The Solo Traveller
Your independence, passion, and lifelong memories.
News and updates …
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River over millions of years in Arizona, United States of America. Photographer: Sonaal Bangera.
Changes to America’s National Park access announced for 2026
By Tiffany West
In 2026, the way travellers enter America’s national parks is set to change, and not just in price, but in philosophy. The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced a complete refresh of National Park System access, calling it a modernisation designed for speed, simplicity, and long-term sustainability. For international visitors, it also marks a significant shift in cost, and in the idea of who pays what to protect these extraordinary landscapes.
At the heart of the update is the move toward digital passes. Beginning 1 January 2026, holders of ‘America the Beautiful Passes’ (an annual pass valid for 12 months of the calendar year), will be able to store and validate their passes on their smartphones. The DOI says this will “reduce wait times at parks and save visitors time and money”, by streamlining entry through digital purchasing and real-time validation. The traditional plastic card remains an option, but the future of park access is unmistakably mobile.
For travellers arriving from overseas, the cost of the Annual Pass will rise to USD$250 (from USD$80), but for residents, the Annual Pass price will remain at USD$80. At 11 of the most-visited sites in the country, international visitors will pay an additional USD$100 per person on top of standard entrance fees. The 11 parks are Acadia National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Everglades National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Parks, and Zion National Park.
Yellowstone National Park is a nearly 3,500 square mile wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho. Photography Nicolas in Travel.
The DOI frames these changes as part of an “America-first” approach to affordability, ensuring that US taxpayers, who already support national parks through public funding, continue to receive the lowest-cost access. International visitors, the DOI says, will now “contribute their fair share” toward maintaining facilities, restoring damaged infrastructure, and strengthening visitor services across the system. A few smaller updates are tucked into the announcement too. Travellers arriving by motorcycle will be able to cover two motorcycles under a single annual pass, offering more flexibility for road-based exploration.
Yosemite National Park. Photographer:Jota Lao.
For solo travellers dreaming of Yosemite’s granite spires or the immense hush of the Grand Canyon, this new landscape of fees may require rethinking budgets and priorities. But with digital entry, streamlined access, and a system designed to ease friction at the gate, the experience inside those parks – the part that keeps solo travellers making pilgrimages from every corner of the world – remains unchanged.
Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photographer: Roger Lipera.
The Annual Pass at a glance …
What the Annual Pass covers
The Annual Pass grants “access to thousands of recreation areas managed by six Federal agencies”, including national parks, monuments, historic sites, wildlife refuges, and other public-lands units in the federal system. It is valid for a full calendar year, offering unlimited or multiple-visit access during that period, rather than a single-entry pass.
Under the 2026 update, the pass (or its digital version) will allow entry without needing to pay per-visit fees at each park. It simplifies logistics, because you don’t need to buy a separate ticket at each park. If you visit multiple sites, a pass often works out cheaper than paying individual entrance fees many times over.
What the pass does not necessarily cover
The pass does not cover non-park fees, and there may still be additional fees for special uses such as camping, some guided tours, permit-only zones, reservation fees, or extra services/facilities inside certain parks.
Why many travellers favour the pass
If you plan to do more than one visit or explore several parks, the pass gives flexibility and often saves money (compared to paying entrance fees per park). It’s ideal for spontaneous travel, as you will not need to pre-buy separate tickets per site, which suits solo travellers who hop between parks spontaneously. For panoramas and big-ticket parks (think iconic landscapes), the pass removes friction with simplified entry procedures, especially with the upcoming digital pass option, which will be handy for overseas travellers even if only because there will be less paperwork.
More information about the Annual Pass, visit the National Park Service website here, and for more information about the digital version of the Annual Pass, visit the Recreation.gov website here. Recreation.gov is the government’s centralised travel planning platform and reservation system for 14 federal agencies.
Tiffany West is The Solo Traveller’s Editorial and Pictorial Assistant Lead.