USFS National Forest System Trails · Sawtooth National Forest · Idaho · Updated June 2026
Cold Springs Ridge (USFS trail 7981) is a 1.3 mi trail in Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Cold Springs Ridge?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Accepted but discouraged | — |
| Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist, 20 mph) | Allowed | May–Sep |
| Class 2 e-bike (throttle, 20 mph) | Allowed | May–Sep |
| Class 3 e-bike (pedal-assist, 28 mph) | Allowed | May–Sep |
Zooming out: across Sawtooth National Forest, 59% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of B.
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About this trail
Cold Springs Ridge (USFS trail 7981) runs 1.3 mi through Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho. 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. 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. 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, May–Sep; 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 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. For day-of certainty on closures or seasonal orders, check directly with the ranger district, since this reflects the USFS data as of the latest refresh.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on Cold Springs Ridge?
- Mountain-bike use on Cold Springs Ridge 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 Cold Springs Ridge?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Cold Springs Ridge in the USFS data.
- How long is Cold Springs Ridge?
- Cold Springs Ridge measures about 1.3 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Cold Springs Ridge?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Cold Springs Ridge as native material.
- How difficult is Cold Springs Ridge?
- 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).
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