If you visit the National Mall in Washington, D.C., or the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, you might see a slew of people on e-scooters, hoverboards or Segways.
These areas are managed by the National Park Service, and the agency said so-called “mircomobility devices” are becoming more common in the developed areas it oversees. It currently treats the motorized devices like cars — generally limited to public roads and parking areas — but said it needs new, separate rules to manage them effectively.
In the last month of the Biden Administration, the agency released proposed guidance for micromobility devices, which it said can help underserved communities access parks via a climate-friendly form of transportation.
The proposal would give each park superintendent the authority to decide where e-scooters, hoverboards and segways should be allowed. But some public lands groups worry about their growing impact and where they might pop up next.
While giving individual park leaders some discretion makes sense to Frank Buono, he thinks more guardrails are needed to protect sensitive areas.
“I would like to see a final rule really strengthened to protect the special places in the parks that could be harmed from inappropriate uses—and that's on waters, and that's on trails, and that's on backcountry areas outside of developed zones,” said Buono, a retired park assistant superintendent and a board member for the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.
The Park Service proposal noted that the devices wouldn’t be allowed in wilderness areas. But Buono said they aren’t permitted in those places anyway, as the 1964 Wilderness Act bans all forms of mechanized transport in designated wilderness areas. He thinks they should also be off-limits in locations that have been recommended, proposed or are eligible to be wilderness one day.
The federal agency is evaluating the roughly 70 public comments it received on the proposal last month. Many agreed that the devices should be limited to developed areas, while others shared how they could benefit park visitors.
The state of Utah said it supports updating park guidance for micromobility devices and the plan to give superintendents discretion.
“This rule can provide unprecedented access to the beauty of our nation’s parks to a large portion of visitors who have previously been unable to have those experiences due to their limitations,” wrote Redge Johnson, the director of the state’s public lands coordinating office.
However, Johnson advocated that the agency allow motorized devices for people with disabilities even in cases where they may not be permitted for non-disabled members of the community.
What about E-bikes?
The National Park Service has separate rules for electric bicycles.
During the first Trump Administration, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt issued an order that required agencies to allow e-bikes on all trails where human-powered bicycles could go. Environmental groups sued in response, arguing that the speed of e-bikes could change the backcountry experience for other recreationists and could lead to environmental damage.
The Park Service under the Biden Administration walked back this broad e-bike mandate and said park superintendents could limit them in some cases. The result is a patchwork system that is similar to what the agency is now proposing for micromobility devices.
For example, in Yellowstone National Park, e-bikes are allowed anywhere traditional bikes are, but in Zion National Park, only pedal-assisted e-bikes that travel under 20 miles per hour are treated the same as regular bikes.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
