USFS National Forest System Trails · Idaho Panhandle National Forests · Idaho · Updated June 2026
Nelson Ridge Nrt (USFS trail 186) is a 9.3 mi trail in Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Idaho. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Nelson Ridge Nrt?
| 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 Idaho Panhandle National Forests, 6% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of F.
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About this trail
Nelson Ridge Nrt (USFS trail 186) runs 9.3 mi through Idaho Panhandle National Forests in Idaho. 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. USFS records list its surface as native material. Based on slope, this is a Intermediate trail (grade band 8-10%); that reflects moderate gradient and is not the same as a technical MTB difficulty rating. For traditional mountain bikes, use is discouraged according to USFS 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 Nelson Ridge Nrt?
- Mountain-bike use on Nelson Ridge Nrt 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 Nelson Ridge Nrt?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Nelson Ridge Nrt in the USFS data.
- How long is Nelson Ridge Nrt?
- Nelson Ridge Nrt measures about 9.3 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Nelson Ridge Nrt?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Nelson Ridge Nrt as native material.
- How difficult is Nelson Ridge Nrt?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Intermediate (grade band 8-10%), 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 Idaho Panhandle National Forests (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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