The Trump administration is reportedly working on a deal that would cede a quarter mile of Yosemite National Park for private development.
Kingsbarn Realty Capital plans to build a road that could connect one of Yosemite’s main thoroughfares to an 83-acre plot of undeveloped land it owns outside the park, Notus reports. It now takes a 10-mile, 90-minute drive to enter the park from the property.
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Under the deal, Kingsbarn would trade land of equal value elsewhere in California in exchange for the easement. Federal staffers have been exploring the possibility of such a transaction since the spring of 2025.
Kingsbarn attorney Lanny Davis confirmed the potential land exchange with the Park Service to Notus.
“It wasn’t Donald Trump; it was me, liberal Democrat Lanny Davis, former counsel to President Clinton, went to the Department of Interior, and we made the argument that this is a pro-environmental decision to allow this road to be directly built to allow the residents of this privately owned property to gain entrance or exit to the park,” Davis told the publication. “The road we’re building is a direct pathway that does not endanger any endangered species and is simply a road.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the National Park Service told Notus that “no final decisions have been made.”
“If a proposal advances, the Department would follow established procedures to ensure appropriate coordination, transparency, and public involvement, consistent with federal law,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The land exchange has been considered a high priority by the Interior Department’s leadership, Notus reported, citing anonymous sources and internal documents. Appraisal challenges and the unprecedented nature of the discussions have slowed negotiations.
The federal government has historically aimed to expand and preserve the parks system. Yosemite was declared federally preserved land by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864.
Kingsbarn’s existing parcel sits on the western boundary of the park, 5 miles from one of Yosemite’s sequoia groves. The giant, ancient trees, some of which are as old as 3,400 years, are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The Nevada-based Kingsbarn bought the property, previously known as Hazel Green Ranch, from California developer Lewis Geyser for $4M in 2024. Geyser planned to develop the plot into a resort and similarly proposed a new road in the park. The Bush and Obama administrations turned him down.
It is unclear what Kingsbarn plans to construct on the undeveloped site. The company, led by Jeff Pori, has more than $2.8B of assets under management and is building a mixed-use project with hotel, retail and multifamily space on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, according to its website.
The U.S. Forest Service is also seeking to repeal 2001 protections that prevent road construction and logging in national parks, The New York Times reported this month. The Trump administration has accelerated the disposition of federally owned land and properties, including several historic office buildings in Washington, D.C.
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