USFS National Forest System Trails · Inyo National Forest · California · Updated June 2026
Deadman Water System Trail (USFS trail 27E102) is a 1.6 mi trail in Inyo National Forest, California. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Deadman Water System Trail?
| 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 Inyo National Forest, 7% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of F.
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About this trail
Deadman Water System Trail (USFS trail 27E102) runs 1.6 mi through Inyo National Forest in California. This profile summarizes what the official US Forest Service trail record says about riding it: how long the trail is, what it's built on, how steep the route grades out, and which forms of bike use the agency has designated. The tread is mapped as native material. Based on slope, this is a Easy trail (grade band 5-8%); that reflects gentle 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 2 on the agency's 1-to-5 development scale, where 1 is the most primitive, minimally maintained tread and 5 is the most developed. Treat this as a planning reference rather than a live conditions report, and verify any time-sensitive closure or order with the ranger district that manages Inyo National Forest.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on Deadman Water System Trail?
- Mountain-bike use on Deadman Water System Trail 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 Deadman Water System Trail?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Deadman Water System Trail in the USFS data.
- How long is Deadman Water System Trail?
- Deadman Water System Trail measures about 1.6 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Deadman Water System Trail?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Deadman Water System Trail as native material.
- How difficult is Deadman Water System Trail?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Easy (grade band 5-8%), 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 Inyo National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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