USFS National Forest System Trails · Sequoia National Forest · California · Updated June 2026
Black Mountain Saddle (USFS trail 32E59) is a 1.2 mi trail in Sequoia National Forest, California. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Black Mountain Saddle?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Accepted but discouraged | — |
| Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist, 20 mph) | Allowed | Apr–Dec |
| Class 2 e-bike (throttle, 20 mph) | Allowed | Apr–Dec |
| Class 3 e-bike (pedal-assist, 28 mph) | Allowed | Apr–Dec |
Zooming out: across Sequoia National Forest, 6% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of F.
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About this trail
Black Mountain Saddle (USFS trail 32E59) runs 1.2 mi through Sequoia National Forest in California. 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. Underfoot, the trail is recorded 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. The record additionally permits Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bike use, Apr–Dec; 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 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. 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 Black Mountain Saddle?
- Mountain-bike use on Black Mountain Saddle 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 Black Mountain Saddle?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Black Mountain Saddle in the USFS data.
- How long is Black Mountain Saddle?
- Black Mountain Saddle measures about 1.2 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Black Mountain Saddle?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Black Mountain Saddle as native material.
- How difficult is Black Mountain Saddle?
- 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 Sequoia National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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