Rocky Mountain, Death Valley: What you need to know as more national parks go cashless
For trips to national parks, travelers should bring essentials such as sunscreen, water and hiking boots. This summer, travelers may want to bring a debit or credit card.
Dozens of the National Park System's 424 sites no longer accept cash for admission. Some have just switched to cashless entry, and more may be coming soon.
"We try to keep an eye on visitor demand, but we also make smart operational decisions that allow us to keep as many dollars in our parks as possible," Justin Unger, the National Park Service's assistant director for business services, told USA TODAY.
That's why accepting cash is costly for national parks.
Which national parks will go cashless in 2023?
Death Valley National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park went cashless on June 1, just days after Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Mount Rainier National Park.
In addition, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and Prince William Forest Park are currently piloting cashless programs that will begin in July.
It's worth noting that only about a quarter of the 424 sites in the national park system charge admission, and it's up to park managers to decide whether to go cashless. In addition to iconic national parks like Acadia and Zion, the national park system includes battlefields, monuments, seashores and more.
Why are national parks going cashless?
There are several reasons why some parks stop accepting cash.
To begin with, in recent years, the U.S. Treasury has developed policies designed to reduce the amount of cash and checks handled by the federal government, and many banks have stopped cooperating with the Treasury in this process.
"The number of official banks that have a relationship with the Ministry of Finance where we could accept cash has really declined, especially in rural and remote areas," he said.
When you add in the constant bank closures, many parks are forced to carry cash even farther for safekeeping, which costs time and money. According to park data, Death Valley spent approximately $40,000 per year to process and transport cash.
According to Unger, by going cashless, "We don't pay for armored car services. We don't have to pay officers to carry cash back and forth or have our law enforcement officers do it. Instead, they can focus on law enforcement and emergency services."
Other factors
Unger said visitor behavior has also played a role in the shift to cashless payments. "The amount of cash on offer to us has been significantly reduced by tens of millions of dollars," he said.
Cashless transactions can also be processed faster as national parks have streamlined their various point-of-sale systems to one system.
"Imagine a tablet and the ability, when we have long lines, to swipe people's cards as we move through the line so that people approaching the entrance gates in very busy parks can get through as quickly as possible, providing better customer service," Unger said.
Cashless transactions can also help parks protect their dollars from internal and external theft. Unger noted that the number of internal thefts is "very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very small" - less than 0.1 percent of total collections - but "it's something we have to pay attention to."
What forms of payment are accepted?
Visitors can pay for entry with a debit or credit card, and in some cases contactless methods such as Apple Pay.
"I think cashless opportunities often multiply faster than we can keep up with them, and they need to interact with our sales system," Unger said.
"I think people shouldn't rely on everything working everywhere, and so they should do their due diligence and plan ahead."
One way to do this is to pre-purchase admission tickets at recreation.gov before you even set out.
What happens if you only take cash with you to the park?
Some parks partner with outside businesses in communities that sell park passes for money.
If they're not, Unger said, "we're still in the customer service business, and in some cases we will allow our staff to act in a deliberate and prudent manner to make sure someone has the opportunity to access the parks, but we certainly don't want that to be the standard.... We're asking people to support our parks by making sure they're well prepared."
Where does the money raised in national parks go?
According to the National Park Service, about 80 percent of entrance fees stay in the park where they are charged and 20 percent go to parks that do not charge fees.
These funds are spent on a wide range of things that affect the visitor experience, such as facility maintenance, habitat restoration, and emergency law enforcement.
"National parks, at the end of the day, are trying to meet visitor demands and keep every dollar we can back for the benefit of visitors," Unger says.
What other national parks have cashless payments?
- Amistad National Recreation Area
- Badlands National Park
- Bandelier National Monument
- Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
- Big Bend National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Capulin Volcano National Monument
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park
- Crater Lake National Park
- Cumberland Island National Seashore
- Dyals Tower National Monument
- Everglades National Park
- Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Site
- Golden Spike National Historical Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site
- Isle Royale National Park
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Petrified Forest National Park
- Pipe Spring National Monument
- Sleeping Bear Lakes National Lakeshore
- Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park
- Timpanogos Cave National Park
- Vicksburg National Military Park
- Cave of the Winds National Park
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
- Yosemite National Park
Some parks may refuse to accept cash or accept cash at certain locations or under certain circumstances. Details can be found on the respective websites.