Composite story
Trump administration weighs ceding a Yosemite strip so a developer can cut a private road
Yosemite National Park, CaliforniaPublished 30 Aug 2026
Diliff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Interior says there is no secret handover; conservationists and California Democrats call a Kingsbarn land swap theft of parkland for a private shortcut.
The Trump administration is considering a land exchange that would give Nevada developer Kingsbarn Realty Capital a roughly quarter-mile strip or easement inside Yosemite National Park so it can build a short private road from its 83-acre Hazel Green Ranch toward a park thoroughfare. Interior says no final decision has been made, that any swap would follow federal law, and that there has been no political pressure. People familiar with the talks, cited by NOTUS and others, say Interior's political leadership has been pushing the Park Service since 2025. Kingsbarn, whose CEO donated to Trump, says the road is a legal, pro-environment shortcut. A prior owner lost in court in 2012 seeking a similar road. California Democrats and park groups oppose the deal.
Disputed opinions
None yet.
Trump’s Quietly Working to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private Developer
Published 28 Aug 2026 accessed 29 Aug 2026
Facts
Burgum pledged in his 2025 confirmation hearing to protect every inch of the national parks.
The plot is about five miles from an ancient sequoia grove.
Cicely Muldoon said the national park idea started in Yosemite with Lincoln's preservation of the valley and Mariposa Grove.
Davis said the road is a direct pathway that does not endanger any endangered species.
In the early 2000s the Park Service appeared interested in working with Geyser to reduce development pressure on Yosemite Valley.
Davis has not listed Kingsbarn or Pori as clients in federal lobbying disclosures.
Muldoon said when she left, the road request was still closed.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Jeff Merkley sent Interior an endorsed LWCF project list that omitted Yosemite.
Pori has had public business ties to people in Trump's orbit.
In April 2025 Kingsbarn closed a deal to acquire Skims' Los Angeles headquarters with Newmark Group and Hankey Capital.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick chaired Newmark Group and did not fully divest until May 2025.
Merkley's spokesman said the Yosemite project was not on the agreed list and that Merkley objected to it.
Don Hankey chairs an insurance company that underwrote Trump's $175 million 2024 civil-fraud appeal bond.
NOTUS says the Park Service can likely move a land exchange without further congressional involvement.
Pori thanked both companies in a press release and said Hankey Capital helped make the deal possible.
NOTUS said neither Pori nor Interior had publicly expressed interest in the Yosemite exchange.
Murkowski's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Rose would not comment on NPCA's legal strategy.
Opinion
Muldoon said parks exist to preserve places unimpaired, not to let them go for private profit.
NOTUS says Interior's advocacy for the deal reverses Burgum's confirmation pledge.
Muldoon said the buyer had not realized a new private entrance into Yosemite was not possible by law.
A person familiar with agency talks said the deal looks unseemly because the property's value could explode.
That person said replacement acreage may look equal while the developed Hazel Green deal is incredibly valuable to the developer.
That person said the deal kind of smells and is not quite right.
Trump administration considering trading Yosemite land to private developer
Published 28 Aug 2026 accessed 29 Aug 2026
Facts
The project has been identified to lawmakers as a priority without explanation.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund was created in 1964 to safeguard natural areas and often adds land to parks.
Davis said Kingsbarn asked the Park Service to purchase an 11-mile strip inside Yosemite for a shorter access road.
Davis said Kingsbarn wants to build upscale single-family houses on the property.
Davis said it has not built yet because residents would have to drive 28 miles on current roads to the park.
The White House referred questions about the deal to Interior.
Land preservation groups expressed dismay at losing any piece of Yosemite, no matter how small.
Aaron Weiss said the NOTUS reporting was consistent with what his group had been hearing for several months.
Interior did not respond to a request for more details about the proposal.
Yosemite is nearly 750,000 acres, roughly the size of Rhode Island.
Rose said Yosemite is overcrowded because of runaway lodging outside the park and the end of the reservation system.
Opinion
Weiss said Americans have consistently said national parks are not for sale.
The Times says slicing off any Yosemite piece runs counter to promises from Trump and Burgum.
Jayson O'Neill said the deal is the latest attempt by the administration and Burgum to cede park land to private developers.
Weiss said if Burgum listened to Americans instead of Trump's National Mall whims he would see this is a terrible idea.
Rose said NPS should prioritize conservation, not help build a luxury development that would harm wildlife and raise wildfire risk.
Rose said a new development would exacerbate the chaos.
Trump administration seeks to give away a piece of Yosemite for hotel development
Published 28 Aug 2026 accessed 29 Aug 2026
Facts
Environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers are calling the proposal an outright theft of public lands.
Davis said the land-exchange mechanism is provided under federal law and will not reduce the park's land area.
The Chronicle says the administration has moved to loosen federal-land protections, shrink monuments, and open more areas to development.
NOTUS first reported the potential land exchange on Friday.
The national park system was established to protect natural and culturally important lands.
The Chronicle sent NPS and Interior inquiries for weeks and did not receive a response.
Any development on the Kingsbarn property is subject to Mariposa County approval.
Internal concerns include congestion, wildfire risk, and disturbance of a natural environment.
A federal official said concerns have been raised internally about building such a road.
The Kingsbarn property is largely undeveloped chaparral with a rustic structure.
Muldoon said the park was surprised Kingsbarn was asking.
Several in California's congressional delegation have come out against the possible land swap.
Opposition is already emerging.
Opinion
The Chronicle says the road would likely be a first step toward high-end homes or a massive resort at the park edge.
The Chronicle says Kingsbarn is hoping a more business-friendly administration will yield a different outcome.
Muldoon worries a Yosemite land exchange could set a worrisome precedent.
Muldoon said if it can happen in Yosemite it could happen anywhere in the Park Service.
Trump administration faces pushback after looking to privatize land on Yosemite National Park
Published 29 Aug 2026 accessed 29 Aug 2026
Facts
Documents and the developer's attorney say the firm plans a small village of homes and retail there.
Davis said it is a 25-mile drive along public roads to the plot adjacent to the park.
CNN says this follows efforts to reduce protected land in Utah and use parts of Big Bend for border infrastructure.
The union said it is incredibly concerned about implications for an already overwhelmed staff.
CNN says Trump's efforts to reshape sites have included removing signs, rolling back protections, and reassigning staff.
Kingsbarn told CNN it did not discuss the proposal with the White House.
Mariposa and Tuolumne county officials told CNN that NPS and Kingsbarn did not communicate with them and that they learned of the proposal Friday.
Democratic lawmakers, park advocates, and climbers swiftly criticized the proposal.
Desai said NPCA will take every action to protect Yosemite.
Rep. Jared Huffman raised concerns about the precedent the land exchange would set if approved.
Opinion
CNN says the move would mark another attempt to allow private control of federally owned property.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Trump is hellbent on destroying what is sacred and that California will not stand by while he grifts public lands.
Neal Desai told CNN the deal sends the signal that any piece of national-park land is for sale.
Alex Honnold called the move insane and the epitome of selling the future to cash out in the present.
Desai said Americans expect the Park Service to protect places, not help developers sell off Yosemite.
Honnold said Yosemite has been protected for over 100 years and is the most beautiful U.S. national park in his opinion.
Davis said there is no pro-environmental argument for 700 feet of exhaust versus 20 or 30 minutes of driving.
Trump Administration Reportedly Considers Development of Private Road in Yosemite
Published 28 Aug 2026 accessed 29 Aug 2026
Facts
Neubacher said that as far as he can tell the NOTUS story is 100% accurate.
Kingsbarn did not respond to KQED's inquiries in time for publication.
Neubacher said a land exchange must be shown to be in the government's best interests.
Jesse Chakrin said he was surprised the area along the drive from Hodgdon Meadow toward Crane Flat might be up for sale.
Opinion
Desai said the public expects the Park Service to protect parks, not scheme up ways to sell Yosemite.
Desai said national parks are in crisis and Yosemite is in chaos.
Former Yosemite superintendent Don Neubacher called the latest private-road attempt ridiculous.
Neubacher said Interior is covering up its actions and hoped the deal would slide through in secret.
Neubacher told KQED it is another nightmare for the Park Service and Yosemite.
Neubacher said the only change is a new administration that seems pro-development.
Neubacher said he does not see how anybody can claim this exchange is in the government's best interests.
The union said it is dismayed the administration is prioritizing this deal while worsening issues for Yosemite NPS employees.
Chakrin said there is no boundary on what they will consider to benefit a small number of very wealthy people.
Chakrin said his biggest shock is what the administration's approach could mean for the future of parks.
Chakrin said that is not what national parks are for.
Chakrin said it is a beloved area.
Chakrin said the spot has the best dogwood in the park and spring flowers and fall color.
Trump administration pushing to hand parcel of Yosemite land to private developer – report
Published 28 Aug 2026 accessed 29 Aug 2026
Facts
The report sparked outrage among Park Service supporters and environmental advocates.
The Guardian amended the article on Aug. 29, 2026, to note Yellowstone was the first U.S. national park, not Yosemite.
Opinion
Jayson O'Neill described it as part of Burgum's push to sell off public lands and privatize national parks.
O'Neill said Burgum and his cronies spent a year secretly negotiating to hand a piece of Yosemite to a well-connected developer.
Trump administration plans to sell sliver of Yosemite National Park
Published 28 Aug 2026 accessed 29 Aug 2026
Facts
No unique facts.
Opinion
The Examiner says such deals have not been as secretive as this one.