The Trump administration is considering a land exchange to grant a private Nevada developer a quarter-mile strip inside Yosemite National Park. The deal aims to build an access road for an 83-acre property, drawing swift opposition from lawmakers and conservation groups who vow to block the effort.
The National Park Service has spent more than a year evaluating a land swap that would cede a strip of land inside Yosemite National Park to a Nevada-based company. Four individuals familiar with the discussions and agency documents reviewed by NOTUS confirmed that federal staff in California and Washington, D.C., have been working on the arrangement since the spring of 2025.
The proposal centers on a roughly quarter-mile parcel within the park. Administration officials maintain that no final decisions have been reached, and any transaction must clear standard federal environmental reviews and public notification processes.
Kingsbarn Realty Capital and the Access Road Proposal
The real estate investment firm behind the push is Kingsbarn Realty Capital. Jeff Pori, the CEO of Kingsbarn, wants to construct a short road connecting that private acreage to a central Yosemite thoroughfare.
The current access road sits more than 10 miles from the nearest park entrance, keeping the property isolated from the park’s primary attractions.
Past Legal Rejections and Internal Friction at the Park Service
Efforts to secure a direct road through the park are not new. A previous owner of the land, California developer Lewis Geyser, pursued a similar hotel and roadway project for decades. Geyser sued the park nearly two decades ago after claiming a right to a land easement, but federal courts rejected his appeals in 2007 and 2012, as detailed by Outside.
The renewed push under the current administration has caused noticeable tension among personnel inside the federal agency. Sources told reporters that the current negotiations carry the backing of top political leadership within the Department of the Interior.
“They want us to be responsive to the property owner and their lobbyists or people, and they want us to work with these folks.”
Anonymous source, via NOTUS
Cicely Muldoon, a 40-year Park Service veteran who served as Yosemite’s superintendent before retiring in 2025, criticized the concept of ceding park grounds for commercial benefit, pointing out the historical significance of the land.
“The national park idea started in Yosemite with Abraham Lincoln’s preservation of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias. Our basic purpose in the national parks is to preserve these places unimpaired for future generations, not letting go of that for the purpose of private profit.”
Cicely Muldoon, former Yosemite superintendent
Pushback From Lawmakers and Environmental Advocates
The revelation has sparked immediate backlash from environmental organizations and federal lawmakers representing California.
Elected officials, including California Senator Adam Schiff, along with Representative Jared Huffman, have mobilized to block the land swap. Huffman issued a strong warning regarding the potential precedent the deal might establish.
“Our parks belong to all of us. These places should be protected for every generation, not sold off to Trump’s ultra-wealthy friends to profit off of. I will fight this, both for Yosemite and for every treasured park that would be up for grabs if this domino falls.”
Representative Jared Huffman, via The Guardian
Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior continues to defend its process. Aubrie Spady, an agency spokesperson, rejected reports of improper influence and noted that any future proposal will adhere strictly to environmental reviews, public notifications, and federal regulations.
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