DEATH VALLEY, Calif. - The National Park Service (NPS) will only accept credit or debit card payments for camping and entrance fees in Death Valley National Park starting June 1, 2023.
Last year the park collected $22,000 in cash, which cost over $40,000 to process. Cash handling costs include an armored car contract to transport cash and park rangers’ time counting money and processing paperwork.
The transition to cashless payments will allow the NPS to redirect the $40,000 previously spent processing cash to directly benefit park visitors.
Entrance and camping fees are used to improve visitor experiences in national parks. In Death Valley National Park, these funds are currently used to clean public restrooms, lead school field trips, host distance learning classroom sessions, provide emergency medical services, repair flood damage at Scotty’s Castle, and more.
Visitors can use cash to purchase the $30 per vehicle park entrance 7-day pass at several partner locations:
* Charles Brown General Store (Shoshone, CA)
* Death Valley Natural History Association (Furnace Creek Visitor Center)
* Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (Lone Pine Visitor Center)
* Panamint Springs Resort
Visitors can also purchase entrance passes ahead of time online at recreation.gov/sitepass/deathvalley.
Tags: cashless fees and passes
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service