News Release

Prince William Forest Park to pilot cashless payment starting May 1st

Date: April 22, 2023
Contact: Melissa Weih, 703-221-7181

TRIANGLE, Va. - Prince William Forest Park will begin a three-month pilot for cashless entrance fee collection starting May 1. The park anticipates that moving to a cashless system will allow the park to be a better steward of visitor dollars by reducing transaction times, reducing the amount of time park staff spend managing cash, improving accountability and reducing the chances of errors.  

Visitors to Prince William Forest Park can pay park entrance fees in several ways:

• Purchase an entrance pass online prior to your visit by going to recreation.gov. You will need to print out the pass and display it on your vehicle’s dashboard. 
• Purchase an entrance pass at the park entrance station, located at 18170 Park Entrance Road, using a credit or debit card, or a smartphone payment application. Proof of entrance fee payment should be displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard while in the park. 
• Visitors may also purchase Prince William Park annual passes or Interagency passes upon arrival to the park.

All park visitors are required to have an entrance pass upon entering Prince William Forest Park. Entrance fees are used to improve the visitor experience in national parks, including facility repairs and maintenance, trail improvements, visitor education, and more.

-NPS-

Prince William Forest Park is an oasis of quiet and calm. In 1936, Chopawamsic Recreation Demonstration Area opened its gates to house children’s ‘relief’ camps during the Great Depression. Renamed Prince William Forest Park in 1948, its fragrant woods and trickling streams have welcomed generations of campers, hikers, bikers, and nature lovers.