National Park Service 

Active Transportation Guidebook

A Resource on Supporting Walking and Bicycling for

National Parks and their Partners

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Grand Canyon National Park (NPS)

Webinar 1: Building Safe Active Transportation Infrastructure

October 31, 2018 (1pm ET)

Webinar II: Programs, Partnerships, and Technologies for Active Transportation

November 5, 2018 (2pm ET)
Webinar Series Speakers 

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Krista Sherwood

NPS Conservation & 

Outdoor Recreation 

Programs

Amy Plovnick

U.S. Department of 

Transportation Volpe Center 

Tim Young

Wyoming Pathways 

Lauren McKean, NPS Cape Cod 

National Seashore 

Richard Menicke

Glacier National Park

Morgan Lommele

People for Bikes
Speaker Introduction

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Krista Sherwood

National Park Service 

Conservation & Outdoor Recreation Programs
Webinar Overview

• Guidebook Overview

• Case Studies: 

1. Glacier National Park 

bicycle programs

2. E-bike opportunities and 

considerations 

• Q&A

• Learn More

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Crater Lake National Park (NPS) 
Webinar logistics 

• Participants are in listen only mode.

• Enter question through chat pod at any time. There 

will also be an opportunity to ask questions over 

the phone. 

• The webinar is being recorded. 

• Closed captioning is available through the 

multimedia viewer panel.

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Active Transportation Guidebook

This Guidebook is intended to assist 

and inspire parks and their partners to identify and pursue opportunities that enhance active transportation to and within national parks.

Topics Include:

• Policies

• Infrastructure

• Safety

• Programs

• Events

• Sharing & Rental Systems

• Employee Programs

• Trends & Technology

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Active Transportation Guidebook

This Guidebook was developed collaboratively with support from the 

following partners: 

• NPS Transportation Branch 

• NPS Rivers, Trails, & Conservation Assistance Program 

• NPS Denver Service Center 

• Volpe National Transportation Systems Center 

• Federal Highway Administration 

• Office of Federal Lands Highway 

• Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty 

• Adventure Cycling Association 

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

• Open Streets Project 

• PeopleForBikes

• And Others

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Active Transportation Helps Parks and 

Communities Overcome Challenges through:

• Management of Vehicle 

Congestion

• Promoting Resource 

Preservation

• Accommodating 

Increased Visitation by 

Providing Alternatives 

to Driving

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Glacier National Park (Volpe Center)
Benefits of Active Transportation in 

Parks

• Resource Protection

• Visitor Experience

• Equitable Access

• Public Health 

• Congestion Relief

• Economic and Social 

Benefits

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Denali National Park (NPS) 
Speaker Introduction 

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Amy Plovnick

U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center 
Guidebook Chapters 

1. Legal and Policy 

Framework

2. Planning and Elements 

of Project Development

3. Infrastructure and 

Multimodal Connectivity

4. Bicyclist and Pedestrian 

Safety

5. Partnerships and 

Funding

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6. Visitor Activities and Programs

7. Open Streets Opportunities

8. Bicycle Sharing and Rental 

Systems

9. Employee Programs and Park 

Operational Uses

10. Innovative Technologies and 

Emerging Trends
Guidebook Chapters 

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1. Legal and Policy 

Framework

2. Planning and Elements 

of Project Development

3. Infrastructure and 

Multimodal Connectivity

4. Bicyclist and Pedestrian 

Safety

5. Partnerships and 

Funding

6. Visitor Activities and Programs

7. Open Streets Opportunities

8. Bicycle Sharing and Rental 

Systems

9. Employee Programs and Park 

Operational Uses

10. Innovative Technologies and 

Emerging Trends
Chapter 5: Partnerships and Funding

•Benefits of partnerships:

•Leveraging resources

•Economic benefits 

•Building physical 

connections 

•Types of partners: 

•National park friends 

groups

•City and state governments

•Walking and bicycling 

advocacy group

Mantua Greenway, Philadelphia (NPS)

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Chapter 6: Visitor Activities and Programs

• Programs for visitors: 

• Tours 

• Partner-led event 

• Supporting longdistance active 

transportation users 

• And many more!

•May be organized by 

park staff, 

concessionaires, 

volunteers, friends 

groups, or other 

partners.

Governors Island National Monument (NPS)

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Chapter 7: Open Streets Opportunities

•Open streets or “car-free” 

opportunities enable 

visitors to enjoy walking 

and bicycling on park roads 

without automobile traffic.

•Open streets opportunities 

can be: 

•Routine

•Seasonal

•Special events

Glacier National Park (S. Snow)

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Chapter 8: Bicycle Sharing and Rental Systems

• Considerations for 

initiating a program:

• Park and its surrounding 

communities’ landscape 

for bicycle use

• Park context (rural or 

urban area) 

• Visitation information

• Park operation goals

• Bicycle-related policies

• Opportunities for 

partnerships

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (NPS)

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Chapter 9: Employee Programs and Park 

Operational Uses

• Bicycles in the employee 

vehicle fleet

• Operational, 

transportation, and 

recreation purposes

• Active transportation 

incentive programs for 

employees commuting

• Employee wellness programs White Sands National Monument (NPS)

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Chapter 10: Innovative Technologies and 

Emerging Trends

• Bicycle and pedestrian 

counts

• Electric bicycles (e-bikes)

• Fat tire bicycles 

• Automated vehicles

Boreal Forest, Alaska (Volpe Center)

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Case Studies

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Grand Canyon National Park (NPS) 
Speaker Introduction

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Richard Menicke

NPS Glacier National Park

Case Study: Glacier National Park bicycle programs
Glacier NP: Car-Free shoulder season

• Bicycle + pedestrian use

• Going to the Sun Road

• Spring and fall

• Harmonize w/ road 

management

Glacier NP: Car-Free shoulder season

• GNP Conservancy Partnership

• Spring hiker/biker shuttle

• Expanding the opportunity

• Reduce congestion
• Hiker/Biker shuttle May – mid June

• Weekends & holidays 

• 3900 hikers, 1800 bikes (2018)

Glacier NP: Car-Free shoulder season
Glacier NP: Car-Free shoulder season

• Communications

• Challenges / Responses
Glacier NP: Red Bike Program

• Employee + volunteer bike 

share

• Transportation planning 

result

• Funding by friends groups
Glacier NP: Red Bike Program

• Durable bikes

• Reduce local emissions

• Healthy campus commuter

• User agreement + helmets
Glacier NP: Red Bike Program

• May through October

• Two primary campus locations

• Keep it simple
Speaker Introduction

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Morgan Lommele

People for Bikes 

Case Study: E-bike opportunities and considerations 
Q&A 

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Golden Gate National Recreation Area (NPS)
Learn More 

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Yellowstone National Park (NPS)
Resources and Contacts

• Download the Guidebook: 

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/transportation/bikeped.ht

m

• Webinar Speakers: 

• Krista Sherwood: Krista_Sherwood@nps.gov

• Amy Plovnick: Amy.Plovnick@dot.gov

• Richard Menicke: richard_menicke@nps.gov

• Morgan Lommele: morgan@peopleforbikes.org

• NPS Regional Transportation Coordinators: https://www.nps.gov/transportation/contact_us.html

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