USFS National Forest System Trails · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest · Montana · Updated June 2026
Dry Fork (USFS trail J8897) is a 1.9 mi trail in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana. Mountain bikes are designated as allowed year-round, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Dry Fork?
| 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 Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, 91% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of A.
Watch Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest for access changes
Email me when USFS mountain-bike or e-bike designations change for trails in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Free, unsubscribe anytime.
About this trail
In Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana, Dry Fork (USFS trail J8897) covers 1.9 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. Underfoot, the trail is recorded as native material. No grade band is recorded, so a steepness-based difficulty isn't available for this trail. Bike use is designated as allowed year-round. 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 1 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 Dry Fork?
- Yes. Mountain bikes are designated as allowed on Dry Fork in Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, year-round, per USFS data.
- Are e-bikes allowed on Dry Fork?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Dry Fork in the USFS data.
- How long is Dry Fork?
- Dry Fork measures about 1.9 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Dry Fork?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Dry Fork as native material.
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 Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
Where to stay near Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
Find hotels, cabins, and vacation rentals near Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest — plan your ride.
Top-rated places to stay near Helena-Lewis and Clark 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 Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest?
Trail-access updates and trip ideas by email.