USFS National Forest System Trails · Caribou-Targhee National Forest · Idaho · Updated June 2026
North Fork Bear Creek (USFS trail 4049) is a 5.4 mi trail in Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Idaho. Mountain bikes are designated as allowed year-round, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike North Fork Bear Creek?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Allowed | year-round |
| 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 Caribou-Targhee National Forest, 98% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of A.
Watch Caribou-Targhee National Forest for access changes
Email me when USFS mountain-bike or e-bike designations change for trails in Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Free, unsubscribe anytime.
About this trail
North Fork Bear Creek (USFS trail 4049) runs 5.4 mi through Caribou-Targhee National Forest in Idaho. The figures here are pulled from the official US Forest Service trail data for Caribou-Targhee National Forest, covering the trail's mileage, tread, grade band, and the bike and e-bike uses the agency lists as designated. The tread is mapped as native material. Based on slope, this is a Advanced trail (grade band +12-20%); that reflects steep gradient and is not the same as a technical MTB difficulty rating. Mountain bikes are allowed, open year-round in the 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 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 North Fork Bear Creek?
- Yes. Mountain bikes are designated as allowed on North Fork Bear Creek in Caribou-Targhee National Forest, year-round, per USFS data.
- Are e-bikes allowed on North Fork Bear Creek?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on North Fork Bear Creek in the USFS data.
- How long is North Fork Bear Creek?
- North Fork Bear Creek measures about 5.4 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of North Fork Bear Creek?
- USFS data records the tread surface of North Fork Bear Creek as native material.
- How difficult is North Fork Bear Creek?
- 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 Caribou-Targhee National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
Where to stay near Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Find hotels, cabins, and vacation rentals near Caribou-Targhee National Forest — plan your ride.
Top-rated places to stay near Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Riding Caribou-Targhee National Forest?
Trail-access updates and trip ideas by email.