Trump administration reviews proposal to swap Yosemite land with private developer

Proposal for private access road

Federal officials within the Trump administration have examined options for more than a year to transfer public land in Yosemite National Park to a private real estate developer. The proposal focuses on ceding a strip of land measuring approximately 400 meters, or a quarter of a mile, inside the federal reserve in California. Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a real estate firm based in Nevada, seeks the park corridor to build a private access road connecting its neighboring property to one of the primary thoroughfares crossing Yosemite. Kingsbarn purchased the adjacent 35-hectare plot along the park boundary in 2024. Under the terms discussed between federal authorities and the developer, the National Park Service would receive an equivalent parcel of land located in another region of California.

Interior Department review and developer plans

The US Department of the Interior confirmed that federal officials have held discussions with Kingsbarn representatives regarding the prospective land swap. In a statement provided to news agencies, the department maintained that no final decision has been made and denied allegations of political pressure to deliver a pre-determined outcome. Agency spokespersons stated that if any formal proposal advances, the government will follow statutory procedures requiring public participation, environmental review, and inter-agency coordination under federal law. Kingsbarn chief executive officer Jeff Pori did not issue an immediate comment on the negotiations. Reports by US media outlets indicated that interest from political leadership in the Interior Department generated internal disagreements among career personnel at the National Park Service.

Conservationist pushback and political response

Conservation organizations and park personnel voiced immediate opposition to any alienation of Yosemite territory. Mark Rose, the Sierra Nevada program director for the National Parks Conservation Association, criticized the proposal to grant exclusive road access through public property.

It is an attack on the American people to whom this national park belongs.

The Yosemite employee union also condemned the transfer, stating that ceding public acreage to advance private commercial development contradicts the core mission of park custodians. Both US senators from California and Democratic Representative Jared Huffman opposed the plan, arguing that national parks should remain protected rather than transformed into commercial profit opportunities.

Overcrowding concerns and legal history

The current initiative revives a long-running dispute over private road construction inside Yosemite. Similar proposals to build a private road across park territory were rejected during the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, with the previous landowner losing legal challenges at both the district and appellate court levels. Yosemite was first protected by federal legislation in 1864 and is known internationally for its granite cliffs, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, and giant sequoias. In 2025, Yosemite recorded 4.28 million visits, ranking as the fifth most visited park in the United States, as the country's 63 national parks drew more than 320 million total visitors. Conservation advocates noted that Yosemite is already managing traffic congestion, which was exacerbated in 2026 when federal authorities removed the vehicle reservation system previously used to regulate visitor entries.