Trump administration evaluates Yosemite land swap with developer Kingsbarn Realty Capital

Terms of the proposed land exchange

Federal documents submitted to Congress show that the Trump administration has spent more than a year reviewing a potential land transfer along the western boundary of Yosemite National Park. The proposal calls for transferring a 400-meter parcel, roughly a quarter-mile strip of federal parkland, to Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a real estate private equity firm based in Nevada. Kingsbarn purchased an undeveloped 83-acre border plot, divided into two 40-acre parcels, in 2024 for $4 million through a limited liability company called Sanctuary at Yosemite. Led by chief executive Jeff Pori, the firm manages over $2.8 billion in assets across 330 properties in the United States. Pori intends to build a road through the federal parcel to connect the company's property directly to a central Yosemite route, creating a direct shortcut into the park. Under current conditions, visitors traveling to the plot must use an access road located more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the nearest park entrance. In return for the strip, the National Park Service would receive an undetermined plot of equal value, either adjacent to Yosemite or elsewhere in California.

Department response and congressional scrutiny

The Department of the Interior acknowledged that discussions regarding the access corridor have taken place, while stating that no final agreement has been concluded. Department spokeswoman Aubrie Spady disputed claims of covert negotiations, stating that suggestions the agency is secretly working to hand over parkland are false and without political pressure.

Any land exchange or access proposal involving National Park Service lands would be subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations and Departmental policies, including required environmental review and public notification processes.

The agency notified Congress this year that it was evaluating whether to finance the transaction through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. That notice drew immediate criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including California Senator Adam Schiff, who stated the fund was established by law to support conservation programs on public lands rather than private developments. Internal agency documents indicated that the proposed swap generated friction among career staff inside the National Park Service. Meanwhile, advocacy leaders such as Jayson O'Neill of Save Our Parks criticized Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, contending the negotiations align with broader administrative actions to open protected federal lands to commercial use.

Conservation pushback and earlier legal rulings

Preservation organizations and former federal park supervisors strongly objected to the plan, noting that Yosemite has held protected status since 1864 and is the fifth-most-visited national park in the United States, celebrated for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, glaciers, and giant sequoias. A previous owner of the border property spent decades attempting to build a resort and secure road access through Yosemite, but the National Park Service and federal courts rejected the proposal in the early 2000s.

This is so ridiculous, it makes you sick.

Don Neubacher, a former Yosemite superintendent now serving on the executive council of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, highlighted the previous court rejections. Neal Desai, Pacific region senior director for the National Parks Conservation Association, stated that independent checks confirmed federal personnel are actively evaluating the swap. Desai urged the agency to prioritize resource protection over commercial real estate transactions. Mark Rose, a regional representative for the association, stated that Yosemite is already managing severe visitor congestion, which intensified after the federal government eliminated a vehicle reservation rule earlier in 2026.