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Cape Cod National Seashore is going cashless
The transition will happen July 1.
Cash is no longer king at Cape Cod National Seashore. Beginning next month, all beach parking lots along the seashore will transition to a cashless payment system, as part of a broader move to streamline operations.
Beginning July 1, park rangers will accept only credit cards, debit cards, or mobile payments at beach entrance booths.
According to a press release, the transition to electronic payments is safer, reduces transaction times, and improves accountability.
The decision also aligns with a recent Executive Order and U.S. Treasury policies aimed at reducing the amount of cash and checks handled across the federal government.
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According to a statement from Park Superintendent Jennifer Flynn, cash sales represent only 10% of in-person sales in the park.
And during the busy summer season, Flynn said, park rangers spend up to eight-and-a-half hours per day documenting, reporting, and transferring cash receipts.
“Moving to a cashless system will reduce the amount of time park staff spend managing cash and increase their availability to engage with the public and collect fees while increasing the amount of fee revenue available to support critical projects and visitor services,” she said.
Entrance fees fund improvements to the national park, including rebuilding the Marconi Beach and Beech Forest Trail boardwalks.
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Fees are collected from May 1 to Sept. 30 at the six national seashore beaches. A private car is $25 per day, and an annual pass is $80.
Travelers can also pay for entrance fees, make advanced reservations for camping, and cover user fees, among other expenses, throughout the country using the recreation.gov site and mobile app.
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