USFS National Forest System Trails · Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests · Colorado · Updated June 2026
West Flat Iron (USFS trail 8720) is a 3.9 mi trail in Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, Colorado. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike West Flat Iron?
| 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 Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, 96% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of A.
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About this trail
In Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, Colorado, West Flat Iron (USFS trail 8720) covers 3.9 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. Underfoot, the trail is recorded as native material. USFS slope data puts it in the Easy band (grade band 5-8%), meaning a gentle climb — keep in mind this measures steepness, not trail technicality. For traditional mountain bikes, use is discouraged 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 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. 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 West Flat Iron?
- Mountain-bike use on West Flat Iron 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 West Flat Iron?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on West Flat Iron in the USFS data.
- How long is West Flat Iron?
- West Flat Iron measures about 3.9 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of West Flat Iron?
- USFS data records the tread surface of West Flat Iron as native material.
- How difficult is West Flat Iron?
- 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 Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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