Montana Lawmakers Propose Surcharge for Foreign Visitors to U.S. National Parks
The PATRIOT Parks Act aims to address the National Park Service’s growing backlog of deferred maintenance
By Katie Bartlett
Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sen. Tim Sheehy, both Republicans from Montana, have introduced a bill that would impose a surcharge on most foreign tourists visiting U.S. national parks, including Glacier National Park.
The bill, titled the Raising Inflow from Overseas Tourists in the Parks Act (or PATRIOT Parks Act), is intended to address the National Park Service’s (NPS) growing backlog of deferred maintenance and repairs.
The NPS, whose infrastructure needs are partially funded by park entrance fees, estimated billions in repairs were needed across roads, buildings, and other facilities in U.S. national parks by the end of the 2024 fiscal year. That total includes an estimated $134 million in deferred maintenance and repairs within Glacier National Park.
Sheehy described the foreign visitor fee as an “America First, commonsense way to secure affordable access for American families.”
“Our national parks drive Montana’s tourism economy by bringing in visitors from all over the world and define our way of life by offering an experience you can only find in America,” he added.
The bill stipulates that Canadian citizens visiting Glacier National Park will be exempt from the additional fee. The exemption recognizes the joint stewardship of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, which straddles the Rocky Mountains between Montana and Canada.
Of the more than 400 parks in the NPS system, just over 100 charge entrance fees. Glacier is one of them, offering a $30 seven-day single vehicle pass and a $50 annual pass.
Under current law, at least 80 percent of recreation fees stay within the park where they are collected, while the other 20 percent is used to support parks that do not collect fees or generate a small amount of revenue. The PATRIOT Parks Act specifies that the foreign visitor surcharge would follow the same formula.
The legislation would codify an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month. The order directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who oversees NPS, to “develop a strategy” to increase fees for non-U.S. residents visiting national parks that charge admission.
Zinke said that he believes Trump and Burgum “did the right thing” in directing NPS to move forward with the plan.
“Americans already pay for parks in our tax dollars as well as at the gates,” he added. “It’s unfair to American taxpayers to foot the bill for millions of foreign visitors.”
If passed by Congress, the legislation would align the U.S. with practices already in place in other countries. For example, Galapagos National Park in Ecuador charges an additional $200 entry fee to foreign visitors over the age of 12, while South Africa’s national parks impose additional conservation fees for international tourists.