Journalist Michal Kovačič and his friend are enjoying an unforgettable trip through national parks in the USA. They started in Grand Teton National Park, followed by the world famous Yellowstone and finally Olympic National Park. He compared the first stop to our High Tatras, but on steroids. “It is similar in area to TANAP, there are rhododendrons and marshes everywhere, but it is much higher here. The highest peak is 4199 meters high,” commented Kovačič on the beautiful views.
Getting to know the natural beauty behind the big puddle is not free. The friends had to buy a year-long pass to the national parks in the USA. While locals pay $80 for the “America the Beautiful Pass,” tourists pay extra. President Donald Trump decided on the hike in November 2025 as part of an effort to cut government spending on national parks by a third.
“If you go to America’s national parks, expect that this ‘Trump card’ will cost you more. Foreigners pay a new surcharge. It costs $250 per car and it doesn’t matter if you are one or say a family of four. But on the other hand, it is valid for a year and we will use it in three parks right now,” Kovačič tried to find something positive about it.
He then added that he learned from the New York Times what this money from the foreigner’s surcharge was going to. “For example, our dollars helped fund this project by Trump, in which he decided to paint the swimming pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington with the kind of blue that is used in swimming pools. As Trump said – in the color of blue from the American flag,” he informed his followers about what he had read.
Kovačič turned into an influencer on vacation and documents everything on social networks. You can view the breathtaking images he created in the photo gallery. “We are on the way to the Lamar Valley, which is also nicknamed the American Serengeti, because large herds of animals can be observed there. And along the way we meet such canyons.” the journalist commented on the post.
Even though he knew of the large herds of animals in those places, he was not prepared for the sight that befell him. “I expected all kinds of things, but not a herd of over 100 bison,” admitted Kovačič. You can see the VIDEO and PHOTO at the beginning of the article.
