Take the green way to our nation’s best parks: Drive an EV

Last year, more than 300 million visits were made to U.S. national parks, and that doesn’t even include state parks. Our nation’s parks offer beautiful sights and precious wildlife found in few other places in the world, and you deserve the opportunity to visit them.

Now, visiting a state or national park is easier than ever for one major group: electric vehicle owners. A new, interactive map of EV chargers from Frontier Group allows you to toggle between parks, viewing the number of chargers at each. Gone are the days of range anxiety. Now, you can relax and travel responsibly, so let’s see which park will be your next destination.

Catch a glimpse of Yellowstone’s famous geysers

Take a trip from Salt Lake City, Utah, or Boise, Idaho to Yellowstone National Park. The drive north takes a few hours, but with 26 chargers in and nearby the park, the trip is now doable in an EV. The park offers 18 Level 2 chargers for longer duration charging, and eight DC fast stations for a quick, rapid charge.

Visit beautiful geysers in Yellowstone, but keep an eye out for wild bison, elk, and more than 300 species of birds. After a brief pit stop to charge your EV and a bite to eat, witness the more than 100 foot eruptions of Old Faithful and cool down at the chilly, expansive Yellowstone Lake. Navigate the park in peace as you, in your low polluting EV, protect Yellowstone’s precious wildlife from the dangers of climate change.

Travel down to the lush, swampy Everglades

The Everglades sports 10 charging stations for Florida EV drivers, and if you need an extra charge, stop at Savannas Preserve State Park or Big Cypress National Preserve on your way here. But Miami and Fort Lauderdale are both within an hour drive, so you can easily make it there on a full charge.

Explore Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, home of the largest stand of old-growth cypress trees on the planet. Ouch! But watch out for alligators along the trail, although if you watch from a distance, they are a beautiful, peaceful sight. And as you hop out of your EV to explore the park, know that you are playing your part to protect the Everglades from long-term climate impacts, such as frequent, intense hurricanes.

Adventure at the Grand Canyon

And to complete any excellent vacation to our national parks, take a trip to the Grand Canyon. If you live in Phoenix, Arizona or Las Vegas, Nevada you’re in luck. The Grand Canyon is just four hours away, and once you arrive you’ll be greeted by 67 charging ports to accommodate you and thousands of other visitors.

As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon sports activities for everyone: a skywalk over the canyon’s edge, rafting adventures, and nearby campsites. Admire the spectacular view from the Canyon’s West Rim, but be careful of the scorching heat of the inner canyon (bottom of the canyon) that reaches far above 90oF during the summer months. In your EV, you’re avoiding harmful car emissions that warm our world.

As with any adventure, plan ahead and have a backup plan

On any trip, gasoline or electric-powered, the unexpected can happen. The experience will be even less stressful if you plan ahead, using an app like PlugShare to confirm that charging stations are open and operational, accounting for the impact of terrain and weather on your car’s range, and having a backup charging plan just in case. Chargers can break, be blocked by gasoline-powered cars, or be crowded during busy travel periods. With more stations coming on line all the time, those headaches should ease up as time goes on. Note that our map of parks with chargers includes both Tesla and non-Tesla chargers. As time goes on, that difference will matter less, as new cars use Tesla charging infrastructure and more vehicles become able to use both. It’s only getting easier to plan your EV adventure.

Plan your EV trip today

Regardless of where you travel, know that by driving an electric vehicle, you are visiting our national parks responsibly and consciously, while living your most adventurous life.