E-Bikes in North Carolina Parks and Public Lands

1 National Park · 1 National Parkway · 1 National Forest · 3 State Parks · 1 State Forest

The NC Division of Parks and Recreation (07 NCAC 13B .0507) allows Class 1 and 2 e-bikes on park roads and designated bicycle trails, with pedaling required on trails; Class 3 e-bikes are treated as motor vehicles. The NC Forest Service bans e-bikes from all trails at DuPont State Recreational Forest.

Places checked

7

All bike routes

3

Some trails or sections

2

Roads or paved paths only

1

Not confirmed

0

State parks rule

Class 1 and 2 where bicycles allowed

Places

Where E-Bikes May Ride in North Carolina

Classes are the US e-bike classes the land manager allows. Each name links to the park or forest's own page.

North Carolina parks and public lands
Place	Type	E-bike access	Classes	Surface	Rides	Notes
Great Smoky Mountains National Park NPS	National Park	Varies by section	Class 2-Jan	Mixed	Cades Cove Loop Road, Gatlinburg Trail, Oconaluftee River Trail	Class 1 and 2 only, 20 mph limit; roads plus the Gatlinburg, Oconaluftee River and lower Deep Creek trails.
Blue Ridge Parkway NPS	National Parkway	Roads only	-	Paved	Blue Ridge Parkway motor road	No trails are open to bikes or e-bikes.
Pisgah National Forest USFS	National Forest	Designated trails only	Class 3-Jan	Mixed	Forest roads on the MVUM	E-bikes limited to roads and trails open to motor vehicles; Bent Creek and other non-motorized singletrack are closed to them.
Lake James State Park NC State Parks	State Park	All bike routes	Class 2-Jan	Singletrack	Paddys Creek mountain bike trails, Fonta Flora State Trail
Lake Norman State Park NC State Parks	State Park	All bike routes	Class 2-Jan	Singletrack	Itusi Trail	Nearly 31 miles of singletrack on the Itusi Trail system.
William B. Umstead State Park NC State Parks	State Park	All bike routes	Class 2-Jan	Gravel	Reedy Creek Multi-Use Trail, Graylyn Multi-Use Trail, Turkey Creek Multi-Use Trail	Class 1 and 2 allowed on multi-use trails open to bicycles.
DuPont State Recreational Forest NC Forest Service	State Forest	Not allowed	Class none	Mixed	Ridgeline Trail, Big Rock Trail	E-bikes banned from all forest trails; violations are actively cited.

Record

Sources

Places: Park, forest and agency pages, linked from each name
E-bike rules: Agency e-bike policy pages and regulations for each place
State parks rule: North Carolina law page
Last verified: Q4 2026