USFS National Forest System Trails · Ozark-St. Francis National Forest · Arkansas · Updated June 2026
East Outer Loop Shortcut C (USFS trail 2509C) is a 0.7 mi trail in Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Arkansas. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike East Outer Loop Shortcut C?
| 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 Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, 32% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of C.
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About this trail
In Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Arkansas, East Outer Loop Shortcut C (USFS trail 2509C) covers 0.7 mi of National Forest System trail. Everything below comes straight from the US Forest Service National Forest System Trails dataset — length, surface, slope-derived difficulty, and the specific bike and e-bike designations on record — so you can check legality before you load up. The tread is mapped as native material. Based on slope, this is a Intermediate trail (grade band 8-10%); that reflects moderate gradient and is not the same as a technical MTB difficulty rating. For traditional mountain bikes, use is discouraged according to USFS data. On the electric side, Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are also designated — Class 1 being pedal-assist only, Classes 2 and 3 adding a throttle and higher assisted speed. The route is mapped as USFS Trail Class 3 on the agency's 1-to-5 development scale, where 1 is the most primitive, minimally maintained tread and 5 is the most developed. Because conditions, closures, and local orders change between data refreshes, confirm the current status with the managing ranger district before you ride.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on East Outer Loop Shortcut C?
- Mountain-bike use on East Outer Loop Shortcut C 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 East Outer Loop Shortcut C?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on East Outer Loop Shortcut C in the USFS data.
- How long is East Outer Loop Shortcut C?
- East Outer Loop Shortcut C measures about 0.7 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of East Outer Loop Shortcut C?
- USFS data records the tread surface of East Outer Loop Shortcut C as native material.
- How difficult is East Outer Loop Shortcut C?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Intermediate (grade band 8-10%), 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 Ozark-St. Francis National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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