Trump admin seeks to give part of Yosemite to private developer
The Trump administration is quietly pressing the National Park Service to parcel off a roughly quarter-mile strip inside Yosemite National Park and transfer it—or an easement—to Kingsbarn Realty Capital through a land exchange. The Nevada-based developer wants a private road to a central park thoroughfare, breaking 150 years of national park precedent.
Key Takeaways
- Since spring 2025, Interior Department officials have pushed NPS staff to cede Yosemite land or an easement to Kingsbarn Realty Capital in exchange for California land of equal value.
- Kingsbarn bought the 83-acre "Sanctuary at Yosemite" plot for $4 million in 2024; a new road would cut drive time to Yosemite Valley from roughly 90 minutes to direct park access.
- Courts rejected a similar private-road request from the prior owner in 2007 and 2012; Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations also declined.
- California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff oppose the deal; the National Parks Conservation Association calls it an unlawful "backroom deal."
- No final decision has been made; any exchange would require environmental review, public notification, and likely face legal challenges.
Why Is the Trump Administration Pursuing a Yosemite Land Deal?
According to NOTUS, National Park Service staff in California and Washington have spent more than a year arranging a land exchange between the federal government and Kingsbarn. Four people familiar with the discussions and agency documents confirm the effort.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum pledged during his 2025 confirmation hearing to "protect every single inch" of national parks. The push for this exchange marks a sharp reversal. Staff meet with Kingsbarn every few weeks at the direction of political appointees and send regular progress updates to Burgum's office.
What Would Kingsbarn Build Near Yosemite?
Kingsbarn controls the property through a web of limited-liability companies operated by CEO Jeff Pori. The undeveloped land sits just outside Yosemite's western boundary, about five miles from ancient sequoia groves.
Its current access road runs more than 10 miles from a park entrance. Without a new road through Yosemite, visitors to a potential hotel, resort, or private residence would face a circuitous 90-minute drive to reach Yosemite Valley. A direct connection would give the land exceptionally rare private access to a park almost entirely buffered by national forests.
The property was previously called Hazel Green Ranch. Former owner Lewis Geyser spent years seeking the same private road before selling to Kingsbarn in 2024. For context on how rare park-adjacent holdings reshape luxury markets, see our Luxury Real Estate & Dream Homes coverage.
Who Opposes Giving Yosemite Land to a Private Developer?
Cicely Muldoon, Yosemite's superintendent for five years before retiring in 2025, said the Park Service's purpose is to preserve places "unimpaired for future generations, not letting go of that for the purpose of private profit." The National Parks Conservation Association strongly opposes the plan.
Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff of California both told NOTUS they oppose the exchange. Padilla said projects should be chosen on merit, not connections to Trump officials. Schiff noted courts already struck the project down once.
An NPS spokesperson said no final decisions have been made and any proposal would follow federal environmental review and public notification. If the exchange proceeds, conservation groups are expected to challenge it in court.
How Are Trump Officials Connected to Kingsbarn?
Kingsbarn attorney Lanny Davis, former counsel to President Clinton, confirmed the company is pursuing the exchange. Davis said the road would not endanger endangered species.
In April 2025, Kingsbarn acquired Skims' Los Angeles headquarters alongside firms linked to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Don Hankey, who underwrote Trump's $175 million civil fraud appeal bond. Pori began donating to Republican and Trump campaign committees in October 2024, according to FEC records reviewed by NOTUS.