Skip to main content
CanIBikeHere

USFS National Forest System Trails · Idaho · Updated June 2026

Sawtooth National Forest Mountain Bike Trails

BBike Access Grade B — 59% of rideable miles open to bikes. How we grade

Sawtooth National Forest earns a Bike Access Grade of B: 59% of its rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes, with Class-1 e-bike access on part of the network. Good — a solid majority of rideable miles welcome bikes.

Sawtooth National Forest carries 2,323 mi of mapped National Forest System trail, of which 782 mi across 197 segments is designated for mountain bikes, typically open Year-round. Class 1 e-bikes are designated on 318 segments (1,184 mi).

Reviewed by CanIBikeHere Editorial Team · Updated
Where to stay near Sawtooth National Forest →

What the USFS data shows for Sawtooth National Forest

Of the 2,323 mi of mapped trail in Sawtooth National Forest, 34% — 782 mi across 197 bike-designated segments — is open to mountain bikes in USFS travel-management data.

Tread is overwhelmingly native dirt: USFS lists native material on 818 of 977 surfaced segments (84%).

On the USFS difficulty rating, advanced is the most common designation here — 569 of 967 rated segments (59%) — across all uses, not bikes alone.

USFS records a year-round bike season for this forest, though 3 different season windows still appear on individual segments at higher elevation.

The longest single named bike segment in the data is Livingston Mill-Castle Divide at 21.56 mi on native dirt, rated advanced by USFS.

Class 1 e-bikes are designated on 318 segments (1,184 mi), and 4 segments carry an ADA-accessibility flag in the same dataset.

B
Bike Access Grade
59% of rideable miles bike-open
314
Ridable trails
with their own page
782 mi
Bike-designated
197 segments
2,323 mi
Total NFS trail
979 segments
1,184 mi
Class 1 e-bike
318 segments

Trail surface

  • Native Material818
  • Snow155
  • Asphalt3
  • Other1

USFS trail class (1 = primitive · 5 = developed)

  • Class 3522
  • Class 2281
  • Class 4150
  • Class 122
  • Class 54

34% of this forest's mapped trail is bike-designated. Note: USFS records trail grade (steepness), not technical MTB difficulty — we surface grade where present but do not infer a black/blue/green rating from it.

Largest bike-designated trails

TrailMilesSurfaceTrail classBike season
Livingston Mill-Castle Divide21.56Native Material——
Warm Springs Creek20.75Native Material——
Harriman Trail18.64Other—Year-round
Big Smoky18.6Native Material—Year-round
Alpine Way16.66Native Material—Year-round
Skyline Trail15Native Material—Year-round
Iron Creek - Stanley Lake14.54Native Material—Year-round
Martin-Big Casino13.75Native Material——
Soldier Cr-Miller Cr13.66Native Material—Year-round
Paradise Creek13.51Native Material—Year-round
Skyline12.73Native Material——
Big Peak/East Fork Big Peak12.42Native Material—Year-round
Alturas Lake-Mattingly12.24Native Material——
Big Cottonwood12.1Native Material——
Grand Prize11.74Native Material——
Skeleton Creek11.55Native Material—Year-round
Willow Creek11.29Native Material—Year-round
Little Water Gulch11.29Native Material—Year-round
Osberg Ridgeline Trail11.28Native Material——
Germania Creek11.04Native Material——
West Fork Big Smoky Creek10.73Native Material——
North Fork Lime Creek10.69Native Material—Year-round
The Grinder10.55Native Material—Jun–Nov
Mule Creek10.29Native Material—Year-round
Ranger10.08Native Material—Year-round

Every trail in Sawtooth National Forest

All 314 ridable trails in this forest — every trail where USFS data designates mountain-bike or Class 1 e-bike use, grouped by grade-based steepness. Grade reflects slope, not technical difficulty. Each trail links to its full data profile.

Easy grade (109)

Gentle grade band (shallow average slope).

Intermediate grade (32)

Moderate grade band.

Advanced grade (169)

Steep grade band.

Grade not recorded (4)

No grade band recorded in the USFS data.

CSV

Sawtooth National Forest bike-legal trail list (CSV)

Download all 314 bike- and Class 1 e-bike-designated trails in Sawtooth National Forest — name, miles, surface, grade, season, and e-bike class per trail, straight from USFS data.

E-bikes in Sawtooth National Forest

Class 1 on 318 segments · Class 2 on 318 · Class 3 on 318. See full e-bike rules for Sawtooth National Forest →

Where it is

Approximate center of Sawtooth National Forest. USFS trail geometry isn't mapped here — use the ranger district for trailheads.

Frequently asked questions

What is the bike access grade for Sawtooth National Forest?
Sawtooth National Forest earns a Bike Access Grade of B: 59% of its rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes, with Class-1 e-bike access on part of the network. Good — a solid majority of rideable miles welcome bikes.
How many miles of mountain bike trail are in Sawtooth National Forest?
Sawtooth National Forest has about 782 mi of bike-designated trail across 197 segments, out of 2,323 mi of total National Forest System trail.
What is the riding season in Sawtooth National Forest?
Most bike-designated trails in Sawtooth National Forest carry a Year-round season in USFS data; higher-elevation trails clear later.
Are e-bikes allowed in Sawtooth National Forest?
Only where designated. Class 1 e-bikes are recorded on 318 segments. See the e-bike rules page for the class-by-class breakdown.

More Idaho national forests

Caribou-Targhee National Forest

2,696 mi bike trail

Boise National Forest

1,553 mi bike trail

Salmon-Challis National Forest

298 mi bike trail

Payette National Forest

169 mi bike trail

Idaho Panhandle National Forests

105 mi bike trail

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest

0 mi bike trail

All Idaho mountain biking

Where to stay near Sawtooth National Forest

Cabins, lodges, and campgrounds near Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho — compare places to stay for a mountain-bike trip.

Top-rated places to stay near Sawtooth National Forest

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Riding Sawtooth National Forest?

Trail-access updates and Idaho trip ideas by email.

Where to stay near Sawtooth National Forest →