$100 Fee Sparks Chaos at U.S. National Parks, Staff Warn of Lasting Damage

A new $100 fee for foreign visitors to U.S. national parks has caused long delays and angry confrontations at park entrances. Staff report that mandatory passport checks are creating major lines, leading many international tourists to abandon their visits entirely. The fee system was introduced by the Trump administration on January 1. It requires non-U.S. residents to pay a significant surcharge for entry. Many park staff and visitors were unprepared for the new rule. National Park Service employees, speaking anonymously from various parks, describe a chaotic situation. They must now verify the nationality of every visitor, a process that slows entry to a crawl. They also report that the high cost is directly turning visitors away, risking long-term damage to the parks' global reputation. Legal advocates are now filing a lawsuit to reverse the fee policy.