What does "Expert" grade mean for a mountain bike trail?

It means the trail falls in the steepest grade band of the USFS GRADE field — the steepest average grades. It describes how steep the route is, not how technical it is to ride; a expert-grade trail can still be smooth or rough depending on its surface.

How many national forest trails are Expert grade?

About 159 ridable trails (401 mi of trail) across 16 states fall in the Expert grade band in the current USFS data.

Is USFS grade the same as a green/blue/black difficulty rating?

No. USFS records a slope-based grade band, not the green/blue/black technical scale you see on trail-system maps. We surface the grade honestly and never infer a technical rating from it.

USFS National Forest System Trails · Grade-based steepness · Updated June 2026

Expert Grade Mountain Bike Trails

USFS slope data places 159 ridable National Forest trails (401 mi total) in the Expert grade band — the steepest average grades across 16 states. This is a steepness measure derived from the agency's GRADE field, not a technical mountain-bike difficulty rating.

159

Expert-grade trails

ridable segments

401 mi

Total trail

States covered

Listed below

longest trails

Grade is steepness, not technicality. These are the steepest routes in the dataset by USFS slope figures, implying serious sustained gradient — though, as always, slope is one variable: a very steep trail can be a smooth fire road or a punishing technical line. We label these trails by the USFS GRADE field only and never translate it into a green/blue/black technical rating. Browse all ridable trails →

Longest expert-grade trails

The 60 longest trails in this grade band, by mapped mileage. Each links to its full USFS data profile.

Trail	Miles	Surface	National forest	State
Main Corridor	16.5 mi	Imported Compacted Material	Wayne National Forest	Ohio
Dorr Run Loop	13.9 mi	Imported Compacted Material	Wayne National Forest	Ohio
Never Summer	13.2 mi	Native Material	Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest	Colorado
Fordyce Jeep Trail	11.8 mi	Native Material	Tahoe National Forest	California
Mcguire/Inch	10.4 mi	Native Material	Kootenai National Forest	Montana
Reeder Trail	9.1 mi	Native Material	Manti-La Sal National Forest	Utah
Prosser Hill Motorcycle	8.6 mi	Native Material	Tahoe National Forest	California
Syllamo Bike Trail-Bald Scrapp	7.3 mi	Native Material	Ozark-St. Francis National Forest	Arkansas
Dunn Peak	7.2 mi	Native Material	Idaho Panhandle National Forests	Idaho
Garden Ridge	6.8 mi	Native Material	Shasta-Trinity National Forest	California
Red Oak	6.3 mi	Native Material	Idaho Panhandle National Forests	Idaho
Skull Camp	6.1 mi	Native Material	Six Rivers National Forest	California
Red Oak Ohv	6 mi	Native Material	Tahoe National Forest	California
Bad Tom	5.5 mi	Native Material	Idaho Panhandle National Forests	Idaho
Adelaide	5.5 mi	Native Material	Bighorn National Forest	Wyoming
Loafer Mountain	5.4 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Right Fork Maple Canyon	5.3 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Rowher 4x4 Ohv Trail	5 mi	Native Material	Angeles National Forest	California
Foolhen Mountain	4.9 mi	Native Material	Idaho Panhandle National Forests	Idaho
White Pine Hollow	4.8 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Mill Canyon	4.8 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Grandmother Mountain Ohv	4.7 mi	Native Material	Idaho Panhandle National Forests	Idaho
Dam Ridge	4.7 mi	Native Material	Idaho Panhandle National Forests	Idaho
Sterling Hollow	4.6 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Big Springs Hollow	4.6 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Myers Creek	4.6 mi	Native Material	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	Idaho
Bennie Creek	4.5 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
East Ridge	4.4 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Right Fork Salt Creek	4.1 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Signal Peak	4 mi	Native Material	Tahoe National Forest	California
Dan East	3.9 mi	Native Material	Six Rivers National Forest	California
Sierra Buttes Ohv	3.9 mi	Native Material	Tahoe National Forest	California
Hayfork	3.8 mi	Native Material	Six Rivers National Forest	California
Long Ridge	3.8 mi	Imported Compacted Material	Wayne National Forest	Ohio
Powder Gulch	3.5 mi	Native Material	Salmon-Challis National Forest	Idaho
Torrey	3.5 mi	Native Material	Six Rivers National Forest	California
Teat Mountain	3.4 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Purdum Loop	3.3 mi	Imported Compacted Material	Wayne National Forest	Ohio
Deer Hollow	3.3 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Bowl	3.2 mi	Imported Compacted Material	Wayne National Forest	Ohio
South Fork Eightmile	3.2 mi	Native Material	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	Idaho
Tibble Fork	3.2 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Mikesell Canyon	2.9 mi	Native Material	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	Idaho
Cold Stream	2.8 mi	Native Material	Tahoe National Forest	California
Strawberry Lake	2.8 mi	Native Material	Flathead National Forest	Montana
Little Table	2.7 mi	Native Material	Caribou-Targhee National Forest	Idaho
Lookout 4x4 Ohv Trail	2.7 mi	Native Material	Angeles National Forest	California
Robinson	2.7 mi	Native Material	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	Nevada
Chadwick 122	2.7 mi	Native Material	Mark Twain National Forest	Missouri
Jeep Tr 2905	2.6 mi	Native Material	Fishlake National Forest	Utah
Sawmill Creek - Black Flat	2.5 mi	Native Material	Fishlake National Forest	Utah
Indian Cr To Left Fk White Riv	2.5 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Old Mailpath	2.3 mi	Native Material	George Washington and Jefferson National Forest	Virginia
Shingle Mill	2.3 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Snake Hollow	2.2 mi	Imported Compacted Material	Wayne National Forest	Ohio
Powerline Trail	2.2 mi	Native Material	Nebraska National Forest	Nebraska
Garden City Canyon Atv	2.2 mi	Imported Loose Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Annie Trail (Noonday Connect)	2.2 mi	Native Material	Umpqua National Forest	Oregon
Black Canyon	2.2 mi	Native Material	Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Utah
Tennessee Ravine	2.1 mi	Native Material	Tahoe National Forest	California

Expert-grade trails by state

How the 159 expert-grade trails break down across 16 states. Open a state for its full forest-by-forest data.

State	Expert-grade trails	Miles
Utah	31	90.5 mi
California	30	89.8 mi
Ohio	23	64.7 mi
Nevada	22	21.7 mi
Missouri	19	21 mi
Idaho	14	54.2 mi
Colorado	7	20.9 mi
Kentucky	4	3.3 mi
Montana	2	13.2 mi
Arkansas	1	7.3 mi
Wyoming	1	5.5 mi
Virginia	1	2.3 mi
Nebraska	1	2.2 mi
Oregon	1	2.2 mi
Arizona	1	1 mi
South Dakota	1	0.9 mi

Frequently asked questions

What does "Expert" grade mean for a mountain bike trail?: It means the trail falls in the steepest grade band of the USFS GRADE field — the steepest average grades. It describes how steep the route is, not how technical it is to ride; a expert-grade trail can still be smooth or rough depending on its surface.
How many national forest trails are Expert grade?: About 159 ridable trails (401 mi of trail) across 16 states fall in the Expert grade band in the current USFS data.
Is USFS grade the same as a green/blue/black difficulty rating?: No. USFS records a slope-based grade band, not the green/blue/black technical scale you see on trail-system maps. We surface the grade honestly and never infer a technical rating from it.

Other grade bands

Easy grade trails Intermediate grade trails Advanced grade trails All ridable trails