You weighed in: Readers respond to national park pass changes

We asked our newsletter readers how they feel about the Trump administration’s changes to national park fee-free days and annual passes. Here’s what they said.

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In the newsletter this week, I asked our newsletter readers how they feel about the changes that President Donald Trump’s administration made to national park fee-free days and annual passes.

In short, NPS recently announced Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth will no longer be fee-free days, whileJune 14, which is Flag Day and Trump’s birthday, is being added to the list.

The Department of the Interior also announced it was creating different annual pass designs for US citizens versus foreign tourists, and the one for Americans features side-by-side portraits of George Washington and Trump.

The Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-based environmental advocacy group, is suing over these new passes, alleging that the new pass delineation and the new design are unlawful.

Here were some of the responses:

💬 “I know people who are rushing to get their pass to avoid Trump’s face. The new pricing, like much of what the administration has done, is ridiculous.” — DJ W.

💬 “They should sue. I won’t get a pass if Trump is on it.” — Carol H.

💬 “Unbelievable, disgraceful and not enough words to describe the disrespect for our nation’s parks and our history.” —Cheryl P.

💬 “I don’t want to see *any* person’s photo on the pass. It should feature a nature photo. I agree with removing MLK and Juneteenth Days. I don’t think any holidays should be the basis for a free day. Replace the current free day program with one free day per month, and not the same day every month—some week days, weekend days, also first, middle, and end of month, so more folks can find a date that works for them.” — Evelyn W.

💬 “If it has a picture of Trump on it, I won’t buy it.” — Patricia S.

💬 “If Trump’s face is on it, I’ll buy two!” — Carmen S.

💬 “I disagree with the changes Trump has made. I refuse to pay for a membership with Trumps face on the card. Trump isn’t a King, so refuse to play along as if he were.”— Denise M.

💬 “I took a class on the Holocaust last week and this is how Hitler started to discriminate about some part of society. This is not his place to discriminate. Tourism industry is going to suffer big time. What a shame!! He should be bringing people together instead of dividing them. Foreigners will not come and visit the Grand Canyon state when they have to jump through all those hoops!!” – Francine C.

💬 “As a former National Park Service employee of ten years in California, I’m appalled by both the photo of Trump on the NPS Annual Pass and the ridiculous $250 fee that foreign visitors must pay to enter and NPS area. As Ken Burns of PBS has said, National Parks are Americans’ Best Idea. We should welcome overseas visitors to share this most positive aspect of USA culture and history rather than excluding them. As a Peace Corps volunteer I worked on national park development and believe that such parks encourage democracy along preserving valuable natural resources.” — Mark C.

MORE: 2026 national park passes have a new design: Trump’s face, not a park photo