The 10 best US national parks for cycling

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At Velo, we believe that the best way to explore many of the USA’s most popular national parks is by bike. There are 63 national parks, and many of them have miles of scenic bike trails. However, not all of them are equally suitable for cycling.

For our list of the 10 best national parks for cycling, we favored roads that feel relatively safe and avoided crowded main park roads with no shoulders that are frequented by inattentive tourists. When we recommend these types of roads, there are car-free days or even entire periods of the year to enjoy them.

Before you go biking in a national park, there are a few things you should know. Each national park has its own regulations about where cyclists can ride. They usually restrict riding on hiking trails and limit riding on gravel roads and mountain biking, but this is not the case in every park.

Paved roads are generally as accessible to cyclists as anywhere else, although there may be restrictions in some places, such as tunnels or seasonal restrictions due to snow closures. Fortunately, many parks offer separated trails through at least portions of the park.

Each park also sets its own rules about biking, including the use of e-bikes, so be sure to check nps.gov in advance for the latest regulations for each park you plan to visit.

glacier

The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a must-do on any trip to Glacier National Park. While most people drive this mountain road in northern Montana, it’s best traveled by bike. Snowfall closes the road every year, and shoveling everything for the summer season is a bit of a hassle, which ultimately works to the benefit of cyclists. After the road is mostly cleared but before it opens to cars, there’s a brief period when bikes have this stunning road to themselves (that is, themselves and the bears and other wildlife that roam the park—bring bear spray!). The road’s opening date changes every year, so flexible plans allow you to make the most of this opportunity. The road will remain open to bikes when it opens to cars, but you’ll have to contend with heavy traffic and likely be distracted by the scenery.

Grand Teton

The Tetons rise triumphantly above a high valley, providing one of the most breathtaking backdrops in the United States. Grand Teton National Park is a must-see. You can explore the rugged mountains by bike, shielded from car traffic, from the park’s multi-use trail, which runs parallel to the main road through the park. The trail doesn’t go through the entire park, but ends at Jenny Lake. The good news, however, is that the trail system extends all the way to nearby Jackson, and the views outside the national park remain world-class, so you can extend your ride well beyond a detour into the park. The trail system covers over 50 miles. More experienced road cyclists can also ride the main road through the national park.

Zion

Zion is one of the most visited national parks, but this popularity also means it’s great for biking. To help with traffic, the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private cars for most of the year (except winter) and is only open to shuttle buses and bikes. That gives you about 15 miles of scenic road to enjoy on two wheels. Bikes will have to stop and let shuttle buses pass, but this is better than being overtaken by a constant stream of cars, and you can enjoy the natural beauty at your own pace.

Acadia

Acadia National Park’s place on this list is thanks to John D. Rockefeller Jr. Seeking a place to ride horses away from cars, he funded 45 miles of carriage trails through the Maine park. Today, the road system, built over nearly three decades starting in 1910, is still accessible to horses, but cyclists can also enjoy these roads, which were built to complement the natural landscape and take in the park’s best views. Acadia has perhaps the best system of bike-friendly roads of any national park.

Death Valley

A place called Death Valley doesn’t necessarily spring to mind when thinking of the best places to ride a bike, and you’d be right—at least in the summer, when temperatures can reach 130 degrees. However, when the days get shorter and much, much cooler, this is one of the best places to ride a bike. Hundreds of miles of paved roads open to bikes in varying desert landscapes await you. The park is known for being home to the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin, which is 282 feet below sea level. At the same time, it’s a pretty mountainous place, and the highest point, Telescope Peak, is over 11,000 feet high.

Olympic

Olympic National Park offers one of the best climbs in the Pacific Northwest. The Hurricane Ridge ride goes from the coast to Hurricane Ridge, climbing over 5,000 feet in about 19 miles of mountain scenery. In reverse, you get 40 miles of stunning scenery. And even better, you can enjoy this ride without cars. Every August, cyclists have the opportunity to ride the road while it is closed to cars. Spaces are limited, so sign up early.

Everglades

When you bike in many national parks, you can expect a lot of climbs. Unless you’re visiting the Everglades, of course. The opposite of a climber’s paradise, this park in southern Florida is the answer for those who prefer nice and flat terrain. The park has five bike trails ranging from 3.2 miles to the 15-mile Shark Valley Tram Road, where you can see all of the park’s wildlife. Whether you like big reptiles like alligators and snakes, or you’re more interested in birds, you’ll see incredible wildlife on this ride. And unlike many national park bike trails that close in the winter, this one is open year-round.

redwood

Want to feel really small? The towering redwood trees of Northern California’s Redwood National Park will do the trick. From the Elk Meadow Day Use Area, you can access a series of bike trails that have been converted from old logging roads. As you might imagine with forests near logging roads, this is mostly secondary growth forest, but the western end of the Lost Man Creek Trail is a mile of primary forest. The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway offers another excellent bike ride. You’ll share this paved road with cars most days of the year, but from October to May it’s closed to cars on the first Saturday of the month, so plan your visit accordingly! The park’s proximity to the ocean also means there’s great coastal biking if you get tired of marveling at ancient trees.

Crater Lake

Many of the rides in national parks are round-trip, but most of us agree that loop trips are more fun, especially when they go around an entire lake. The Crater Lake Loop in Oregon is becoming increasingly popular. The entire route is 33 miles (53 kilometers) and climbs about 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) in elevation. This ride is definitely for more experienced road cyclists, as the road is often busy in peak season and has no shoulder. However, there are ways to do it without cars. There are times of year when the Rim Drive is closed to cars but is snow-free and cyclists have the road to themselves. Additionally, there are two Saturdays a year when about two-thirds of the road is closed to car traffic.

Lassen Volcanic

Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California has no bike paths to visit its volcanoes and sulfur springs, so anyone who rides its roads has to contend with car traffic—at least in the summer and fall. Like many national parks that get snow, the roads here are closed in the winter. But when they are cleared in the spring and early summer, cyclists and hikers have the opportunity to have the roads to themselves. The roads are cleared in sections, so cars are off limits for about 20 miles before they are finally opened to all traffic.