Tour company challenges unauthorized park fees threatening Arizona business

Phoenix, Arizona; September 28, 2026: A Phoenix-based tour company filed a lawsuit today challenging steep new fees on international visitors to national parks, which are deterring foreign tourists from visiting the Grand Canyon and using its services. Across Arizona Tours alleges that the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture have no authority from Congress to impose these fees. Since January, the National Park Service (NPS) has imposed a $100-per-person park entrance fee for nonresidents, on top of the base entrance fees that all visitors pay. Alternatively, the NPS allows admission to federal parks if non-resident tourists pay $250 for an “annual pass” that residents and U.S. citizens can obtain for only $80. The lawsuit argues that these fees were imposed without congressional authorization.

“Federal agencies cannot make up fees as they please,” said Jacob Haas, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation. “Only Congress can authorize federal fees. And Congress has never authorized higher fees for nonresidents—not least because such a policy would discourage international tourism and hurt companies like Across Arizona Tours.”

Across Arizona Tours has operated since 2002, offering guided trips to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and other Southwest destinations. Many of its customers travel from abroad, but the new surcharge has dramatically increased the cost of visiting the Grand Canyon for international tourists. As a result, many would-be patrons are skipping the Grand Canyon—which means Across Arizona Tours is losing business.

A victory would confirm that agencies cannot bypass Congress and impose unauthorized fees that threaten businesses tied to America’s national parks.

Pacific Legal Foundation represents Across Arizona Tours free of charge. The case is Across Arizona Tours v. Burgum.

Photography by Rick Wenner, Pacific Legal Foundation.