Trump Administration Proposes Private Road Through Yosemite National Park

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has spent more than a year pressuring the National Park Service to surrender public land inside Yosemite National Park to facilitate a private development project, according to a new investigative report by NOTUS.

The behind-the-scenes proposal would allow a private developer access through Yosemite National Park in California to build a dedicated road. The planned road would connect the protected federal land to a private 83-acre property located adjacent to the park boundaries. Reports indicate that a formal property appraisal inside the national park is already in progress to facilitate the deal.

If finalized, the agreement would mark a significant departure from a public land protection legacy spanning more than 150 years. Yosemite National Park was first set aside for preservation during the Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant in 1864, laying the groundwork for the modern U.S. National Park System.

The news of the negotiations emerged just days after the National Park Service marked its 110th anniversary. The non-public efforts directly contrast with recent public statements from federal leadership. Both President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently reaffirmed commitments to safeguard America’s public lands and national parks, making the undisclosed Yosemite proposal a major flashpoint for conservation groups.

This latest proposal resurrects a decades-old attempt to secure access through Yosemite to the same 83-acre parcel. The National Park Service previously denied similar requests, citing the potential for environmental disruption and conflict with the park's core preservation mandate. A previous iteration of the development plan was defeated in federal court following legal action by environmental advocates, including the Sierra Club.

Conservation leaders have reacted swiftly to the report, vowing to oppose any transfer or commercial use of park property. Loren Blackford, Executive Director of the Sierra Club, issued a statement condemning the negotiations and pledging legal action to block the effort.

"Yosemite is not Donald Trump’s to give away," Blackford said. "This secretive deal betrays the purpose of our national parks and the promise our government has kept since Abraham Lincoln to protect Yosemite for the public and for generations to come."

Blackford emphasized that advocates intend to use every legal tool available to halt the proposed access road and prevent federal park land from being transferred for private use. Environmental policy experts warn that permitting private development access inside Yosemite National Park could set a precedent for similar commercial projects on federal lands nationwide.

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