Wrangell-St. Elias weighs letting e-bikes park at Kennecott

E-bike riders could soon leave their bikes at the Shuttle Bus Turnaround just south of the Kennecott Visitor Center, a change that would let them ride into one of the most remote historic sites in the country and park right alongside everyone else. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is taking public comment on the update.

Right now it's a small inconsistency: ATVs, personal vehicles and traditional bicycles can all park at the turnaround, but e-bikes can't. The change would fix that, treating e-bikes like the other ways people reach Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark, deep in the largest national park in the country.

If your bike qualifies, the rules are simple. The park counts an e-bike as a two- or three-wheeled cycle with working pedals and a motor under 750 watts, and lets them go anywhere a regular bike can. The one catch is you generally have to pedal, not just run the motor, except where cars are allowed.

E-bikes have come up here before, in an earlier round of proposed rule changes back in 2020. The park is taking feedback before making a final call.