Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
E-bikes will be allowed in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park in areas where traditional bikes are allowed, as the National Park Service expands e-bike usage across the country.
E-bikes are a very urban phenomena, so it will be interesting to see their usage in Yellowstone, Grand Teton and the National Elk Refuge. Basically, electric bikes are low-speed bicycles where there’s limited power assistance that augments pedal propulsion, with the electric assistance kicking in only when the bike is being pedaled. They do come in a variety of styles and configurations, and the kind allowed in Yellowstone and Grand Teton sports the low-end pedal assistance, rather than a more elaborate e-bike that sports a more powerful motor and a throttle. The industry sometimes classifies a motorized bike as an e-bike, but under NPS guidelines they are not:e-bikes with a throttle are specifically prohibited.
In Yellowstone and Grand Teton, electric bikes are now allowed everywhere traditional bicycles are allowed. E-bikes are also allowed on the pathways of the National Elk Refuge that connect to Grand Teton National Park. Similar to rules on traditional bicycles, e-bikes are not allowed in designated wilderness, in areas managed as wilderness, or on oversnow roads in the winter.
All bicyclists must obey speed limits and any other state traffic laws.
Photo courtesy National Park Service, by Neal Herbert.
