The Trump administration has proposed giving a small piece of land inside Yosemite National Park in California to a private developer, according to federal officials and documents reviewed by The New York Times. The possible deal has not been finalized. Conservationists and former federal officials have said Yosemite should stay off limits to development.
The proposal calls for transferring a small parcel just inside the western boundaries of Yosemite to a Las Vegas-based company, documents submitted to Congress this year and reviewed by The Times show. That company wants to build a road and develop two 40-acre parcels near the park. In exchange, the company would buy land of equal value, either near Yosemite or elsewhere in California, and turn it over to the National Park Service, the documents show.
The company is controlled by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, a real estate private equity firm. The firm bought the nearby parcels in 2024 for $4 million through a limited liability corporation called Sanctuary at Yosemite, property records show.
Former Yosemite supervisor says a similar proposal was rejected years ago
Don Neubacher, a former supervisor at Yosemite who now serves on the executive council of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, criticized the idea. “This is so ridiculous, it makes you sick,” Neubacher said. He said a similar proposal had been raised in the early 2000s by previous owners of the parcels and was rejected, first by the Park Service and later in court. The administration has also moved to repeal a 2001 national forest rule.
The proposed swap would appear to give Kingsbarn a shorter route into the park. Aubrie Spady, a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, said no final decision has been made. “Any land exchange or access proposal involving National Park Service lands would be subject to all applicable federal laws, regulations and Departmental policies, including required environmental review and public notification processes,” Spady said.
The Interior Department notified Congress this year that it was considering paying for the exchange through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The notification drew criticism from Democrats. They said the fund was intended to pay for conservation programs on public lands.
Senator Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, called Yosemite “one of California’s natural wonders” in a statement on Friday. “This administration appears hellbent on moving forward in the face of opposition from the public, Congress and the courts,” he said. “But the only thing the administration cares about is whether there is money involved.” Scientists have also raised alarm after officials said they would dismantle a deep ocean monitoring system.
Published: Aug 29, 2026 07:30 am