National park advocates are planning events across the United States this week, as the National Park Service marks its 110th anniversary amid changes to park fees, staffing and more. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) says its nationwide “Day of Action” will encompass 30 events in 20 parks and other locations. Visitors will be invited to sign postcards thanking park employees and petitions calling on Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump to “fund and protect the park system.” Events are planned at sites including Yosemite, Acadia, Glacier, Rocky Mountain and New River Gorge national parks, as well as Muir Woods National Monument and the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to the group’s website.
The action comes during National Park Week, which runs through August 30. On January 1, the Interior Department introduced separate annual-pass prices for U.S. residents and international visitors. The America the Beautiful annual pass would cost $80 for U.S. citizens and residents but $250 for nonresidents, the department said.
Nonresidents without the annual pass would have to pay a $100 per-person surcharge, in addition to the standard entrance fee, at 11 heavily visited parks: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion. The administration presented the differentiated fees as a way to preserve relatively inexpensive access for residents while generating money from visitors who do not contribute to the park system through U.S. taxes. A July 2025 order directed federal land-management agencies to expand recreational, hunting and fishing access, encourage “responsible, voluntary conservation efforts” and reduce administrative delays.
The order cited a National Park Service deferred-maintenance backlog of more than $23 billion. The Trump administration has since relaxed hunting rules in parts of the National Park System. In May, the Park Service said 36 units had fully or partially rescinded closures or restrictions, including requirements it said duplicated state or federal regulations or went beyond what was necessary for safety and resource protection.
The reported that the changes included lifting some prohibitions on hunting along trails, training hunting dogs, retrieving animals by vehicle and using hunting stands that could damage trees. The Interior said restrictions required for public safety, resource protection or legal compliance would remain, according to the outlet. The administration’s fiscal 2026 budget proposed $2.1 billion for the National Park Service, including $2 billion for park operations.
The Interior said the request prioritized work inside park units while seeking savings from project-specific funding, grants and programs outside the park system. It also proposed redirecting Land and Water Conservation Fund money from land acquisition toward deferred maintenance. The previous administration’s fiscal 2025 proposal sought $3.6 billion in current appropriations for the Park Service, including $3.1 billion for park operations.
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