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CanIBikeHere

Updated October 2026

Flathead National Forest Mountain Bike Trails

Mountain bike

79.6mi

designated on 27 segments

4% of mapped trail

E-bike

235miClass 1

designated on 67 segments

10% of mapped trail

Mountain bike

79.6mi

designated on 27 segments

4% of mapped trail

Season on record
May–Oct
Bike Access Grade
C27% of rideable miles open to bikes. How we grade

E-bike

235miClass 1

designated on 67 segments

  • Class 1235 mi
  • Class 2235 mi
  • Class 3235 mi

Treated as a motor vehicle: ridden only where designated.

Ridable trails
67
Mapped trail
2,260 mi on 888 segments

Both lanes share one scale: the 2,260 mi of National Forest System trail mapped in Flathead National Forest, Montana. From USFS National Forest System Trails records, updated October 2026.

Flathead National Forest earns a Bike Access Grade of C: 27% of its rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes, with Class-1 e-bike access on part of the network. Mixed — bikes are open on a meaningful share of rideable trails, but many are e-bike-only or discouraged.

Flathead National Forest carries 2,260 mi of mapped National Forest System trail, of which 79.6 mi across 27 segments is designated for mountain bikes, typically open May–Oct. Class 1 e-bikes are designated on 67 segments (235 mi).

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

What the USFS data shows for Flathead National Forest

Of the 2,260 mi of mapped trail in Flathead National Forest, 4% — 79.6 mi across 27 bike-designated segments — is open to mountain bikes in USFS travel-management data.

Tread is overwhelmingly native dirt: USFS lists native material on 810 of 883 surfaced segments (92%).

On the USFS difficulty rating, advanced is the most common designation here — 682 of 876 rated segments (78%) — across all uses, not bikes alone.

The headline bike season runs May–Oct; individual segments vary, with 5 distinct season windows recorded across the sampled bike trails.

The longest single named bike segment in the data is Alpine 7 at 55.25 mi on native dirt, rated advanced by USFS.

Class 1 e-bikes are designated on 67 segments (235 mi), and 6 segments carry an ADA-accessibility flag in the same dataset.

Trail surface

  • Native Material810
  • Snow65
  • Imported Compacted Material8

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

  • Class 3494
  • Class 2298
  • Class 469
  • Class 123

4% 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

TrailMiles
Alpine 7Native Material55.25
Tally- AshleyNative Material19.59
Columbia Mtn. LoopNative Material12.06
Ingalls - Mt ConnerNative Material10.01
Jimmie RidgeNative Material8.42
Foys To BlacktailNative MaterialYear-round7.39
Wire TrailNative Material6.89
BeardanceNative MaterialYear-round6.82
Elk Mtn.Native MaterialJun–Oct6.79
Peterson CreekNative Material6.03
Ashley DivideNative Material5.84
Wild Bill - Truman CreekNative Material5.78
Wild Bill - Eagle Mtn. TrailNative Material5.76
Pine GrassUnknown5.58
SummitNative MaterialJun–Sep5.58
South Fork Hemler CreekNative Material5.56
Ashley MtnNative Material5.54
Abbot CreekUnknownMay–Oct4.74
Sixmile LookoutNative Material4.44
SkylandNative Material4.23
Upper Dayton Creek OhvNative Material4.19
Johnson PeakNative MaterialJun–Oct4.17
Lupine LakeNative MaterialJun–Nov3.95
Holbrook TrailUnknownYear-round3.95
PhillipsNative MaterialYear-round3.94

Every trail in Flathead National Forest

All 67 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 (12)

Gentle grade band (shallow average slope).

  • Summit5.6 mi
    Native Material, class 4, Jun–Sepbike
  • Skyland4.2 mi
    Native Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
  • Round Meadow Loop3.3 mi
    Native Material, class 4, May–Octbike
  • Runaway Train2.9 mi
    Native Material, class 4, Jun–Sepbike
  • Chechako2.7 mi
    Native Material, class 4, May–Octbike
  • Freebird2.3 mi
    Native Material, class 4, Jun–Sepbike
  • Kashmir2.3 mi
    Native Material, class 4, Jun–Sepbike
  • Krause Basin 9021.6 mi
    Native Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
  • Tu Minnie Chief1.5 mi
    Native Material, class 4, May–Octbike
  • Krause Basin 9011.5 mi
    Native Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
  • Fox Run1.3 mi
    Native Material, class 4, May–Octbike
  • Hope0.9 mi
    Native Material, class 3, May–Octbike

Intermediate grade (19)

Moderate grade band.

Advanced grade (29)

Steep grade band.

Expert grade (1)

Steepest grade band.

Grade not recorded (6)

No grade band recorded in the USFS data.

CSV

Flathead National Forest bike-legal trail list (CSV)

Download all 67 bike- and Class 1 e-bike-designated trails in Flathead National Forest — name, miles, surface, grade, season, and e-bike class per trail, straight from USFS data.

E-bikes in Flathead National Forest

Class 1 on 67 segments · Class 2 on 67 · Class 3 on 67. See full e-bike rules for Flathead National Forest →

Where it is

Approximate center of Flathead 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 Flathead National Forest?
Flathead National Forest earns a Bike Access Grade of C: 27% of its rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes, with Class-1 e-bike access on part of the network. Mixed — bikes are open on a meaningful share of rideable trails, but many are e-bike-only or discouraged.
How many miles of mountain bike trail are in Flathead National Forest?
Flathead National Forest has about 79.6 mi of bike-designated trail across 27 segments, out of 2,260 mi of total National Forest System trail.
What is the riding season in Flathead National Forest?
Most bike-designated trails in Flathead National Forest carry a May–Oct season in USFS data; higher-elevation trails clear later.
Are e-bikes allowed in Flathead National Forest?
Only where designated. Class 1 e-bikes are recorded on 67 segments. See the e-bike rules page for the class-by-class breakdown.

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Where to stay near Flathead National Forest

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