Lassen Volcanic National Park is the latest park in the National Park System to go cashless starting May 1, 2023 / Rebecca Latson file
Add Lassen Volcanic National Park to the list of units wtihin the National Park System going cashless. Beginning May 1, 2023, Lassen will transition to a fully cashless fee system and only accept mobile or electronic payments for entrance and permit fees. Acceptable forms of payment will include credit and debit cards as well payment apps on mobile devices.
This transition will also occur at self-registration pay stations (often called "iron rangers") for entrance fees and campgrounds at remote areas like Butte Lake, where visitors will need to provide credit card information instead of cash. When planning a visit to a remote area, the park recommends purchasing a Lassen 7-Day Entrance pass or a Lassen Annual pass through https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/74470 prior to your visit. Alternatively, the America the Beautiful Pass, which allows entrance to all national park sites and other federal lands, is available to purchase in advance from the USGS Store at https://store.usgs.gov/pass. Campground reservations for Lassen Volcanic can be made in advance through Recreation.gov at https://www.recreation.gov/camping/gateways/2803.
Lassen Volcanic Superintendent Jim Richardson noted “Entrance fees are an important source of revenue used to improve the visitor experience in national parks, and are used for road and facility repairs, trail improvements, installation of accessible exhibits, the protection of visitors and park resources, and more.” Moving to a cashless system allows parks to be better stewards of visitor dollars by reducing the amount of time park staff spend managing cash, thereby increasing the amount of fee revenue available to support critical projects and visitor services, as well as improving accountability and reducing risk.
