MONTROSE, Colo. — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is now using a fully cashless payment system, according to a Monday announcement. Visitors can now pay entrance, camping and parking fees via mobile or electronic payment system.
First-come, first-served camping opportunities are available through the Scan and Pay option within the Recreation.gov mobile app. Once a visitor has the app downloaded and an account created, they can scan the QR code at the campground to pay. The park said the app works in remote areas with no mobile service. The Scan and Pay feature allows visitors to pay offline, and then the transactions are processed once their device is back online.
Cashless payment is safer, reduces transaction times and allows for reservations and prepayment, the park said. Cash payments require park rangers to spend time counting money, auditing collections, making bank deposits, stocking envelopes and files, and processing paperwork. By using a cashless system, the park said rangers can instead invest time and money into other work. Plus, the park said credit and debit sales already account for as much as 95% of in-person sales.
The Western National Parks Association, which runs the store in the South Rim Visitor Center, already moved to cashless payment systems. And it's common practice for visitors to pay for entrance fees and advanced camping reservations online or with the mobile app at hundreds of National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites through the country.
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