Dept. of Interior proposes increasing park entrance fees for foreign visitors

JACKSON (WNE) — The U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed increasing national park entry fees for foreign visitors in 2026.

That’s according to a preliminary budget released this week by the department, which also includes slashing the National Park Service’s operating budget by $1.2 billion — more than the $900 million cut from the budget proposed by President Trump in early May.

The department anticipates the foreign visitor surcharge would generate $90 million to improve visitor services and enhance the visitor experience. All entrance fees collected stay within the Park Service, and 80% stay within the park where they were collected.

Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, who is co-chairman of JH AIR, a nonprofit that coordinates air service to Jackson Hole, does not support the move.

“It seems like the administration’s policies towards foreigners to begin with are already having a chilling effect on foreign visitation,” he said. “I don’t know why we would exacerbate it now by doing more.”

However, research conducted by the Property and Environment Research Center, a Bozeman, Montana-based nonprofit and nonpartisan think tank that supports market solutions for conservation, indicates that impacts to tourism would be minor.

Entrance fees “are a very, very nominal part of any sort of visitor experience when you consider flights and hotels and meals,” said Hannah Downey, the group’s policy director. “... Our research found that it wouldn’t have a big impact on visitor numbers.”

This story was published on June 5, 2025.