National Park Service wants to ease bike rules, seeks public feedback

For people who bike, hike, or use public lands around Tucson and Southern Arizona, a proposed National Park Service rule could eventually make it easier to add bicycles and e-bikes to roads, parking areas, and trails in national parks. The proposal would also give individual park superintendents greater discretion over whether a public comment process is needed before new bike access is approved. That combination could create more riding opportunities, but it also raises questions about trail design, environmental impacts, and how much say communities will have in decisions affecting nearby public lands.

The National Park Service says the proposed changes are intended to remove requirements it considers redundant. According to the agency, those rules can slow decisions and increase administrative costs. The proposal would establish what the service describes as a more consistent process for considering bicycles and e-bikes on national park roads, in parking areas, and on trails. The agency says the effort follows several executive orders from President Donald Trump focused on reducing regulations and improving national parks.

For Southern Arizona cyclists, the possibility of expanded access is appealing. Damion Alexander, a local cycling enthusiast, said cycling is so important in Arizona that it should replace citrus in the state’s familiar list of five Cs. He supports building more trail systems and creating additional ways for people to use national parks, emphasizing that public lands are intended for everyone.

That enthusiasm reflects the region’s established cycling culture and the importance of outdoor recreation to Tucson residents and visitors. More routes in national parks could offer additional places to ride and could make public lands more accessible to people who travel by bicycle. E-bikes could also help some riders cover longer distances or manage terrain that might otherwise be difficult, although the proposal does not itself authorize bikes on any particular trail or identify specific parks where access would change.

Matthew Nelson, who works with the Arizona Trails Association, supports making it easier to permit bicycles on park roads. The nonprofit helps maintain the 800-mile Arizona Trail, giving Nelson experience with the demands of maintaining and managing long-distance routes. He said bicycle use in national parks remains relatively uncommon, which means any expansion should account for the conditions and intended use of individual trails.

Nelson’s main concern is that not every trail can accommodate bicycles comfortably or safely. Trails built without bicycle use in mind may provide a poor experience for riders, he said, while added use could also harm natural resources. He raised similar concerns about e-bikes, noting that many trails were not designed for motorized vehicles. In his view, expanding access should be accompanied by careful planning, adequate studies, and funding to address the effects of new users.

The proposed rule would change how the public participates in at least some of those decisions. Under the current system, establishing a new bicycle trail in a national park can involve a public process that allows people to comment. Under the proposal, park superintendents would decide in some circumstances whether public input is necessary. That could allow parks to act more quickly, but it could also mean that residents, outdoor groups, conservation advocates, and other users receive fewer formal opportunities to weigh in before a change is made.

The National Park Service says the current requirement conflicts with federal policy governing Environmental Assessments. Under that policy, the agency says, public comment is discretionary rather than mandatory. The proposal is intended in part to align national park procedures with that interpretation. The change would not eliminate public comment in every situation, but it would give superintendents more authority to determine when it is appropriate.

Nelson urged people who care about parks and access to submit their views. He said public participation can help communicate both the importance of parks and the value of access, while also giving the agency direction from the communities it serves. For Tucsonans, that means the decision could be relevant even if no immediate local trail change is announced, because the rule could shape how future bicycle and e-bike proposals are evaluated at national parks across the region and country.

The public comment period is now open, and comments must be submitted by Nov. 2, 2026. People considering comments can address the benefits of additional bicycle access as well as concerns about trail suitability, motorized e-bike use, resource protection, studies, funding, and the role of public input. The final effect of the proposal will depend on the feedback received and the National Park Service’s next steps after the comment period closes.