The outdoor recreation industry has been abuzz about a press release published by the U.S. Department of the Interior on November 25, which announces several big changes coming to the country’s national parks.

The press release describes the changes as “the most significant modernization of national park access in decades, delivering new digital America the Beautiful passes, updated annual pass artwork, expanded motorcycle access, and a new resident-focused fee structure that puts American families first.”

Coming January 1 of next year, the ‘America the Beautiful’ annual national parks pass will remain $80 for residents, while non-residents of the United States will now pay $250. In the past, this pass – which covers entrance fees at national parks for either one private vehicle or four individuals, depending on the park – was $80 or less for everyone, regardless of their nationality.

In additional to the 212.5% increase in the annual national parks pass for non-residents, non-residents without the annual pass will now pay an extra fee of $100 per person to enter any of the country’s 11 most-visited national parks in addition to the standard entrance fee.

With 4.15 million visitors in 2024, Rocky Mountain National Park was the 5th most-visited national park in the country that year, and while some shuffling in the rankings of 2025 may occur, it’s highly unlikely that the park drops out of the ‘top 11’ group for a long time.

The daily entrance fee into Rocky Mountain National Park for a single vehicle is $30 for one day or $35 for seven consecutive days, or $15 to $20 for a single-day person riding in on a bicycle or on foot. This means that come January 1, a solo non-resident visiting the park will be paying a minimum of $115 for a day trip – $130 if they’ve got a vehicle. Two non-residents in the same vehicle would be paying $230, and with a higher number of non-residents than that traveling in the same car, it would then make sense to purchase the coming-next-year $250 non-resident annual pass. Prices can be subject to change, but a full breakdown can be found here.

This creates a large gap in pricing between American residents and non-residents at the country’s most popular parks, with the aforementioned non-resident couple in a vehicle paying 667% more for a day at the park compared to an American couple arriving by the same means.

“President Trump’s leadership always puts American families first,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, as quoted in the press release. “These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.”

The increase in fees for international visitors isn’t the only change that’s coming next year.

In a change that’s sure to please motorcyclists, the annual ‘America the Beautiful’ pass will now cover two motorcycles per pass opposed to one.

It’s also worth noting that all America the Beautiful passes will now be available in fully digital format on Recreation.gov, enabling visitors to store the passes on mobile devices.

“Revenue generated from new fee policies will be invested directly back into America’s national parks, supporting upgrades to visitor facilities, essential maintenance, and improved services nationwide,” reads the press release.

Find the full press release here.

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