Tens of millions of Americans are expected to hit the highways this summer for road trips, often to state or national parks.

For many drivers, 2024 marks their first year behind the wheel of an electric vehicle.

A new interactive map from PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center, Environment America Research and Policy Center, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, and Frontier Group helps those newbies, as well as early adopters of EVs, find state and national parks where they can plug in their electric vehicles while enjoying nature.

“Park systems across the country and Commonwealth are making it easier for EV owners to ‘recharge where you recharge,’” said PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center’s Deputy Director, Flora Cardoni. “That means we can all leave air pollution behind when we go to enjoy the wonders of the great outdoors. That’s a win-win-win for our health and the health of the wildlife and landscapes that draw us to parks in the first place.”

The interactive map highlights more than 260 large state and national parks across the country with EV chargers either in them or nearby.

It also shows the progress made by several states in making the great outdoors accessible to people driving electric vehicles.

Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, DCNR has worked to install electric vehicle chargers at roughly three dozen state parks and forests.

Transportation is the United States’ No. 1 source of the climate pollution that is causing the world to warm, and shifting to electric vehicles can dramatically reduce that pollution.

Climate change threatens the health of our forests and ecosystems, and is irrevocably changing the character of America’s most beloved natural places.

“The premise of the National Park system was to preserve everything from purple mountains’ majesty to fruited plains. Climate change is threatening that. Glacier National Park, for example, has one-sixth as many glaciers as it did in 1850 and the last glaciers may be gone by 2030,” said Cardoni. “Visiting these parks by EV is one way we can help preserve them for future generations, and EV chargers in parks and gateway towns make it possible.”

The number of charging stations around the country is ramping up. Nearly one out of every five EV charging ports available nationwide at the end of 2023 had been installed in the previous year.

“Thanks to private and public investments -- often supported by the Inflation Reduction Act -- we can count on new EV chargers en route to and within our destinations, making summer road trips, and every trip we take, that much easier,” said Cardoni. “Going for a walk in the woods is a great way to let go of the anxieties of daily life. With more places to recharge EVs, range anxiety is one more worry that EV drivers can leave behind.”

Click Here to visit the interactive map.

Related Articles:

-- DCNR Virtual Grant Workshop For Recreation, Conservation Projects Set For Nov. 7  [PaEN]

-- DCNR: Aug. 14 Trails Advisory Committee Forum Mercer County; DCNR Seeks Survey Input From Trail Managers, Providers On Land/Water Trail Plan  [PaEN]  

-- DCNR State Parks July Environmental Education Newsletter: Summer Learning & Literacy Road Trip; Celebrating Park & Recreation Professionals; Literacy Survey, Professional Workshops  [PaEN]

-- Susquehanna Greenway Partnership, 50+ Vendors To Host Susquehanna Greenway Expo Aug. 3 At Shikellamy State Park Marina, Sunbury  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Begins 10-Part Pennsylvania Forests Online Seminar Series Sept. 10  [PaEN]

-- PennEnvironment: New Interactive Map Spotlights State, National Parks With Access To Electric Vehicle Charging  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: A New Plan For Pennsylvania Forests - New Uses, More Trails, Continued Logging

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Hazelwood Summer Camp Teaches Life Lessons Along With Rowing On The Mon River

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: A Summer Road Trip From Pittsburgh To Goddard State Park

-- Williamsport Sun - Bill Bower: Reflections In Nature - We All Need To Experience Nature

-- Tribune-Democrat: Community Members Hike Flood Path Trail In Cambria County, Bask In Local History

-- TribLive: Goats Get To Work Clearing Natrona Riverfront In Preparation For Work On Three Rivers Heritage Trail Connection

[Posted: July 24, 2024]

7/29/2024