USFS National Forest System Trails · Sawtooth National Forest · Idaho · Updated June 2026
Big Smoky (USFS trail 7072) is a 18.6 mi trail in Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho. Mountain bikes are designated as allowed year-round, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Big Smoky?
| 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 Sawtooth National Forest, 59% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of B.
Watch Sawtooth National Forest for access changes
Email me when USFS mountain-bike or e-bike designations change for trails in Sawtooth National Forest. Free, unsubscribe anytime.
About this trail
In Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho, Big Smoky (USFS trail 7072) covers 18.6 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. USFS records list its surface 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. 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. 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 Sawtooth National Forest.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on Big Smoky?
- Yes. Mountain bikes are designated as allowed on Big Smoky in Sawtooth National Forest, year-round, per USFS data.
- Are e-bikes allowed on Big Smoky?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Big Smoky in the USFS data.
- How long is Big Smoky?
- Big Smoky measures about 18.6 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Big Smoky?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Big Smoky as native material.
- How difficult is Big Smoky?
- 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 Sawtooth National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
Where to stay near Sawtooth National Forest
Find hotels, cabins, and vacation rentals near Sawtooth National Forest — plan your ride.
Top-rated places to stay near Sawtooth 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 Sawtooth National Forest?
Trail-access updates and trip ideas by email.
More trails in Sawtooth National Forest
21.6 mi · Advanced grade
20.8 mi · Advanced grade
16.7 mi · Advanced grade
15 mi · Advanced grade
14.5 mi · Advanced grade
13.8 mi · Advanced grade