Rocky Mountain National Park entry fees to go cashless

Starts this summer

BY MATT BLOOM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Make sure to pack your credit or debit card along with your hiking boots if you’re visiting Rocky Mountain National Park this summer. e park will stop accepting cash payments for entrance and permit fees starting June 1.

e change will allow one of the country’s busiest national parks to cut back on time rangers spend handling cash at crowded entry gates, according to a release from the National Park Service. It will also help streamline fee management behind the scenes.

You can still purchase a number of entry passes at one of the park’s main gates with cards or mobile payment options. But, if you want to speed up your entry, NPS o cials recommend buying one online before your visit along with a separate timed-entry permit, which is required from May 26 through Oct. 22. Visitors can still buy park entrance passes with cash at a few locations outside of the park, according to NPS. ey include the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Store at Beaver Meadows and the Fall River or Kawuneeche Visitor Centers.

Here’s what to know before heading to the park: e NPS o ers over a dozen di erent types of passes to get into Rocky. One-day vehicle passes cost $30 and cover non-commercial vehicles with less than 16 passengers. You can also buy one-day passes for entry by bike or foot. Seven-day passes are also an option.

What type of passes are available?

If you’re planning to visit multiple national parks this year, you can buy an annual pass that covers admission to all parks in the system for $80. You can buy those online or in-person. e NPS says it’s also going completely cashless for payments and fees associated with campgrounds inside of Rocky starting June 1. e cashless switch only applies to entry and permit fees, according to the NPS. ere are two di erent types of timed-entry permits. is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

Seniors, veterans and students can also get special passes for free or reduced rates.

What about camping?

Overnight visitors must make reservations online ahead of time for most campsites. Timed-entry permits are included with all camping reservations.

Are stores inside the park also going cashless?

Rocky has a small, conveniencelike store and a co ee shop, which will both still accept cash.

How do I get a timed-entry permit?

Rocky is implementing another iteration of its timed-entry program this summer to help manage crowds, which means you’ll need to snag a free permit prior to your visit. A timed-entry permit is required for everyone entering the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. between late May and October.

A regular Park Access permit gets you access to most areas of the park outside of the popular Bear Lake Road Corridor.

A Park Access+ entry permit includes access to Bear Lake Road, as well as other areas of Rocky.

Are other Colorado national parks going cashless?

Yes, Mesa Verde National Park and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument will go cashless this summer, according to the NPS.

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site in southeast Colorado will also go cashless.

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Markey said currently only the thinnest protections are in place and the bill is about making those safeguards more robust and “that we have a new set of standards which we establish, new protocols, in order to protect against the worst.”

Buck has focused on technology in recent years. “What we have to make sure is we learn from the failure of government to oversee the development of Big Tech where you had two or three giants that were really accumulating huge amounts of wealth and at the same time, sti ing innovation, we have to make sure that there’s competition in the AI marketplace so that the players are competing for the best outcomes.”

He’s optimistic that the bill could pass the House with strong bipartisan support.

AI is having a moment in Congress — a number of bills have been introduced to deal with this growing technology.

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet is leading a bill, Assuring Safe, Secure, Ethical and Stable Systems for AI (ASSESS AI), that would set up a task force to look at the responsible use of AI by the federal government.

“As the deployment of AI accelerates, the federal government should lead by example to ensure it uses the technolo- gy responsibly,” Bennet said in a statement. “Americans deserve con dence that our government’s use of AI won’t violate their rights or undermine their privacy.” e White House also announced steps it was taking to deal with the issue, including $140 million for seven new National AI Research Institutes, as well as plans to issue “clear policy guidance” on how AI is used by the federal government.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is also looking at a broad, exible policy framework for AI to build guardrails when it comes to the use of the technology, while House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had professors from MIT come to the Capitol to brief lawmakers.

On the other end of Pennsylvania Ave, the White House held a closed door meeting with CEOs of companies working on AI innovation, such as Alphabet’s Google and Microsoft, “to share concerns about the risk associated with AI” according to a readout of the meeting.

Still, Buck said what the country needs is a clear law, at least when it comes to AI and nuclear weapons.

“Some future administration could change a policy. ey can’t change a law without coming to Congress. So that’s why we really focused on making sure that this was a law,” he said. is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

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