USFS National Forest System Trails · Modoc National Forest · California · Updated June 2026
Highgrade National Rec. Trail (USFS trail 15E01-09) is a 5.9 mi trail in Modoc National Forest, California. Mountain-bike use here is not designated in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Highgrade National Rec. Trail?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | — | |
| 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 Modoc National Forest, 79% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of A.
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About this trail
In Modoc National Forest, California, Highgrade National Rec. Trail (USFS trail 15E01-09) covers 5.9 mi of National Forest System trail. 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. Underfoot, the trail is recorded as native material. Its grade-based difficulty is Intermediate (grade band 10-12%) — a moderate steepness profile derived from USFS slope data, not a technical mountain-bike rating. For traditional mountain bikes, use is not designated 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 Highgrade National Rec. Trail?
- Mountain-bike use on Highgrade National Rec. Trail is not designated in USFS records, though Class 1 e-bike use is designated. Confirm current rules with the managing ranger district.
- Are e-bikes allowed on Highgrade National Rec. Trail?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Highgrade National Rec. Trail in the USFS data.
- How long is Highgrade National Rec. Trail?
- Highgrade National Rec. Trail measures about 5.9 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Highgrade National Rec. Trail?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Highgrade National Rec. Trail as native material.
- How difficult is Highgrade National Rec. Trail?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Intermediate (grade band 10-12%), 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 Modoc National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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