USFS National Forest System Trails · Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests · Arizona · Updated October 2026
Saffel Short Loop (USFS trail 606A) is a 2.7 mi trail in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Arizona. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
- Trail length
- 2.7 mi
- Grade-based difficulty
- Advancedgrade band +12-20%
- Surface
- Native Material
- USFS trail class
- Class 41 primitive · 5 developed
Can I bike Saffel Short Loop?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Accepted but discouraged | — |
| Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist, 20 mph) | Allowed | year-round |
| Class 2 e-bike (throttle, 20 mph) | Allowed | year-round |
| Class 3 e-bike (pedal-assist, 28 mph) | Allowed | year-round |
Zooming out: across Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, 77% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of A.
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About this trail
Saffel Short Loop (USFS trail 606A) is a 2.7 mi trail in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, Arizona. The figures here are pulled from the official US Forest Service trail data for Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, covering the trail's mileage, tread, grade band, and the bike and e-bike uses the agency lists as designated. USFS records list its surface as native material. USFS slope data puts it in the Advanced band (grade band +12-20%), meaning a steep climb — keep in mind this measures steepness, not trail technicality. For traditional mountain bikes, use is discouraged according to USFS data. The record additionally permits Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bike use; recall that Class 1 is pedal-assist, while Class 2 adds a throttle and Class 3 a higher cutoff speed. The route is mapped as USFS Trail Class 4 on the agency's 1-to-5 development scale, where 1 is the most primitive, minimally maintained tread and 5 is the most developed. For day-of certainty on closures or seasonal orders, check directly with the ranger district, since this reflects the USFS data as of the latest refresh.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on Saffel Short Loop?
- Mountain-bike use on Saffel Short Loop is discouraged in USFS records, though Class 1 e-bike use is designated. Confirm current rules with the managing ranger district.
- Are e-bikes allowed on Saffel Short Loop?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Saffel Short Loop in the USFS data.
- How long is Saffel Short Loop?
- Saffel Short Loop measures about 2.7 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Saffel Short Loop?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Saffel Short Loop as native material.
- How difficult is Saffel Short Loop?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Advanced (grade band +12-20%), derived from USFS slope data. This reflects steepness, not technical mountain-bike difficulty.
How we read this data
Grade-based difficulty above is the USFS grade (route steepness), not a technical mountain-bike rating — a gentle-grade trail can still be rocky or technical, and vice versa. Bike and e-bike status come verbatim from the USFS managed-use fields for this trail; we never infer access we can't cite. See our methodology for how the dataset is built and what each field means.
Where it is
Approximate location of Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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