This special issue of PERC Reports explores the next wave of solutions for our national parks.
A spate of headlines this spring warned of “crippled” national parks amid funding uncertainty and a federal hiring freeze. One urged potential visitors to “lower your expectations” this summer. One explained how a hiring freeze could affect your trip. Another suggested tips for “how to visit crowded (and underfunded) national parks this summer.” The New York Times even published “An Acadia-to-Zion Guide to Visiting National Parks in an Uncertain Summer.”
Much of the public debate about national parks revolves around two numbers: budget and staffing levels. Park advocacy groups call for more funding and more employees. Government reformers urge efficiency and leaner operations, including within the park service. But focusing on the blunt numbers of money and employees overlooks a deeper opportunity to rethink how our parks are managed.
At PERC, rather than arguing over whether the National Park Service should be bigger or smaller, we ask: What will make our national parks better? That question doesn’t lend itself to one-size-fits-all answers. Yosemite’s needs differ from those of Biscayne. And how to best manage crowds, conserve resources, and improve visitor experiences can vary even within a single park from season to season.
The better approach, which we have advocated for decades, is to empower those closest to the ground—park superintendents, local managers, and frontline staff—to make more of the decisions that matter. And provide them with predictable, user-generated funding streams, along with the flexibility to innovate, set smarter policies, and spend resources where they’re needed most. Then hold them accountable for results.
This is not just a philosophical stance. It’s a practical one, backed by years of PERC research into how incentives, authority, and accountability can improve stewardship of public lands.
Smarter Stewardship
The first step is to stop digging a maintenance hole. PERC has a history of highlighting the enormous deferred maintenance backlog across the park system—from crumbling roads to outdated water systems to deteriorating visitor facilities. While the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020 provided a temporary infusion of funding, we still need a long-term mindset focused on caring for what we already own.
That means avoiding new development when we can’t take care of existing infrastructure. And it means using resources more wisely by focusing on real needs rather than expanding the footprint of problems we haven’t solved.
Rather than arguing over whether the National Park Service should be bigger or smaller, we ask: What will make our national parks better?
National parks offer incredible value to visitors. And in many cases, the cost of admission hasn’t kept pace with demand, leading to strained infrastructure and overcrowded parks. More flexible, market-aligned fees can improve visitor experiences by generating funding to maintain the very resources people come to see.
International visitors, in particular, are an untapped source of park support. As PERC has noted, targeted fees for foreign tourists—who currently do not pay a premium at U.S. parks, even as Americans are often charged more than locals when we visit national parks in other countries—could generate meaningful revenue to reinvest in America’s parks while still offering a world-class deal. Thankfully, the Department of the Interior is now considering this idea.
Finally, parks need the authority to spend fee revenues flexibly. Current rules often tie managers’ hands, forcing cookie-cutter decisions rather than tailored solutions. By untying those hands—and giving superintendents real tools to address real problems—we can empower local leaders to be better stewards.
Of course, flexibility must come with accountability. Local managers should be evaluated not on how well they follow top-down orders, but on how effectively they work on the ground—serving visitors, conserving the incredible resources within our parks, and delivering value.
Beyond the Headlines
Budget fights and hiring freezes make for splashy headlines, but they rarely capture the full story. The real challenge—and opportunity—of the day lies in how we care for national parks. That means moving beyond a binary debate over “more or less” and instead embracing a vision for better.
This spirit of thoughtful, meaningful improvement is what drives our work at PERC. We believe America’s national parks deserve more than stopgap measures and political posturing; they deserve the kind of forward-thinking stewardship that matches their extraordinary value to our nation.
In the pages that follow, we’ll continue to explore ideas, showcase successes, and challenge conventional wisdom—all in service of ensuring that these irreplaceable landscapes remain vibrant, accessible, and well-cared-for for generations to come. Because when it comes to our national parks, better isn’t just possible—it’s essential.
