USFS National Forest System Trails · Kootenai National Forest · Montana · Updated June 2026
Elk Lake Atv Trail (USFS trail 883) is a 0.9 mi trail in Kootenai National Forest, Montana. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Elk Lake Atv Trail?
| 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 Kootenai National Forest, 55% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of B.
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About this trail
In Kootenai National Forest, Montana, Elk Lake Atv Trail (USFS trail 883) covers 0.9 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. The tread is mapped as native material. USFS slope data puts it in the Easy band (grade band 0-5%), meaning a gentle 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 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 Elk Lake Atv Trail?
- Mountain-bike use on Elk Lake Atv Trail 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 Elk Lake Atv Trail?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Elk Lake Atv Trail in the USFS data.
- How long is Elk Lake Atv Trail?
- Elk Lake Atv Trail measures about 0.9 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Elk Lake Atv Trail?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Elk Lake Atv Trail as native material.
- How difficult is Elk Lake Atv Trail?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Easy (grade band 0-5%), 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 Kootenai National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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