The iconic landscapes of the American Southwest draw visitors from across the world. These visitors often opt for a guided tour over the hassle of driving themselves, and a network of locals has built a business around guiding them.
Across Arizona Tours is a Phoenix-based van tour company that’s been offering one- or two-day tours to see the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and other breathtaking destinations since 2002. But a recent executive order has caused their sales to plummet and threatens their ability to operate.
In July 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14314, “Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks.” Under the order, the president directed the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to implement, at certain national parks, a new $100-per-person surcharge, on top of the standard entrance fee, to any visitor age 16 or older who lives outside the United States. And an annual pass, which costs $80 for residents, now costs nonresidents $250. These fees are unprecedented, as the National Park Service (NPS) has never charged international visitors higher rates to enter the parks.
This means that the cost of visiting the national parks has just skyrocketed for international tourists. A couple visiting from abroad and hoping to see the Grand Canyon must now pay $235 instead of just $35—and that’s only if they enter the park in a car. If they plan on visiting another park, they might as well purchase the annual pass, which will run them $250—over three times the $80 charge that a resident would pay.
Not surprisingly, these increased fees are discouraging international tourists from visiting the Grand Canyon—which means a loss of business opportunities for companies like Across Arizona Tours. And a loss of tourism also likely means lost business opportunities for other businesses in the region.
Across Arizona Tours decided to fight back against the fees that were hurting its business. The company filed a lawsuit, represented free of charge by Pacific Legal Foundation, arguing that the Secretaries lack the authority to charge nonresidents higher entrance and annual pass fees.
The Departments of Agriculture and Interior do not have open-ended authority. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), the law that governs park entrance and annual pass fees, imposes clear limitations on the Secretaries’ authority, and charging nonresidents higher entrance and annual pass fees is outside its scope.
A win for Across Arizona Tours would confirm that the agencies can’t impose fees Congress never approved and ensure that the businesses, jobs, and tourism built around America’s national parks won’t be collateral damage in the process.
Photography by Rick Wenner, Pacific Legal Foundation.
What’s At Stake?
- Federal agencies can do only what Congress authorized them to do. When an agency charges the public a fee Congress never approved, it is making law—a power that belongs exclusively to our elected representatives.
