USFS National Forest System Trails · Carson National Forest · New Mexico · Updated June 2026
Elephant Rock Middle (USFS trail 195M) is a 1 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 Elephant Rock Middle?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Accepted but discouraged | — |
| Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist, 20 mph) | Allowed | May–Dec |
| Class 2 e-bike (throttle, 20 mph) | Allowed | May–Dec |
| Class 3 e-bike (pedal-assist, 28 mph) | Allowed | May–Dec |
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
Elephant Rock Middle (USFS trail 195M) is a 1 mi trail in Carson National Forest, New Mexico. 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. The trail surface is not specified in the USFS record. Based on slope, this is a Intermediate trail (grade band 8-10%); that reflects moderate gradient and is not the same as a technical MTB difficulty 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, May–Dec; 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 Elephant Rock Middle?
- Mountain-bike use on Elephant Rock Middle 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 Elephant Rock Middle?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Elephant Rock Middle in the USFS data.
- How long is Elephant Rock Middle?
- Elephant Rock Middle measures about 1 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- How difficult is Elephant Rock Middle?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Intermediate (grade band 8-10%), 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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