USFS National Forest System Trails · Carson National Forest · New Mexico · Updated June 2026
Comales Canyon (USFS trail 22) is a 8.4 mi trail in Carson National Forest, New Mexico. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Comales Canyon?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Accepted but discouraged | — |
| Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist, 20 mph) | Allowed | Mar–Nov |
| Class 2 e-bike (throttle, 20 mph) | Allowed | Mar–Nov |
| Class 3 e-bike (pedal-assist, 28 mph) | Allowed | Mar–Nov |
Zooming out: across Carson National Forest, 78% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of A.
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About this trail
Comales Canyon (USFS trail 22) runs 8.4 mi through Carson National Forest in New Mexico. The figures here are pulled from the official US Forest Service trail data for Carson National Forest, covering the trail's mileage, tread, grade band, and the bike and e-bike uses the agency lists as designated. USFS records list its surface as native material. USFS slope data puts it in the Advanced band (grade band 12-20%), meaning a steep climb — keep in mind this measures steepness, not trail technicality. 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 (Mar–Nov) — 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 Carson National Forest.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you mountain bike on Comales Canyon?
- Mountain-bike use on Comales Canyon 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 Comales Canyon?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Comales Canyon in the USFS data.
- How long is Comales Canyon?
- Comales Canyon measures about 8.4 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Comales Canyon?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Comales Canyon as native material.
- How difficult is Comales Canyon?
- 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 Carson National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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