National park visitors may soon be sharing the sidewalks with e-scooters and hoverboards, thanks to a rule change from the National Park Service (NPS) this week.
On Tuesday, the NPS announced new rules for “powered micromobility devices,” which includes e-scooters, electric skateboards, Segways, and self-balancing devices like the OneWheel. The growing popularity of these electric devices led to revised guidance from the NPS on how park officials can manage their use.
Though some aspects of the rule change remain unclear, it looks like more of these devices will be allowed in certain areas of national parks. Here’s what we know so far.
Micromobility Rule Change
Previously, park officials put these devices in the same category as cars and trucks, so they could only be used on roads. But that places riders at risk of collision with large vehicles. Instead, park superintendents now have the leeway to allow scooters and hoverboards “where they are appropriate, including on sidewalks and gravel/paved paths,” the NPS said. Wilderness areas, however, will remain off-limits to all mechanical forms of transportation.
But the change will allow more “flexibility for park superintendents,” said Jessica Bowron, the NPS’s acting director. (The agency hasn’t had a director since January 2025.)
“This final rule provides a practical framework that keeps pace with evolving transportation technologies while ensuring the National Park Service can continue to protect the resources and experiences entrusted to our care,” Bowron said Tuesday.
The NPS did not immediately respond to GearJunkie requests for comment on Tuesday.
Some Questions Remain
To be clear, this rule change does not affect bicycles or e-bikes. It also doesn’t affect roller skates or skateboards. Those are already allowed in certain areas under a different rule. Mobility devices used by persons with disabilities were already allowed on sidewalks, so this rule change doesn’t affect them.
Devices allowed on sidewalks in national parks now include:
- Electric standing or sitting scooters (e-scooters)
- Electric skateboards, electric skates
- One-wheeled or two-wheeled electric, self-balancing devices (balance wheels, hoverboards, and Segways)
The NPS said the rule change supports one of President Trump’s executive orders from January 2025: Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. Trump’s order demanded a reduction in “unnecessary regulatory burdens” across the federal government.
But since each park’s superintendent is allowed to decide where and how scooters and hoverboards are allowed, it’s an open question whether this rule change will affect your favorite national park. At a crowded park like Yellowstone, for example, illegal use of electric scooters has prompted complaints from park visitors.
That’s why the rule change gives park superintendents plenty of leeway, including the ability to “limit the size of powered micromobility devices on narrow sidewalks or require users to park powered micromobility devices in locations away from sensitive resources or public rights-of-way.”
And while wilderness areas are still protected from all mechanical devices, it’s unclear if natural paths will remain free of e-scooters. According to the NPS rule change, “The rule requires the NPS to complete rulemaking before allowing powered micromobility devices in locations that have never been improved by artificial or processed materials.”
Read the rule change in full on the Federal Register.
Read the full article here