National parks can continue to refuse cash payments at entrance stations, with the dismissal of a federal lawsuit that challenged the trend toward credit and debit card-only park admissions.
In a ruling that leaves open the possibility of a return bout, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly on Friday rejected a lawsuit brought by three individuals who were reportedly advised by several parks their cash was no good at entrance stations.
The five-page decision, though, did not reach the merits of the case. Instead, Kelly determined that the individual plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to sue.
“They only allege that they have been harmed in the past, that NPS deprived them of their right to pay in cash when they sought to visit the national parks in early 2024,” Kelly reasoned. “They do not allege that they have any plans to visit national parks subject to NPS’s policy in the future.”
