Ardenwood, Quarry Lakes Payment Changes
- East Bay Regional Park District said Ardenwood Historic Farm will go cashless on April 29, joining Quarry Lakes and six other fee-charging parks. - Ardenwood still lists parking as free, but admission shifts to cards and tap-to-pay only; Quarry Lakes already charges $5 parking and is cashless. - The district says fee-charging parks bring in $5.7 million, about 2% of its operating budget. (contracosta.news)
Ardenwood Historic Farm will stop taking cash on April 29, bringing Fremont’s farm museum in line with Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area’s cashless system. (contracosta.news) (ebparks.org) The East Bay Regional Park District said five more parks will switch to cashless fee collection on April 29, 2026, with a 30-day grace period as the new system starts. (contracosta.news) Those five are Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in Castro Valley, Don Castro Regional Recreation Area in Hayward, Diablo Foothills Regional Park in Walnut Creek, and Temescal Regional Recreation Area in Oakland. (contracosta.news) Quarry Lakes is not part of the new April 29 rollout because it already went cashless under an earlier pilot program that began in October 2024 and ran through Dec. 31, 2025. (ebparks.org 1) (ebparks.org 2) At Quarry Lakes, visitors already pay by credit card or tap-to-pay at the kiosk, with parking set at $5 per vehicle and beach access set at $5 for adults ages 18 to 61. (ebparks.org) Ardenwood works differently. Its park page says parking remains free, but admission is charged and the site now warns, “Starting April 29th, Ardenwood is going Cashless.” (ebparks.org) Ardenwood’s regular admission ranges from $4 for adults on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday in the historic season to $6 on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, with lower rates for seniors and children. (ebparks.org) The district said all major credit cards and tap-to-pay methods will be accepted for on-site fees, including parking, boating, and daily fishing permits where those fees apply. (contracosta.news) Park officials said the shift is meant to improve operations, and the district plans to become cashless at all facilities that have the equipment to do it. (contracosta.news) The district said 23 regional parks charge user fees, generating $5.7 million a year, or about 2% of the operating budget. (contracosta.news) Visitors who still want to pay in cash are being pointed to annual memberships sold through the Regional Parks Foundation, which include free parking at regional parks that charge for it. (contracosta.news) (regionalparksfoundation.org) For Fremont visitors, the practical change is narrower than early headlines suggested: Quarry Lakes is already cashless, and the new April 29 change is Ardenwood dropping cash at the gate. (ebparks.org 1) (ebparks.org 2)
