The Trump administration is exploring a land swap involving a quarter-mile strip of land inside Yosemite National Park to a private developer connected to Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a Nevada-based firm, to build a new access road [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Kingsbarn owns an 83-acre parcel just outside the park, purchased in 2024, and the developer, led by CEO Jeff Pori, seeks to link this land to an existing main route inside Yosemite, granting what officials describe as "exceptionally rare private access" [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12].
Under the proposed deal, the National Park Service would receive federal land of equal value elsewhere in California in exchange for the Yosemite tract [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Interior Department and National Park Service officials have discussed the swap but have not reached a final decision [1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12]. Aubrie Spady, a department spokesperson, denied political pressure on the negotiations, stating there is "no political pressure to reach a predetermined outcome" and calling claims of secret land handing "false" [1].
Any land exchange involving park lands would be subject to federal laws requiring environmental review and public notification before approval [3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12]. The prior owner of the private parcel had unsuccessfully sought court rulings to secure road rights through Yosemite. Courts rejected those claims during the Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations [3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12].
Environmental groups strongly oppose the plan. The Sierra Club, Save Our Parks, and the National Parks Conservation Association condemned the swap. Jayson O’Neill of Save Our Parks said, "National parks belong to the American people, not monied developers who are part of Trump’s donor class." Mark Rose of the Conservation Association called it "a secretive, backroom deal" aiming to "dismantle America’s conservation legacy" at Yosemite [1, 6, 9, 10].
Kingsbarn CEO Jeff Pori has donated regularly to Republican and Trump-aligned political committees, raising concerns about possible influence [9, 10, 11]. The developer’s attorney argues the new road would shorten driving distances and reduce vehicle emissions compared to existing access routes to the private parcel [6, 10].
The land swap talks happened quietly over a year and emerged in investigative reports on August 28, 2026. Prior to this, in July 2026, the Trump administration reduced two Utah national monuments by over 90%, another rollback of federal conservation protections [1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 11].
The Interior Department and National Park Service are continuing discussions but have not finalized plans. The exchange would require formal environmental studies and public input before any land transfer occurs.
