YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — If you're not from the United States and plan to enter Yellowstone National Park in 2026, you will now pay at least $100 more per person than you did just a few weeks ago.
Park Superintendent Cam Sholly says he thinks that's a pretty good idea.
“This is something that has been needed for a very, very long time,” said Sholly.
Watch: Yellowstone National Park's new fee structure for international visitors could generate millions in additional revenue for park operations and infrastructure improvements
U.S. residents still pay $35 for a one-week pass, per carload of people. But international visitors are now paying $135 for the same deal. Residents pay $80 for an annual pass, while international visitors now pay $250.
“I am hoping that it doesn't necessarily affect my business," said Ashea Mills, the owner of Walking Shadow Ecology Tours of Yellowstone in Gardiner. "We do have quite a few international travelers, but they tend to be the folks that are just going into it knowing that they're going to spend a chunk of change, and that's just part of the deal.”
Travis Watt, the manager of Three Bear Lodge in West Yellowstone, echoed that thought
“I think it's great," Watt said. "I support it. It's common to go to other countries, and as a non-resident, those countries pay a higher amount. So I think it's great. It's something that's been talked about for really a long time, and it's finally been pushed through.“
Other business managers and owners said much the same. No business owners in gateway communities have opposed the fee increase.
That’s not so true in Utah and California, where there is some strong pushback. But Yellowstone’s Sholly says there’s more to consider than just the fee hike alone.
“The average taxpayer, I think, pays like a dime to the Yellowstone budget," he said. "And so $35 a car coming in as is set for a seven-day pass currently, the internationals don't even pay the dime. So up until this point, the internationals have been getting into U.S. National Parks cheaper than American citizens.”
Mills found common ground with Sholly.
“I do think that the gate fees are pretty reasonable, and if we can garner more cash flow for the infrastructure where we really need it, then it's probably not a bad thing,” she said.
Watch: Yellowstone hikes fees for international visitors: Full Cam Sholly interview
Sholly agreed.
“I think it's going to be really good from a revenue standpoint," he said. "We'll be able to take a lot of that additional revenue and put it into our operations, put it into deferred maintenance infrastructure, things like that.”
According to Sholly, Yellowstone gets to keep 80% of the gate revenues and, international visitors make up 15% to 25% of visitors.
He also said that entrance fees totaled about $14 million in 2025. That means the park reaped about $12 million. If 15%-25% of that $12 million comes from internationals, then the park collected $1.8 million to $3 million from non-resident visitors.
In 2026, that fee will go up 3.9 times. A simple multiplication of fees puts increased revenues at $7 million to $12 million per year.
Even if as many as half of those international visitors buy a pass online or in another park ahead of time, then Yellowstone is still set to gain $3.5 million to $5.85 million in additional income.
Other sources that compute the number of visitors times the $100 per person surcharge say the increase could be much higher, on the order of $55 million per year.
Watt said it sounds like a lot in total, but it will be just a small part of a visitor’s expenses.
“A fee like that, especially planning ahead to next summer, I don't think it really matters,” he said.
Mills pointed out what she sees as the biggest factor in attracting visitors to the park: “Yellowstone's always going to be a prized destination.”
Watch: Yellowstone hikes fees for international visitors: Full Ashea Mills interview
