USFS National Forest System Trails · Los Padres National Forest · California · Updated June 2026
Howards Bypass Ohv (USFS trail 15E05) is a 2.9 mi trail in Los Padres National Forest, California. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Howards Bypass Ohv?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Accepted but discouraged | — |
| Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist, 20 mph) | Allowed | May–Nov |
| Class 2 e-bike (throttle, 20 mph) | Allowed | May–Nov |
| Class 3 e-bike (pedal-assist, 28 mph) | Allowed | May–Nov |
Zooming out: across Los Padres National Forest, 51% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of B.
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About this trail
Howards Bypass Ohv (USFS trail 15E05) runs 2.9 mi through Los Padres National Forest in California. The figures here are pulled from the official US Forest Service trail data for Los Padres National Forest, 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. Its grade-based difficulty is Advanced (grade band 12-20%) — a steep steepness profile derived from USFS slope data, not a technical mountain-bike rating. Note that mountain-bike use here is discouraged in USFS records — confirm with the ranger district before riding. On the electric side, Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are also designated (May–Nov) — 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 Howards Bypass Ohv?
- Mountain-bike use on Howards Bypass Ohv 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 Howards Bypass Ohv?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Howards Bypass Ohv in the USFS data.
- How long is Howards Bypass Ohv?
- Howards Bypass Ohv measures about 2.9 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Howards Bypass Ohv?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Howards Bypass Ohv as native material.
- How difficult is Howards Bypass Ohv?
- 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 Los Padres National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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