---
title: "Trump’s Face Appears on 2026 National Park Passes. Conservation Group Sues"
url: "https://camperfaqs.com/trumps-face-appears-on-2026-national-park-passes-conservation-group-sues"
author: "Tory Jon"
published: "2025-12-12T09:40:59-06:00"
modified: "2025-12-12T09:41:03-06:00"
---

# Trump’s Face Appears on 2026 National Park Passes. Conservation Group Sues

Plans for the 2026 National Park Service annual pass are drawing attention, and not because of the [new campground access or entry fees](https://camperfaqs.com/national-park-fees-and-passes-get-an-america-first-overhaul-starting-2026). A newly announced redesign of the popular America the Beautiful pass has already become the subject of a federal lawsuit, raising questions about how national park passes are created and what federal law allows.

 

The lawsuit, filed this week in Washington, D.C., comes just days after the Department of the Interior revealed updated pass designs and pricing changes set to take effect on January 1, 2026.

 

## What changed with the 2026 national park pass

 

On November 25, the Department of the Interior announced a redesign of the America the Beautiful annual pass program. The update included new graphics, a move toward digital passes, and a new pricing structure that separates U.S. residents from non-resident visitors.

 

Under the plan outlined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the annual pass would cost $80 for U.S. residents and $250 for foreign visitors. Department materials also showed different artwork tied to each pass type.

 

One of the designs shown for the resident annual pass features an official portrait of President Donald Trump alongside George Washington.

 

![America the Beautiful Annual Pass 2026](https://camperfaqs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/RSAmerica-the-Beautiful-2026-Pass-FP-1200x756.jpg)

America the Beautiful Annual Pass 2026 courtesy Department of Interior

 

A separate design using the most recent public photo contest winner, a photograph of Glacier National Park taken by Akshay Joshi, was shown as the artwork for a non-resident pass.

 

That shift is at the center of the legal challenge.

 

## Why the design is being challenged

 

The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit environmental group based in Arizona, [filed suit](https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/lawsuit-challenges-trump-use-of-headshot-on-national-parks-pass-2025-12-10/) on December 10. The group argues that the redesign violates the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

 

According to the lawsuit, the law requires the standard annual pass to display the winning image from the National Park Service’s public photo contest. The group also claims the law limits how many national pass types can exist, and that separating resident and non-resident passes goes beyond what Congress authorized.

 

The complaint asks a federal judge to block the rollout of the 2026 passes until the program complies with the statute.

 

So what does that mean for park visitors? For now, it means uncertainty. The designs shown by the Department of the Interior have not yet gone into circulation, and the court has not ruled on the case.

 

## Past passes followed a different pattern

 

For more than a decade, America the Beautiful passes have featured photos of parks, wildlife, and public lands. Images submitted through the annual contest were used as the main artwork, and no prior pass designs included portraits of presidents.

 

![America the Beautiful Annual Passes courtesy Department of Interior

](https://camperfaqs.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/RSAmerica-the-Beautiful-Annual-Passes-FP_hpr.jpg)

America the Beautiful Annual Passes courtesy Department of Interior

 

The lawsuit includes examples of previous years’ passes to show that the 2026 proposal marks a departure from that history.

 

## Other changes tied to the redesign

 

The pass artwork is not the only change tied to the 2026 update. The National Park Service has also [adjusted its fee-free admission days](https://camperfaqs.com/national-parks-dropped-mlk-day-juneteenth-more-from-the-2026-fee-free-days-heres-what-replaced-them).

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth were removed from the free entry calendar. Flag Day, which also falls on President Trump’s birthday, was added. Free entry days going forward would apply only to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

 

The Department of the Interior has not provided a detailed explanation for all of these changes and declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing ongoing litigation.

 

## What happens next

 

At this point, the case is in its early stages. A judge could allow the redesign to move forward, pause distribution of the passes, or require changes to the program before 2026.

 

Until the court weighs in, much remains unresolved.