Trump Puts His Face on National Park Pass, Replacing Contest-Winning Photo of Glacier National Park

Environmental Group Sues to Stop It

Starting January 1, 2026, the America the Beautiful national parks pass will feature something it never has before: a president’s face.

The Trump administration replaced a photograph of Glacier National Park with portraits of Donald Trump and George Washington, calling it a “bold, patriotic” redesign for the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The photo it replaced had already won the annual public contest that federal law says must determine the pass design.

Now an environmental group is suing to restore the original image, and the case could set a precedent for how much a president can reshape even the smallest symbols of public land.

Glacier Photo Bumped for Trump Portrait

The 2026 America the Beautiful pass was supposed to feature a stunning image of Glacier National Park, with mountain peaks rising above alpine waters.

Amateur photographer Akshay Joshi won the 2024 “Share the Experience” contest run by the National Park Foundation.

Nearly 7,000 entries competed for the honor.

Instead, the Department of Interior unveiled a pass on November 25 showing Trump’s face alongside an oil painting of George Washington.

The Glacier photo got moved to a separate pass for international visitors.

Lawsuit Claims the Redesign Breaks Federal Law

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a federal lawsuit on December 10 in Washington, DC., arguing the Trump administration violated the 2004 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act.

That law created the America the Beautiful pass. Contest rules also require photos to be taken on federal lands, which Trump’s portrait was not.

The statute requires the Interior and Agriculture secretaries to hold an annual public photo contest and use the winning image on the main pass.

The Law Says a Photo Contest Must Decide

Congress wrote specific language into the 2004 act about how the pass should look.

The law states that officials “shall hold an annual competition to select the image” and that “the competition shall be open to the public and used as a means to educate the American people about Federal recreational lands and waters.”

Legal experts say the statute is unusually clear.

The law also prohibits creating new pass categories beyond the seven it names, yet the administration introduced both “Resident” and “Nonresident” versions.

Akshay Joshi Won With a Glacier Shot

Joshi entered his photograph of Glacier National Park in Montana’s Rocky Mountains into the National Park Foundation’s contest in 2024.

The image shows towering peaks reflected in alpine waters.

He beat out nearly 7,000 other entries to win the grand prize of $10,000 and the honor of having his work featured on millions of passes.

The foundation announced his win in June 2025, describing the photo as “a breathtaking view” of one of America’s most iconic landscapes.

Joshi has not publicly commented on the switch.

His Photo Got Moved to a $250 Foreign Pass

Rather than appearing on the main $80 pass, Joshi’s Glacier image was shifted to a newly created “Nonresident” pass for international visitors.

That pass costs $250, more than triple the price Americans pay.

The lawsuit argues this move violates the law twice: by removing the winning photo from the main pass and by creating a new pass category that Congress never authorized.

The Center for Biological Diversity called it a “bait-and-switch” that betrays the thousands of photographers who enter the contest each year.

Interior Calls It “America First” Branding

Secretary Doug Burgum announced the redesign on November 25 as part of broader changes to national park access.

The department said the new passes feature “modernized graphics” with “bold, patriotic designs that honor America’s landscapes, heritage and outdoor legacy.”

Burgum framed the changes as putting “American families first” and celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary. The announcement made no mention of replacing the contest winner or adding presidential portraits.

Trump’s image appears next to Washington’s on the resident pass.

12 Years of Park Photos Now Gone

Every America the Beautiful pass since the program began has featured a photograph of public lands.

Previous winners include images from Everglades National Park, Wupatki National Monument, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Acadia, Redwood, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The lawsuit includes photos of all 12 prior passes to highlight how the 2026 design breaks from tradition.

No previous pass has featured a sitting president, a former president, or any image not taken on federal lands through the public contest.

Foreign Visitors Face $100 Surcharge Too

The pass redesign came alongside steep fee increases for international tourists.

Starting January 1, 2026, visitors from outside the United States will pay a $100 per-person surcharge at 11 of the most popular national parks, including Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite.

Their annual pass price jumps from $80 to $250. Critics say the combined changes send a message about who the parks are really for.

The administration said the changes ensure “international visitors contribute their fair share” while keeping parks affordable for Americans.

MLK Day and Juneteenth No Longer Free

The administration also overhauled which days offer free park admission.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth were removed from the 2026 fee-free calendar. Trump’s birthday, June 14, which is also Flag Day, was added.

Other new free days include Constitution Day and Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. The only day that carried over from 2025 is Veterans Day.

Free admission on these days now only applies to U.S. citizens and residents, another change from previous years when everyone got in free.

White House Says Critics Should Be Grateful

White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the lawsuit in a statement.

“Instead of filing frivolous lawsuits, this leftist group should be thanking President Trump for enhancing opportunities for Americans to enjoy our beautiful national parks,” she said.

The Interior Department has not commented on the specific legal claims.

The Center for Biological Diversity’s executive director called the pass change “Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven action yet,” saying national parks “are not a personal branding opportunity.”

Judge Could Block New Passes Before January

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the administration in violation of federal law and to prevent distribution of the 2026 passes featuring Trump’s image.

The government must respond to the complaint, and a judge could issue a temporary block before the new passes take effect on January 1.

The case will turn on whether the administration had legal authority to discard the contest winner and create new pass categories.

If the court rules against the government, the Interior Department would need to restore Joshi’s Glacier photograph to the main pass.

Visiting Glacier National Park, Montana

The park at the center of this fight spans over one million acres along the U.S.-Canada border in northwest Montana.

Glacier has 700 miles of trails, 130 named lakes, and 26 glaciers that give it its name.

The Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile scenic highway, crosses the Continental Divide and opens seasonally depending on snow.

Entry costs $35 per vehicle for a seven-day pass, or you can use an America the Beautiful pass. The park is open year-round, though most facilities and roads close in winter.

Summer is peak season, and vehicle reservations are required from late May through early September.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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