USFS National Forest System Trails · Lolo National Forest · Montana · Updated June 2026
Cook Mountain (USFS trail 291) is a 4.5 mi trail in Lolo National Forest, Montana. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Cook Mountain?
| 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 Lolo National Forest, 34% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of C.
Watch Lolo National Forest for access changes
Email me when USFS mountain-bike or e-bike designations change for trails in Lolo National Forest. Free, unsubscribe anytime.
About this trail
Cook Mountain (USFS trail 291) runs 4.5 mi through Lolo National Forest in Montana. 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. Its grade-based difficulty is Advanced (grade band 12-20%) — a steep steepness profile derived from USFS slope data, not a technical mountain-bike 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; 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 2 on the agency's 1-to-5 development scale, where 1 is the most primitive, minimally maintained tread and 5 is the most developed. Because conditions, closures, and local orders change between data refreshes, confirm the current status with the managing ranger district before you ride.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on Cook Mountain?
- Mountain-bike use on Cook Mountain 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 Cook Mountain?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Cook Mountain in the USFS data.
- How long is Cook Mountain?
- Cook Mountain measures about 4.5 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Cook Mountain?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Cook Mountain as native material.
- How difficult is Cook Mountain?
- 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 Lolo National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
Where to stay near Lolo National Forest
Find hotels, cabins, and vacation rentals near Lolo National Forest — plan your ride.
Top-rated places to stay near Lolo 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 Lolo National Forest?
Trail-access updates and trip ideas by email.