USFS National Forest System Trails · Sawtooth National Forest · Idaho · Updated June 2026
Ponderosa Loop (USFS trail 7610) is a 0.7 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 Ponderosa Loop?
| 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 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
In Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho, Ponderosa Loop (USFS trail 7610) covers 0.7 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. Underfoot, the trail is recorded as native material. Based on slope, this is a Intermediate trail (grade band 10-12%); 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. 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 Ponderosa Loop?
- Mountain-bike use on Ponderosa Loop 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 Ponderosa Loop?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Ponderosa Loop in the USFS data.
- How long is Ponderosa Loop?
- Ponderosa Loop measures about 0.7 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Ponderosa Loop?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Ponderosa Loop as native material.
- How difficult is Ponderosa Loop?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Intermediate (grade band 10-12%), 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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