Updated October 2026
Kootenai National Forest Mountain Bike Trails
Mountain bike
120mi
designated on 37 segments
7% of mapped trail
E-bike
101miClass 1
designated on 30 segments
6% of mapped trail
Mountain bike
120mi
designated on 37 segments
7% of mapped trail
- Season on record
- Jun–Oct
- Bike Access Grade
- B55% of rideable miles open to bikes. How we grade
E-bike
101miClass 1
designated on 30 segments
- Class 1101 mi
- Class 2101 mi
- Class 3101 mi
Treated as a motor vehicle: ridden only where designated.
- Ridable trails
- 53
- Mapped trail
- 1,820 mi on 2,087 segments
Both lanes share one scale: the 1,820 mi of National Forest System trail mapped in Kootenai National Forest, Montana. From USFS National Forest System Trails records, updated October 2026.
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 |
|---|---|
| Black PeakNative Material | 12.18 |
| Swede Mtn Bike TrailNative MaterialYear-round | 11.33 |
| Mcguire/InchNative MaterialJun–Oct | 10.42 |
| Cliff Point/Thirsty MountainNative MaterialJun–Oct | 9.93 |
| Lydia PinkhamNative MaterialJun–Oct | 9.59 |
| Bobtail RidgeNative MaterialMay–Nov | 8.19 |
| Canyon DivideNative Material | 8.14 |
| Sorrel GulchNative Material | 6.69 |
| 20 Odd AtvNative Material | 6.15 |
| Turner MountainNative MaterialJun–Oct | 5.79 |
| Starry GoatNative MaterialMay–Nov | 5.59 |
| 20 Odd PeakNative Material | 5.54 |
| Cripple HorseNative Material | 5.4 |
| Stevens RidgeNative Material | 4.98 |
| Elk Mtn.Native MaterialJun–Oct | 4.91 |
| Trout RidgeNative Material | 4.74 |
| Reader GulchNative Material | 4.28 |
| Sheldon MountainNative MaterialMay–Oct | 4.21 |
| Webb MountainNative MaterialJun–Oct | 4.1 |
| Alexander MountainNative Material | 3.99 |
| Sheldon Mountain BNative MaterialMay–Oct | 3.98 |
| Loveland PeakNative Material | 3.94 |
| Sheldon Mountain CNative MaterialMay–Oct | 3.93 |
| Dixie RidgeNative Material | 3.85 |
| Warex PeakNative MaterialJun–Oct | 3.83 |
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 miNative Material, class 3bike
- Lydia Pinkham9.6 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Octbike
- 20 Odd Atv6.2 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Starry Goat5.6 miNative Material, class 3, May–Novbike
- Trout Ridge4.7 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Native Material, class 3, May–Octbike
- Sheldon Mountain C3.9 miNative Material, class 3, May–Octbike
- Warex Peak3.8 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Octbike
- Beartrap Mountain3.5 miNative Material, class 2, Jun–Octbike
- Native Material, class 3bike
- Native Material, class 3bike
- Troy Walking Path1.9 miAsphalt, class 5bike
- Bighorn/Black Eagle Rock1.7 miNative Material, class 4, May–Novbike
- Whoop Up1.5 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Novbike
- Sheldon Mountain E1.5 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Novbike
- Parmenter Flat1.4 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Swisher Lake1.3 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Octbike
- Elk Lake Atv Trail0.9 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Sheldon Mountain Tie N0.8 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Novbike
- Sheldon Mountain Tie M0.6 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Novbike
Advanced grade (31)
Steep grade band.
- Black Peak12.2 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Native Material, class 2, Jun–Octbike
- Bobtail Ridge8.2 miNative Material, class 3, May–Novbike
- Canyon Divide8.1 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Sorrel Gulch6.7 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Turner Mountain5.8 miNative Material, class 2, Jun–Octbike
- 20 Odd Peak5.5 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Cripple Horse5.4 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Stevens Ridge5 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Elk Mtn.4.9 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Octbike + e-bike
- Reader Gulch4.3 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Sheldon Mountain4.2 miNative Material, class 3, May–Octbike
- Webb Mountain4.1 miNative Material, class 2, Jun–Octbike
- Native Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Loveland Peak3.9 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Dixie Ridge3.9 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- North Fork Big Creek3.8 miNative Material, class 3, Jun–Octbike
- South Fork Pilgrim Creek3.7 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Kismet Creek3.2 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Sheldon Mountain A3.1 miNative Material, class 3, May–Octbike
- Smeads Bench2.9 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Alvord Lake2.6 miNative Material, class 3, May–Novbike
- Lower Boulder2.5 miImported Loose Material, class 2, Jun–Octbike
- Skeleton Creek2.1 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Minton Pass2 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Grays Gulch1.9 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Cub Creek1.9 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Slimmer Creek1.8 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Ziegler Mountain1.3 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- White Pine Ridge1.3 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
- Horse Hill1.2 miNative Material, class 3Class 1 e-bike
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.
More Montana national forests
2,202 mi bike trail
2,189 mi bike trail
182 mi bike trail
79.6 mi bike trail
54.3 mi bike trail
0 mi bike trail
Where to stay near Kootenai National Forest
Cabins, lodges, and campgrounds near Kootenai National Forest in Montana — compare places to stay for a mountain-bike trip.
Top-rated places to stay near Kootenai National Forest
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Riding Kootenai National Forest?
Trail-access updates and Montana trip ideas by email.