Reduce your range anxiety with 6 of the best National Parks for electric vehicles
National Parks and electric vehicles should theoretically go hand-in-hand, shouldn’t they? After all, National Parks are all about protecting valuable ecosystems and electric vehicles give you the opportunity to indulge in active travel with reduced emissions. But anyone who has driven an electric car knows that range anxiety is a real fear. Add to that the fact that US National Parks are often vast and remote places where you can be hundreds of miles from the nearest metropolitan area and it’s understandable that you’re going to want to know if and how you can plug in.
Today, not all National Parks have any electric charging points, which could make it really difficult (or nerve wracking) to tour them by EV, especially if you have an older car with a shorter range, but a lack of chargers doesn't necessarily make it impossible to explore them all. Rocky Mountain National Park doesn’t have any charging stations at the time of writing this article, but you can charge outside the park in Estes Park or Grand Lake which would give you plenty of juice to drive the 50 miles between those two points. Head to any of Alaska’s far flung National Parks, however, and you’ll find just one charging station between them, with three ports total – in Denali – making them largely inaccessible to those wanting an electricity-powered trip.
Of course, all this will change soon, but for this article, we take a look at the best National Parks for electric vehicles. With the help of the National Park’s Service’s Electric Vehicle Charging Map, we’ve identified the six National Parks with the most charging stations available for eco-conscious travelers who want to leave only hiking boot prints.
1. Grand Canyon
As we reported in 2023, Grand Canyon National Park increased its charging power to six stations for a total of 36 charging points that are free to use, which makes this park one of the best in the country for green drivers. While you’re charging, you can keep exploring on one of the park’s free shuttle buses – these have been in use for over 40 years and are transitioning over to electric. The park even has this handy resource showing you what activities you can do while your car is charging.
However, visitors should be aware that there are no charging points on the North Rim or at Desert View, which makes driving across the park on a single charge impossible, but drivers coming from Las Vegas to the South Rim can do so with considerably less worry.
2. Yellowstone
While the Grand Canyon has more chargers, Yellowstone comes a close second with 12 charging points over six different stations. And where the Grand Canyon’s are all condensed in one area, Yellowstone’s are spread out over this sprawling park which is important because it is one of the biggest parks in the country. You’ll find chargers at the north and west entrances as well as Fishing Bridge, Canyon Village and Old Faithful, making it easier to tour around with confidence and roll down your window for a spot of safe bison-viewing.
3. Everglades
Range panic becomes all the more real when you throw in the possibility of getting stranded in gator country, so we were glad to see that the map reveals a decent cluster of charging stations down in southern Florida at Everglades National Park. Across three stations, you’ll find a total of nine charging points, with the majority at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center (Homestead) where there are lots of great walking routes, though you’ll want to read up on what to do if you see an alligator on the trail.
4. Olympic
Stunning Olympic National Park up in the northwest currently has eight charging points between three stations at Sol Duc Hot Springs, Lake Quinault Lodge and Kalaloch Lodge so visitors that want to explore the rainforests and coast of the western and Pacific portions of the park will be best served. If you’re further inland you’ll have less in-park options but of course be closer to metropolitan areas where you can charge before you enter.
5. Yosemite
Positioned as it is in environmentally-conscious California, you’d think Yosemite would be packed full of charging points, and while it doesn’t have as many as other parks on this list, the surrounding towns provide drivers with plenty of options, making it an easier place to explore without petrol.
Inside the park, you’ll find six chargers total, with a couple at the Ahwahnee and Yosemite Lodge that you can use while you hike some of the best trails in Yosemite Valley and there are another four chargers up in Tuolumne meadows. Drivers coming from the west can also charge in El Portal which the park map shows as inside the park but it is just outside the west entrance on 140.
6. Zion
Utah has some of the best National Parks in the entire country and while visitors to Arches and Canyonlands are out of luck if they want to charge while exploring slickrock trails, down in Zion there are eight charging points to choose from. You can charge in Zion Canyon, down at the south entrance at the visitor center and up in Kolob Canyons too. Of course, while your car is plugged in you can still explore the park on their free electric shuttle buses.
