USFS National Forest System Trails · Montana · Updated June 2026
Kootenai National Forest Mountain Bike Trails
Kootenai National Forest earns a Bike Access Grade of B: 55% 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.
Kootenai National Forest carries 1,820 mi of mapped National Forest System trail, of which 120 mi across 37 segments is designated for mountain bikes, typically open Jun–Oct. Class 1 e-bikes are designated on 30 segments (101 mi).
What the USFS data shows for Kootenai National Forest
Of the 1,820 mi of mapped trail in Kootenai National Forest, 7% — 120 mi across 37 bike-designated segments — is open to mountain bikes in USFS travel-management data.
Tread is overwhelmingly native dirt: USFS lists native material on 1,947 of 2,087 surfaced segments (93%).
On the USFS difficulty rating, advanced is the most common designation here — 1,206 of 2,087 rated segments (58%) — across all uses, not bikes alone.
The headline bike season runs Jun–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 Black Peak at 12.18 mi on native dirt, rated advanced by USFS.
Class 1 e-bikes are designated on 30 segments (101 mi), and 9 segments carry an ADA-accessibility flag in the same dataset.
Trail surface
- Native Material1,947
- Snow113
- Imported Compacted Material13
- Imported Loose Material11
- Asphalt2
USFS trail class (1 = primitive · 5 = developed)
- Class 31,535
- Class 2405
- Class 4118
- Class 125
- Class 54
7% 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
| Trail | Miles | Surface | Trail class | Bike season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Peak | 12.18 | Native Material | — | — |
| Swede Mtn Bike Trail | 11.33 | Native Material | — | Year-round |
| Mcguire/Inch | 10.42 | Native Material | — | Jun–Oct |
| Cliff Point/Thirsty Mountain | 9.93 | Native Material | — | Jun–Oct |
| Lydia Pinkham | 9.59 | Native Material | — | Jun–Oct |
| Bobtail Ridge | 8.19 | Native Material | — | May–Nov |
| Canyon Divide | 8.14 | Native Material | — | — |
| Sorrel Gulch | 6.69 | Native Material | — | — |
| 20 Odd Atv | 6.15 | Native Material | — | — |
| Turner Mountain | 5.79 | Native Material | — | Jun–Oct |
| Starry Goat | 5.59 | Native Material | — | May–Nov |
| 20 Odd Peak | 5.54 | Native Material | — | — |
| Cripple Horse | 5.4 | Native Material | — | — |
| Stevens Ridge | 4.98 | Native Material | — | — |
| Elk Mtn. | 4.91 | Native Material | — | Jun–Oct |
| Trout Ridge | 4.74 | Native Material | — | — |
| Reader Gulch | 4.28 | Native Material | — | — |
| Sheldon Mountain | 4.21 | Native Material | — | May–Oct |
| Webb Mountain | 4.1 | Native Material | — | Jun–Oct |
| Alexander Mountain | 3.99 | Native Material | — | — |
| Sheldon Mountain B | 3.98 | Native Material | — | May–Oct |
| Loveland Peak | 3.94 | Native Material | — | — |
| Sheldon Mountain C | 3.93 | Native Material | — | May–Oct |
| Dixie Ridge | 3.85 | Native Material | — | — |
| Warex Peak | 3.83 | Native Material | — | Jun–Oct |
Every trail in Kootenai National Forest
All 53 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 (20)
Gentle grade band (shallow average slope).
- Swede Mtn Bike Trail11.3 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3
- Lydia Pinkham9.6 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Oct
- 20 Odd Atv6.2 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Starry Goat5.6 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · May–Nov
- Trout Ridge4.7 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Sheldon Mountain B4 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · May–Oct
- Sheldon Mountain C3.9 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · May–Oct
- Warex Peak3.8 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Oct
- Beartrap Mountain3.5 mi · bike
Native Material · class 2 · Jun–Oct
- Sheldon Mountain D3 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3
- Wood Creek Scenic Larch Trail2.6 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3
- Troy Walking Path1.9 mi · bike
Asphalt · class 5
- Bighorn/Black Eagle Rock1.7 mi · bike
Native Material · class 4 · May–Nov
- Whoop Up1.5 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Nov
- Sheldon Mountain E1.5 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Nov
- Parmenter Flat1.4 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Swisher Lake1.3 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Oct
- Elk Lake Atv Trail0.9 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Sheldon Mountain Tie N0.8 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Nov
- Sheldon Mountain Tie M0.6 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Nov
Intermediate grade (1)
Moderate grade band.
- Beartrap Ponds1.3 mi · bike
Native Material · class 2 · Jun–Oct
Advanced grade (31)
Steep grade band.
- Black Peak12.2 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Cliff Point/Thirsty Mountain9.9 mi · bike
Native Material · class 2 · Jun–Oct
- Bobtail Ridge8.2 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · May–Nov
- Canyon Divide8.1 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Sorrel Gulch6.7 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Turner Mountain5.8 mi · bike
Native Material · class 2 · Jun–Oct
- 20 Odd Peak5.5 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Cripple Horse5.4 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Stevens Ridge5 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Elk Mtn.4.9 mi · bike + e-bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Oct
- Reader Gulch4.3 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Sheldon Mountain4.2 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · May–Oct
- Webb Mountain4.1 mi · bike
Native Material · class 2 · Jun–Oct
- Alexander Mountain4 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Loveland Peak3.9 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Dixie Ridge3.9 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- North Fork Big Creek3.8 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · Jun–Oct
- South Fork Pilgrim Creek3.7 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Kismet Creek3.2 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Sheldon Mountain A3.1 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · May–Oct
- Smeads Bench2.9 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Alvord Lake2.6 mi · bike
Native Material · class 3 · May–Nov
- Lower Boulder2.5 mi · bike
Imported Loose Material · class 2 · Jun–Oct
- Skeleton Creek2.1 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Minton Pass2 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Grays Gulch1.9 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Cub Creek1.9 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Slimmer Creek1.8 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Ziegler Mountain1.3 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- White Pine Ridge1.3 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
- Horse Hill1.2 mi · Class 1 e-bike
Native Material · class 3
Kootenai National Forest bike-legal trail list (CSV)
Download all 53 bike- and Class 1 e-bike-designated trails in Kootenai National Forest — name, miles, surface, grade, season, and e-bike class per trail, straight from USFS data.
E-bikes in Kootenai National Forest
Class 1 on 30 segments · Class 2 on 30 · Class 3 on 30. See full e-bike rules for Kootenai National Forest →
Where it is
Approximate center of Kootenai 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 Kootenai National Forest?
- Kootenai National Forest earns a Bike Access Grade of B: 55% 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 Kootenai National Forest?
- Kootenai National Forest has about 120 mi of bike-designated trail across 37 segments, out of 1,820 mi of total National Forest System trail.
- What is the riding season in Kootenai National Forest?
- Most bike-designated trails in Kootenai National Forest carry a Jun–Oct season in USFS data; higher-elevation trails clear later.
- Are e-bikes allowed in Kootenai National Forest?
- Only where designated. Class 1 e-bikes are recorded on 30 segments. See the e-bike rules page for the class-by-class breakdown.
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