One-day, car-free bike rides

One day you’ll be able to ride scenic paved roads without having to share them with automobile traffic. If you live near a national park in the United States, or in the general region of northern Italy/southern Switzerland, that day is closer than you think. Urban cyclists in major cities like New York and Berlin also get to feel what it’s like to pedal a beat without breathing fumes or hearing traffic. Each year one-day, car-free rides attract thousands of cyclists who come to experience riding on roads usually dominated by the internal combustion engine, but — for a handful of hours each year — these roads are dedicated to bikes. These rides are a scant sample of one-day, car-free rides happening this spring and summer.

National Parks

Each spring, before park roads open for the season, cyclists get the park to themselves when they are allowed to ride on certain roads in many national parks. For instance, Tioga Pass in California’s Yosemite National Park, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, or the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park in Maine allow bikes before the roads open for the season.

Even better, the Cades Cove loop road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee is motor vehicle-free all day on Wednesdays for part of the year. Vehicle Free Days will begin in June of 2025.

Ride the Hurricane, Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington, August 3, 2025

Each year on the first Sunday in August, cyclists have the extraordinary opportunity to ride the iconic Hurricane Ridge road when it’s closed to all motor vehicles. Starting the round-trip, 36-mile (58-kilometer) ride at sea level from the Port Angeles City Pier, cyclists ascend through the Olympic National Park, past old growth fir, distant glaciers, and alpine meadows, to reach the stunning viewpoints of Hurricane Ridge (6771’/2064 meters). Frequent aid stations along the way help fuel the climb; the views are rivaled only by the feeling of accomplishment at getting there. https://ridethehurricane.org

Check the National Park Service website (www.nps.gov) for details about car-free days.

Five Boro Bike Tour, New York City, NY, May 4, 2025

This event will celebrate 50 years in 2027 and, while it’s been around for a while, it’s worth doing at least once. It’s a chance to ride all five of New York City’s boroughs with 30,000 other cyclists who are all riding for different reasons. Some do it as a family activity, others do it for charity, and still others do it for the one chance each year to cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge by bike. Whatever the reason, it’s a mobile festival that rolls all day on the first Sunday in May each year. www.bike.nyc/events/td-five-boro-bike-tour

Sternfahrt 2025, Berlin, June 1, 2025

As the cycling highlight of the year, the ADFC Sternfahrt (Star-shaped Ride) convenes thousands of cyclists in the greater Berlin region who rally each year to demonstrate for better conditions for cycling. There are 20 starting points to choose from — riders can even start the night before from such far-flung places as Leipzig, Dessau, or Szczecin, Poland. Added up, the total distance of the Sternfahrt is 2,000 kilometers (1243 miles), which all lead to the Großer Stern in the central square of Berlin’s Tiergarten. https://berlin.adfc.de/sternfahrt

What the Dolomites in Italy have that other places don’t are some relatively short, circular routes that cross over the majestic climbs of the Giro d’Italia, the Tour of the Alps, and the Maratona des Dolomites. The Dolomites also have several days each year when cars yield to cyclists, who have the roads all to themselves for a few hours. For an unequalled experience, check out these one-day, car-free rides in northern Italy.

Monte Grappa Bike Day, May 24, 2025

A few hours before the pros pass by on their way to the finish of the fifteenth stage of the 2025 Giro d’Italia, all cyclists can be a pro for a day during the 11th edition of the Monte Grappa Bike Day. Riders will climb Monte Grappa from Romano d’Ezzelino on roads completely closed to traffic (but likely lined with Giro fans) in total car-free tranquility. https://montegrappabikeday.it

Sellaronda Bike Day, June 7, 2025

The Sellaronda crosses the four Sella passes: Sella, Gardena, Pordoi, and Campolongo by way of a 53-kilometer (33-mile) route with 1650 meters (5413’) of elevation gain. Organizers claim that the event “allows all bikers to enjoy the Sella circuit without suffering the smelly exhaust gases and the constant sound of car engines” They must be right because all traffic is barred from crossing the Dolomite passes during the event. This year there will also be a September edition on September 13, 2025. www.sellarondabikeday.com

Dolomites Bike Day, June 21, 2025

The Dolomites Bike Day takes you on the same roads as the Giro d'Italia and the Maratona dles Dolomites. Though 51 kilometers (32 miles) may not seem like much, the ride route crosses three passes: the Campolongo; Falzarego; and the Valparola for a total elevation gain of 1370 meters (4,495’). But the real high is that the roads are closed to traffic for six hours, from 8:30-14:30 and the average time it takes to complete this route is three hours. www.dolomitesbikeday.it/en

Stelvio Bike Day, August 30, 2025

Last year nearly 15,000 cyclists seized the opportunity to climb the awe-inspiring Stelvio Pass in late August, minus automobile traffic. With the start in Prad/Prato and finish at the summit of the Stelvio Pass, the 25-kilometer (16-mile) route offers 1848 vertical meters (6063’) of climbing but hey, there are 48 switchbacks to keep your mind occupied on the way up. www.parconazionale-stelvio.it/en/experiences/cycling-and-mountain-biking/stelvio-bike-day.html

Mendelpass, Italy, September 20, 2025

For seven hours on September 20, 2025, this 13-kilometer (8-mile) route will be closed to traffic so that cyclists can enjoy this winding road with 15 switchbacks and a maximum grade of only seven percent that climbs to the Mendel Pass (1362 meters/4469’) www.kaltern.com/de/autofreier-tag-auf-die-mendel.html

slowUp Albula, September 7, 2025

One of 16 slowUp rides taking place all around Switzerland in 2025, slowUp Albula is the only alpine event in the ride series. The slowUp formula is to take roads as wide as possible, close them to motorized traffic, and provide ride support along the route. The slowUp Albula route travels 30 kilometers (19 miles) through stunning mountain landscapes and features an elevation gain of 1900 meters (6234’). Roads for this event will be closed from 10:00-16:00. www.slowup.ch/albula/de.html

Are there car-free days where you are?

Car-free cycling happens frequently throughout the world every week. Mexico City has its robust “Muévete en bici,” which gives cyclists 55 kilometers (34 miles) of well-organized, car-free riding through the heart of the city each Sunday. That’s nothing compared to Bogotá, Colombia, which hands over 128 kilometers (80 miles) to cyclists and pedestrians on Sundays and holidays. This list is barely the beginning; we know there’s more to explore, like the car-free events in your area. See you out there…one day.

Image credits:

Switzerland slowUp Albula: © slowUp Mountain Albula | slowUp.ch
Sellaronda Bike Day: © Freddy Planinschek
Stelvio Bike Day: © Tourismusverein Prad am Stilfserjoch
Sternfahrt: © ADFC Berlin / Deckbar