USFS National Forest System Trails · Salmon-Challis National Forest · Idaho · Updated June 2026
Black-Alder Creek (USFS trail 4135) is a 2.1 mi trail in Salmon-Challis National Forest, Idaho. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Black-Alder Creek?
| 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 Salmon-Challis National Forest, 26% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of C.
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About this trail
In Salmon-Challis National Forest, Idaho, Black-Alder Creek (USFS trail 4135) covers 2.1 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. The tread is mapped as native material. USFS slope data puts it in the Advanced band (grade band +12-20%), meaning a steep climb — keep in mind this measures steepness, not trail technicality. 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; 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. Treat this as a planning reference rather than a live conditions report, and verify any time-sensitive closure or order with the ranger district that manages Salmon-Challis National Forest.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on Black-Alder Creek?
- Mountain-bike use on Black-Alder Creek 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-Alder Creek?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Black-Alder Creek in the USFS data.
- How long is Black-Alder Creek?
- Black-Alder Creek measures about 2.1 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Black-Alder Creek?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Black-Alder Creek as native material.
- How difficult is Black-Alder 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 Salmon-Challis National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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