Padilla, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Pause Discriminatory National Park Entry Fees

Senators express concerns over January 1 implementation - without proper notice - of $250 America the Beautiful non-resident annual passes and $100 non-resident fee for highly visited national parks, including Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led four Senators in calling on Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to pause the implementation of the Administration's expensive new national park entry fees and annual passes for non-residents, which are slated to take effect on January 1, 2026. The Senators emphasized that these new passes and fees were not properly noticed in accordance with the law, will slow park entry, and will further limit international visitation.

In late November, Interior announced a new fee structure for access to public lands. Beginning next year, the annual pass will cost $80 for U.S. citizens and residents and $250 for non-residents, the first time the United States has required proof of residency to access public lands. Non-residents age 16 and up who don't have an annual pass will be forced to pay a $100 per person fee to enter 11 of the country's most visited national parks - including Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks - in addition to the standard entrance fee.

"America's national parks serve as destinations for visitors both domestically and internationally to experience our country's natural beauty, cultural heritage, and history," wrote the Senators. "While we understand that entrance and recreation fees are vital to enhancing the visitor experience, we want to ensure all feel welcome to enjoy all national treasures. Since these new fees are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, we strongly believe these fees are being implemented too quickly, without public input, and will be a barrier for both residents and non-residents alike."

"We request that you stop implementation of the new non-resident passes and fees until the public has an opportunity to weigh in, impacts to visitation are studied, and clarity on implementation is provided to Congress, NPS employees, and impacted stakeholders," continued the Senators.

The National Park Service (NPS) is permitted to collect and retain entrance and recreation fees under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. These fees play an important role in making sure these parks can provide a positive visitor experience for citizens and non-residents alike. However, the law requires the Secretary of the Interior to allow the public the chance weigh in on the development of or changes to recreation fees, and it mandates advanced notice to impacted communities in local publications. The Senators criticized the Administration for failing to provide this legally required opportunity for public input.

In addition to Padilla, the letter was also signed by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Padilla and his colleagues also warned that this plan would further strain the understaffed NPS workforce, as the Trump Administration has cut 24% of permanent NPS employees since January, including positions like fee collectors and information technology specialists. These staffing shortages along with will likely further compound entry delays, especially at the highly visited parks charging an extra $100 for non-residents.

With overseas visitation to national parks already down over 3% (and down 25% for visitors from Canada), the Senators expressed concerns that these numbers could fall even further with the steep price of non-resident passes, hurting the American economy.

The Senators also pushed for answers regarding how Park Service staff would implement this fee structure - including how the Park Service would identify who is subject to these new fees and how non-resident information would be collected or potentially stored - why public notice was not provided, and what analyses were done to understand impacts to visitation, to gateway communities, and to the recreation industry.

Earlier this year, Senator Padilla and his colleagues urged Secretary Burgum to immediately resolve looming staffing shortages at the NPS following President Trump's hiring freeze, cancellation of thousands of job offers for seasonal NPS employees, and buyout offers made without clear legal authority. He also pushed Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to allow Yosemite to implement its preferred reservation system, while underscoring the threat that the Trump Administration's reckless NPS staff cuts posed to a successful summer season. In May, Padilla introduced the RESERVE Federal Land Act to expand access to public lands, improve the visitor reservation process, and enhance transparency in how fees are collected for federal lands and national parks.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Burgum,

We write to express our concern about the new $250 America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Passes and the additional $100 non-resident fee for 11 highly visited parks. America's national parks serve as destinations for visitors both domestically and internationally to experience our country's natural beauty, cultural heritage, and history. While we understand that entrance and recreation fees are vital to enhancing the visitor experience, we want to ensure all feel welcome to enjoy all national treasures. Since these new fees are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, we strongly believe these fees are being implemented too quickly, without public input, and will be a barrier for both residents and non-residents alike.

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act allows most of the federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service (NPS), to collect and retain entrance and recreation fees. The law states the "Secretary shall provide the public with opportunities to participate in the development of or changing of a recreation fee." It also requires advanced notice to impacted communities, specifically requiring the Secretary to "publish notice of a new recreation fee or a change to an existing recreation fee established under this chapter in local newspapers and publications located near the site at which the recreation fee would be established or changed." To our knowledge, there was no opportunity for the public to participate in the development of these new fees.

We are also concerned about the impact this plan would have on the already understaffed NPS workforce. The NPS permanent workforce has been reduced by 24% since January, with lost positions that would be important in helping implement these new fees, including fee collectors and IT specialists. Further, the additional requirements to check each visitors' residency will very likely slow entry into the parks, particularly the highly visited parks identified to charge $100 per person in addition to regular entry fees.

Finally, we are concerned about what these fees will mean for international visitation. According to the International Inbound Travel Association, overseas visitation is down more than 3% and Canadian visitation is down 25%. International visitors spent $254 billion in the United States in 2024 and national parks are often part of their itinerary.

Therefore, we request that you stop implementation of the new non-resident passes and fees until the public has an opportunity to weigh in, impacts to visitation are studied, and clarity on implementation is provided to Congress, NPS employees, and impacted stakeholders.

We also request answers to the following questions:

The Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act requires public participation in the development of new national park fees. Can you explain why the public was not involved?

Did the Department publish notice of the new recreation fees in local newspapers or publications located near the 11 highly visited parks, as is required by the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act? If no, why not?

How does the Department plan to implement the new fees, particularly the additional $100 in 11 highly visited parks, with severely reduced permanent staff levels? What guidance has been provided to NPS staff required to collect these fees? Please provide any guidance or training materials associated with this fee change.

How is NPS defining the terms "resident," "residency," and "non-resident"? How do individuals prove citizenship or residency when purchasing a pass online, and will any personal information be stored in any way for the Department or any other agencies to access?

How do individuals prove residency when purchasing a pass in-person, and which documents will be accepted? Will any personal information be stored through this process?

What is the process for checking a carload of visitors to a national park for their residency? Will the driver be the only one required to show proof of residency, or will every visitor be required to provide identification?

What if an individual fails to bring an acceptable form of identification?

Several popular national park sites already have issues with long entrance lines. What measures are being put in place by the Department to ensure the process is seamless and efficient for both residents and non-residents?

What analyses were conducted by the Department to understand the impacts to visitation at our parks, as well as the economic impacts to gateway communities and the recreation industry, by implementing these new fees?Thank you in advance for addressing these important questions and stopping the implementation of these new fees until we get clarity on these issues.

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