The National Park Service (NPS) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on September 1, 2026, that would rewrite how bicycles and e-bikes get approved for use on roads, parking areas, and trails across the National Park System. The rule (RIN 1024-AE97) is open for public comment through November 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
The current policy
Bicycle and e-bike access in national parks is governed by 36 CFR 4.30. Under the existing rule:
- Bicycles are automatically allowed on park roads and parking areas already open to public vehicles.
- Superintendents may open administrative roads (closed to public vehicles) to bikes, but only after a written determination addressing resource protection, safety, and management goals.
- Opening an existing hiking or horse trail to bikes, even one that needs no new construction, requires a park planning document, an environmental assessment (EA), a public comment period, and a superintendent's written determination.
- New trail construction for bike use triggers additional review that can include Federal Register notice and Regional Director approval.
- E-bikes are treated as a subset of bicycles: superintendents must separately designate which areas (and which e-bike classes) are open to them. E-bikes are prohibited in wilderness areas, and riders can't run the motor alone for extended periods outside areas already open to motor vehicles.
In practice, this framework means even modest e-bike access decisions, like opening an already-existing dirt path, can take years of NEPA review.
What NPS is proposing to change
The proposed rule keeps the basic road/parking-area allowance in place but significantly narrows when a full environmental review is required:
- Bicycles and e-bikes would remain automatically permitted on roads and parking areas open to motor vehicles.
- For other locations on improved surfaces (asphalt, concrete, gravel, and similar developed surfaces), a superintendent could open bike/e-bike access with public notice only. No mandatory EA, planning document, or written determination.
- Full NEPA review and Federal Register rulemaking would still be required for designations that meet "significance" criteria, or that involve surfaces "never improved by artificial or processed materials" — i.e., true dirt and singletrack trail.
- The rule does not define e-bike classes; that discretion stays with superintendents, as under current regulation.
NPS frames the change as eliminating "redundant procedural processes" rather than altering the underlying resource-protection or safety standards. The proposal traces back to the February 2025 government efficiency executive order and is tied to three deregulatory executive orders: 14192 (Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation), 14219 (the DOGE directive), and 14314 (Making America Beautiful Again). Jessica Bowron, exercising the Director's delegated authority, said the goal is "a simpler, more consistent approach" to bike and e-bike access.
If finalized, the rule would let individual parks move much faster on opening roads, parking areas, and already-improved paths to bikes and e-bikes. This is the kind of incremental access decisions that currently get bogged down in multi-year NEPA review, even when no new construction is involved. Backcountry dirt and singletrack trail designations would still go through full environmental review, so the practical effect is concentrated on paved and other improved-surface corridors.
While this is a great step in the right direction, BRC supports NPS moving to allow Class 1 e-bikes on all designated mountain bike trails. Submit a comment to NPS. Let them know you support the proposed changes and would love to see an NPS standard be implemented that would allow e-bikes on mountain bike trails throughout the system. That would keep things consistent and in compliance with the EXPLORE Act to improve recreational opportunities on our public lands.
There is a bigger issue here and it's a lack of e-bike support. Recently, BRC sat in an objection resolution meeting with the National Parks Service to support their decision to allow Class 1 e-bikes on already established mountain bike trails. Three groups showed up to oppose the allowance of e-bikes on these trails. No other group was in the room to represent e-bikes and their users'. BRC is in these meetings. We submit the comments. We are defending user's abilities to use pedal assist to access and enjoy their public lands. Submit a comment today to support this in NPS-managed lands.
