A proposed new federal rule could pave the way for more e-bike access in National Parks. Following deregulatory directives from the February 2025 “Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE)” Executive Order, the National Park Service (NPS) published a proposal to “remove redundant procedural processes” for approval of bike and e-bike travel.
The proposed rule changes would “create a simpler, more consistent approach to bicycle and e-bike access across the national park system,” according to a statement by Jessica Bowdon, acting director of the NPS.
The NPS is soliciting public comments during a 60-day window that ends Nov. 2.
What Changes to E-Bike Access Are Being Proposed?
The proposed rule changes would have some immediate impacts, allowing “e-bikes on park roads and parking areas that are otherwise open for motor vehicle use by the general public,” without requiring actions from park administrators.
E-bikes are already permitted in some areas of national parks, and some, such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, have already gone through the assessment and approval process to allow certain classes of e-bikes on roads and dedicated biking paths.
The other proposed changes don’t explicitly prescribe increased e-bike permitting, though the NPS’s comments emphasize “new opportunities for visitors to use and enjoy their parks.” What would change is the process for approving new bike and e-bike access on existing “improved” roads and trails.
Right now, such approvals require environmental assessments and public comment periods. The proposal calls these processes “redundant” due to the existing requirements for such actions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). While NEPA states that park administrators must consider the environmental impacts of actions such as allowing e-bikes on roads and trails, the NEPA framework allows exclusions to the environmental assessment if administrators deem the actions “do not have a significant effect on the human environment.”
This proposed streamlined process would be limited to “improved” areas of the parks when rthe oad or trail surface is gravel, asphalt, concrete, or other materials. Dirt roads and singletrack would still require the full environmental review and public comment period to add bicycle or e-bike access.
Potential Impacts of Increased E-Bike Access
While the immediate impacts of the proposed rule changes would be on roads and trails that already allow motor vehicles, there could be unintended consequences of fast-tracking e-bike approval into new areas.
“High speeds may result in increased likelihood of collisions compared to non-motorized bicycles and startling of hikers, runners, and horse and traditional bicycle riders,” says Elaine Leslie, Executive Council member of The Coalition to Protect America’s Parks and a retired NPS Agency Chief of Biological Resources.
Leslie also wonders if the increased ease of access provided by e-bikes will push more users into sensitive backcountry areas where increased human traffic could disrupt wildlife such as bighorn sheep lambing in Canyonlands National Park or elk and moose breeding in Rocky Mountain National Park.
“The process to streamline approvals and open access doesn’t help the parks mitigate or eliminate impacts. Only thoughtful analysis and data collection can do that,” Leslie says.
A 2024 NPS environmental assessment of the potential impact of e-bikes in national parks concluded that e-bikes have “no significant impact” on the environment or visitor experience. This same assessment cited research that suggests trail design “is more determinative of the level of impacts than the type of use” and recommended deferring to park superintendent judgment in making e-bike allowances.
The proposed rule changes would leave e-bike decisions in the hands of superintendents, but the process to approve adding e-bike access to existing trails would not necessarily require environmental assessments and public comment periods.
