in effect
Executive Order 14314, signed July 3, 2025, directs the Secretary of the Interior to raise entrance and recreation pass fees for non-U.S. residents at national parks and federal recreational lands, while directing improvements to services and affordability for U.S. residents. It also orders reviews of park maintenance backlogs, access rules, and visitor capacity, and revokes a 2017 presidential memorandum on diversity and inclusion in public lands.
Non-U.S. residents will pay higher entrance fees and higher prices for the America the Beautiful Pass at national parks and federal recreational areas, though specific dollar amounts are left to the Secretary of the Interior to determine. Revenue from those increased fees must be reinvested in park infrastructure and visitor experience under existing law (16 U.S.C. 6807). The Secretary of the Interior must review and potentially rescind recreational access rules — with particular scrutiny of rules issued during the prior administration — and must give U.S. residents preferential treatment in permitting or lottery systems where access restrictions remain. The Secretary must also act to address the National Park Service’s existing maintenance backlog using funds already authorized under the Great American Outdoors Act. A 2017 presidential memorandum directing diversity and inclusion efforts in national parks and public lands is revoked.
Foreign tourists visiting U.S. national parks will face higher entrance and pass fees, with exact amounts to be set by Interior Department rulemaking. U.S. residents are the intended beneficiaries — the order directs steps to improve affordability and give them preferential access in permit and lottery systems. The National Park Service and Department of the Interior must carry out the strategy, reviews, and fee changes directed by the order.