USFS National Forest System Trails · Inyo National Forest · California · Updated June 2026
Sawabu Flat Trail (USFS trail 36E404) is a 18 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 Sawabu Flat 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
In Inyo National Forest, California, Sawabu Flat Trail (USFS trail 36E404) covers 18 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. USFS records list its surface as native material. Its grade-based difficulty is Easy (grade band 5-8%) — a gentle steepness profile derived from USFS slope data, not a technical mountain-bike 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 Sawabu Flat Trail?
- Mountain-bike use on Sawabu Flat 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 Sawabu Flat Trail?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Sawabu Flat Trail in the USFS data.
- How long is Sawabu Flat Trail?
- Sawabu Flat Trail measures about 18 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Sawabu Flat Trail?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Sawabu Flat Trail as native material.
- How difficult is Sawabu Flat 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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