Parks That Offer Auto-Free Days
Catoctin Mountain Park offers two auto free zones from December - March of each year to facilitate winter recreation. These two areas are Lower Park Central Road and Upper Manahan Road.
There are no "auto-free days," but there are auto-free areas and seasons at Grand Canyon National Park. The Hermit Road, a nine mile road to the west of the South Rim Village to scenic overlooks, is closed to private vehicles from March 1 through October 31. Free park shuttle service is provided during those months from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset. The Yaki Point/South Kaibab Road, to the Yaki Point scenic overlook and the South Kaibab Trailhead, is closed to private vehicles from March 1 through October 31. Free park shuttle service is provided throughout the year from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset
The Teton Park Road from Cottonwood Creek to Signal Mountain Lodge (16 miles) is closed to motor vehicles between November 1 and May 1 of each year (6 months). Snow is allowed to accumulate for a month or so, than park staff begins grooming it for cross country skiers in mid-December. This is a relatively new program begun during the winter of 2002/2003, and it has become enormously popular. In the spring, the road is plowed beginning in early to mid-March (this year plowing will begin on March 16). Once the plows are off the road, it is open to non-motorized uses such as bicycling, walking, roller blading, pushing the stroller, etc. This too is extremely popular and is viewed by many of the locals as one of the best times of the year in Grand Teton National Park. It is not uncommon to find several hundred visitors out biking, skating, or walking on a nice spring day. The Teton Park Road opens for cars on May 1.
Many people feel that the non-motorized activities that are available on the Teton Park Road are one of the "signature" opportunities that are offered at Grand Teton National Park. The ratio of scenery and experience that can be enjoyed versus the amount of skill or effort needed is about as high as you can get.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Cades Cove Loop Road is closed to vehicular traffic two mornings each week during the summer months. These morning closures are very popular with bicyclists and pedestrians.
Rock Creek Park has the following auto free days and times on the following roads:
On weekends and all federal holidays, Beach Drive is closed to automobile traffic in the following sections:
From the Maryland line to West Beach Drive
Between Wise Road and Joyce Road it is closed to through traffic. However, vehicles may enter and exit Beach Drive to access picnic areas 6 through 10.
Between Joyce Road and Broad Branch Road
Bingham Drive and Sherrill Road are also closed to automobiles on weekends and holidays.
White Sand National Monument holds Moonlight Bicycle Tours twice a year (May 1 and September 25 in 2004). On these nights, after the 8-miles Dunes Drive is closed to automobile traffic, the park re-opens the Drive for three hours to bicycles only for a 16-mile ride through the white sands under a nearly-full moon.
In Yellowstone National Park, snowplowing of roads begins at the beginning of March (this year it began March 8). Plowing of the park roads is done segment by segment. After road segments have been plowed, they are opened to pedestrians, bicyclists, rollerblading, etc. as well as for administrative vehicular travel. The roads are opened as weather and plowing progress allows. The roads are kept closed to vehicles other than administrative travel (interior park employees needing to run errands, trucks stocking up the interior for the summer season, and park business travel). The roads are generally auto-free beginning about mid to late March, until they are ready for vehicular traffic in mid April to mid May depending upon the road segment. In the Fall, the roads are again opened to pedestrians and bicycles, sometime in early October/early November until snow piles up for oversnow travel (December 15th this year).
Zion National Park offers shuttle service only on Zion Canyon Drive from April 1 – October 31 each year. During that time the road is closed to private automobiles, however, it is open to bicyclists.
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