compared to the 80 they have been asked to pay until now and which is the amount that Americans will continue to pay.
In a statement, the department led by former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum celebrates a “rate program that puts American families first.” The price chosen for non-residents does not seem to be left to chance: next year the country will remember the 250 years of its independence from the English, with a program of celebrations that will revolve around the date of July 4th.
That $250 will buy the pass known as America the Beautiful“the beautiful United States”, which gives access to all national parks for one year. It is an individual and non-transferable pass, and is valid for all those traveling with the holder in their own car.
There is always the possibility of paying a fee, also new, of 100 dollars, in addition to the entrance fees for each of them, if you want to enter only one of the 11 most visited, a list that includes the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone and Yosemite. The itineraries of a good number of foreign tourists include visiting several of these parks in the same trip.
Burgum justified the decision in the statement because “American taxpayers (…) already support (with their taxes) the national park system.” They, Burgum writes, deserve to continue “enjoying affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.”
The White House celebrated the idea on The post is completed with an idyllic postcard of a national park with the message “America first“In another official tweet you can see the design of the new pass. America the Beautifulwith effigies of George Washington and Donald Trump.
EFFECTIVE FROM 01/26/26:
An annual pass to national parks/federal recreation lands will remain at $80 for Americans, but will increase to $250 for nonresidents.
Nonresidents will pay a new fee of $100 per person (on top of the usual entry fee) at 11 of the most visited parks.
AMERICAN FIRST. pic.twitter.com/l8kYaz5vgA
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 25, 2025
June 14, the birthday of the president of the United States, is “along with July 4, October 27, the birthday of father of national parks, Teddy Roosevelt, or Veterans Day (November 11) – one of the “free, resident-only patriotic days” announced by the Department of the Interior in Tuesday’s release. This also promises to improve the booking system and motorists’ access to the parks.
It’s unclear how these new tariffs might affect the number of foreign visitors to the United States, which has declined this year due to Trump’s aggressive isolationist policies. This decline in enrollment is particularly significant in the case of Canada. The trade war against Ottawa raised by the White House and the threats to transform the neighboring country into the 51st State of the Union have not only awakened a dormant nationalism; It also discouraged its citizens from crossing the southern border.
In 2025, national parks also suffered from staff cuts ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and from the recent Administration shutdown, which lasted 43 days, the longest in US history. During that time, these natural spaces remained unattended and without entry fees, causing the system to lose about $41 million, according to calculations by the National Parks Conservation Association, a private entity.
