Vacation planning: Which national parks are really bike-friendly?

Updated July 15, 2026, with Mount Rainier.

My trip in the spring of 2025 to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming revealed that it’s a very bike-friendly national park (especially for Chicagoans — see separate article). It even has bike paths along a few of the main roads.

That’s not always been my experience with national parks. I’ve been to only 16 of the 63 parks, but already I know the answer to the question of whether the national parks are bike-friendly: It depends.

It depends not only on the park but even on the time of year in some parks. The early spring turned out to be a good time to be in Grand Teton, because part of one of the main roads — Teton Park Road, seen above — is closed to auto drivers until April 30. No matter what, bicyclists are welcome as long as the snow is cleared; sharrows confirm it. Roads leading up to the mountains offer good space, too; only in the busy summer might you find them intimidating off the sidepaths.

It may be said that bicyclists, particularly serious road cyclists, are welcome on all national park roads. But in many parks, that’s just not realistic. There’s too much traffic and not enough shoulder space. Certainly bike lanes are rare — these national park roads were built for drivers decades ago, not necessarily bicyclists.

In other cases, the roads simply may be very athletically challenging, or wildlife like bears may cross them. Or roads at an elevation of 10,000 feet could have snow and ice on them (yet I saw a guy ride one). So yes, you can ride the roads, but …

National Park Week is in April every year; here’s some good advice about it. But summer is when people flock to national parks. Here’s my experience with national park roads so far, plus some info from online.

Arches National Park, Utah: The National Park Service welcomes bicyclists “on all paved and unpaved roads in the park” (and not on hiking trails), but when I was there one year, I found the main road loaded with cars. You’d also have to get up a nasty hill at the entrance. Though this web page recommends the 46-mile ride, Arches is really about the hiking to see … the arches, so I prefer the service’s suggestion to ride outside the park in the Moab area, which offers a lot of beautiful scenery, even on the highways. Nearby is also …

Canyonlands National Park, Utah: The Park Service touts all the mountain biking that can be done on “miles of four-wheel-drive roads,” while it warns about riding the paved roads: “There are no road shoulders or bike lanes; please be aware of passing vehicles.” It is correct, but I found this park much less busy and more spread out, so I had a nice road ride here.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota: There’s about a 25-mile main road through this extraordinary park, and you could ride it fine, but it is challenging with hills. “It is not without its hazards,” the Park Service says. “The scenic road is narrow with many curves. Traffic is heavy from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Lacking much of a shoulder, recreational vehicles with extended mirrors pose a danger for cyclists riding along the sides of the road.” When I went in early April, traffic wasn’t too bad. Meanwhile, the Park Service also lists three unpaved routes through the park.

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah: Yes, you could ride in this park, but you only really see anything at the overlooks. The Park Service suggests the 5-mile shared-use path, which might provide some scenery. Otherwise, you’re basically riding on a somewhat forested ridge. Could do worse, and it’s not a bad option for families. Bike rentals are available.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio: One of the main features of this smaller park is its gravel bike trail. It’s really 20 miles of the 101-mile Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Up north it connects with the Cleveland trail system, which is actually nicer. You could ride the road through the park, too, though it’d be like riding on any somewhat busy road.

Gateway Arch National Park, Missouri: Sure, the famous St. Louis Arch is a national park, but you don’t go here to ride a bike. The city does have some trails along the Mississippi River and elsewhere. I recall the father and son in the documentary “Bike Vessel” starting their big ride to Chicago here and getting confused on how to get out. That’s about how I experience the St. Louis bike system.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: I know the South Rim road, and it’s not a bad ride of about a dozen miles. You can see some of the canyon from it. There will be some traffic including tour buses, but I found it not too difficult. Bike rentals are available right by the visitor center. Otherwise, this park is about the canyon and hiking.

Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana: I was inclined to think you go here for the dunes and beaches, but there are a series of good trails through here, too — gravel and sandy, of course. The Calumet Bike Trail, for one, connects to this park. All in all it’s a 37-mile system.

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington state: This national park southeast of Seattle and Tacoma, is large, with a big circular route of roads from which you can see the giant old volcano, Mount Rainier. This is a case of the roads not being designed for cyclists, yet cyclists are welcome. “Bicycles are allowed on park roads but they are not permitted on any hiking trails,” the Park Service says, “and the park does not have any designated bike trails.” The service says “September and early October are generally excellent times for bicyclists to visit” because of fewer vehicles and fall colors. The usually tree-lined roads are narrow and sometimes winding as they undulate and overall slowly climb to more than a mile high, both at “Paradise” on the south end and “Sunrise” on the northeast side. Cyclists in the summer appear to venture out in the mornings, then seem to vanish as traffic zooms around. Organized rides such as this one have existed at the park for serious riders.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: You like a challenge? Here’s a challenge. Yes, you can ride the long main road, Trail Ridge Road, starting from Estes Park and through the mountains, but these are real peaks, with elevations in the five digits and many switchbacks. At a certain point a lot of the year, the road is closed to drivers due to snow and ice. Yet here’s where I saw a road rider going around the barrier at 10,000 feet to continue up. The Park Service page on biking in this park has a lot of guidance and rules — no trails, for one — and a scary elevation chart. “In summer, get an early start,” reads one suggestion. “After 10 a.m., roads become congested, and the chance of accidents increases. After noon, dangerous thunderstorms and lightning are common.” No matter what, you can’t beat the views.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California: Here’s another pair of parks, connected in California, for challenging bicycling. The Park Service isn’t touting road cycling through here so much, while this cycling tour company that specifically emphasizes climbs is enthusiastic about it. Make no mistake: It’d be a tough ride, with hills and maybe bears crossing the road, plus traffic. But it’d also be extraordinary for serious cyclists. The U.S. Forest Service lists several mountain bike trails in the adjoining Sequoia National Forest.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia: You can ride the 105-mile Skyline Drive through this park along the Blue Ridge Mountains’ crest, but it won’t come for free, either: It’s hilly. But it’s not quite the lung-burning ride of the Rockies; the climbs are more like big rollers. I managed to ride a flatter part of the road one day, from the Big Meadows Lodge and Blackrock to the Lewis Mountain cabins and campground. Overall the best bet is to drive up to the ridge, park somewhere, then ride. But you won’t have a ton of space on the road, so it’s more for serious cyclists. The Park Service does say bike repair stations are spread throughout the park.

Yosemite National Park, California: I didn’t ride a bike when I was there, but the Park Service is rather welcoming to bicyclists in this park. A bike lane, albeit narrow, appears on at least some of the roads. You can have an awesome ride in front of the imposing El Capitan. There are even bike rentals and a bike share program with an app.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming and Montana: Alas, when I got to Yellowstone by way of Grand Teton this early April, most of this granddaddy of the national parks was closed because it was still full of snow. But there was one stretch of road that had just opened only to bicyclists, on the north side of the park. So obviously, bicyclists are welcome here. But the Park Service warns: “Vehicle traffic can be heavy, and the park’s winding roads offer poor visibility and narrow, or nonexistent, shoulders. There are no bike paths along roadways.” (Its bold emphasis.) And here, too, the Park Service warns of vehicles’ wide mirrors threatening bicyclists. Plus, “road elevations range from 5,300 to 8,860 feet (1615 to 2700 meters) above sea level, and services and facilities are typically 20 to 30 miles apart (37 to 56 kilometers).” OK, message heard. Nevertheless, the Park Service shows a thorough map of where to ride when, and that includes mountain bike trails within the park.

Zion National Park, Utah: Here’s another park where yes, technically you can ride a bike, but it’s rather a nuisance to do so because of both vehicle and foot traffic. For instance, on the main scenic drive through the park, “cyclists must pull over to the side of the road and come to a complete stop so shuttles can safely pass them,” the Park Service says. Then there’s the tunnel to contend with; bicycling through it is not allowed. Even on the one multi-use trail, you’re warned to watch for the pedestrians, understandably. That’s because all in all, this is a park to drive and hike through, not bike through.

Park Service’s web pages: It’s encouraging that for each one of the parks I listed here, the Park Service has a separate online bike page on bicycling in it. Further, the Park Service has a starting web page about biking in all of the national system, with every park listed as well as monuments, historic sites, seashores, scenic rivers, recreation areas, memorials, preserves, farms, battlefields and more. It then has specific lists for both road and mountain biking.

With that, you know you have national park bicycling options. You’ll just really want to research the national parks you’ll be visiting to weigh those options and conditions. You might even find better options outside the parks’ borders. There’s a lot of beautiful America to see by bike.

• Do you find information like this valuable? This free website is made possible almost entirely by readers like you. Consider donating to help defray the costs of gathering and presenting this material.