Trump administration weighs Yosemite land swap with private developer

Key Points:

• The Trump administration is exploring a land swap involving a small portion of Yosemite National Park or an interest in it, to allow private developer Kingsbarn Realty Capital to build a new access road near the park's western entrance.
• Kingsbarn owns an 83-acre parcel near Yosemite and would exchange it for land of equal value elsewhere in California, with the Interior Department emphasizing that no final decision has been made and that any exchange would follow federal laws and public review.
• The proposal is framed by Kingsbarn's attorney as environmentally beneficial by reducing driving distance and emissions, but environmental groups like the Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association strongly oppose it, calling it a threat to public land and conservation legacy.
• Legal challenges have previously blocked road development attempts by the property's former owner, and experts note that land swaps involving National Park Service land for private development access are rare and legally unclear.
• Kingsbarn CEO Jeff Pori has made donations to President Trump's campaign since 2024, but there is no evidence that these contributions influenced the administration's consideration of the land swap proposal.