Mount Rushmore changes parking and payment system

Mount Rushmore National Memorial has changed its parking and payment system in hopes of alleviating long lines at the entrance during summer months.

Starting this month, drivers no longer exchange cash or a credit card for a parking slip at manned booths. Instead, they pay at their leisure at stations installed in several locations on the campus and present their paid ticket when leaving the parking area.

Superintendent Cheryl Schreier says each parking level also now has an electronic sign providing the number of parking spaces available on that level.

The Rapid City Journal reports that parking fees remain $10 per vehicle or $5 for visitors 62 or older. Active-duty military personnel get in free.