We can all appreciate the beauty, historical significance and culture that national parks across the United States have provided us over countless generations. There is nothing like reaching the summit of Acadia National Park’s Beehive Trail and seeing its sandy beaches and the vast Atlantic Ocean stretching out before you for miles and miles. Over on the west coast, you can admire the towering Western Hemlocks and numerous waterfalls of Olympic National Park. Americans and visitors are always able to admire these great pillars of nature — now for an even higher price.
New policies implemented by President Donald Trump introduced higher fees for non-U.S. residents, with a $100 per person fee in addition to the standard fees for entry to 11 popular parks and a $250 annual pass, while U.S. residents pay $80. On top of that, when your eyes wander from the beautiful and natural wonders of America’s National Parks, you can look down at your park pass and see the face of the man who made it more expensive for you to visit those parks — President Trump himself.
The use of an image of Trump beside George Washington on the 2026 pass — rather than the usual picture of nature, voted on annually in a public forum — has sparked copious backlash, sticker protests and a lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity. People are outraged that, alongside invading our schools, healthcare facilities and even our homes, Trump has found a way to invade and conquer the National Parks, and the outrage is more than justified.
In his proposed budget for fiscal year 2026, which covers part of 2025, President Trump pursued over $1 billion in budget cuts to the National Park Service, including major rescissions for operations, aiming to reduce staff and shift costs, sparking major backlash from conservation groups who warned of severe potential impacts on education and the protection of resources. But, as usual, Trump ignores the experts and the voices of those most affected, and seeks opportunities that will solely benefit himself.
The National Park Service has lost 24% of its permanent employees since President Trump took office. Aside from the fact that these are real, working Americans who relied on these jobs, it’s just plain reckless. National Parks see millions of visitors every year, and just because Trump decided to slash the budget and cut down employment does not mean that those millions of visitors will stop going.
On top of that, Trump has raised entry prices for non-U.S. residents even higher than those of legal residents — simply because they are not American citizens. When taking actions against non-residents like this, the Trump administration often hides behind an “America first” agenda, but that is a tactic we can all see through very clearly. Alongside the recent mass deportations that are outwardly based on hatred and racial biases, it’s the little things like charging visitors from other countries extra to enjoy the vast beauties of the American parks that pose the risk of alienating visitors, possibly for decades.
For Trump to put his face on the National Park pass after defunding the parks, taking the jobs away from many of its employees, is unsettling. On top of that, he is replacing the usual photo of nature with himself while actively adding fuel to an already-heating planet. Trump has recently withdrawn from over 60 organizations advocating for sustainability and climate action.
Nobody’s face should be on the park pass, least of all Trump’s. It should feature a photo honoring nature, which is the entire point of visiting a national park. As for the additional fees, as Ken Burns of PBS once said, “National parks are Americans’ best idea.” We should welcome overseas visitors to share this most positive aspect of U.S. culture and history rather than excluding and exploiting them.
