USFS National Forest System Trails · George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · Virginia · Updated June 2026
Walters Gap (USFS trail 474) is a 0.9 mi trail in George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, Virginia. Mountain-bike use here is accepted but discouraged in USFS data, with Class 1 e-bikes also designated.
Can I bike Walters Gap?
| Use | Status | Season on record |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain bike | Accepted but discouraged | — |
| Class 1 e-bike (pedal-assist, 20 mph) | Allowed | January, Apr–Dec |
| Class 2 e-bike (throttle, 20 mph) | Allowed | January, Apr–Dec |
| Class 3 e-bike (pedal-assist, 28 mph) | Allowed | January, Apr–Dec |
Zooming out: across George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, 90% of rideable trail miles are open to mountain bikes — a Bike Access Grade of A.
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About this trail
Walters Gap (USFS trail 474) runs 0.9 mi through George Washington and Jefferson National Forest in Virginia. 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. USFS slope data puts it in the Easy band (grade band +5-8%), meaning a gentle 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 (January, Apr–Dec) — 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 4 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 Walters Gap?
- Mountain-bike use on Walters Gap 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 Walters Gap?
- Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 e-bikes are designated on Walters Gap in the USFS data.
- How long is Walters Gap?
- Walters Gap measures about 0.9 mi in total, summed across its mapped National Forest System segments.
- What is the surface of Walters Gap?
- USFS data records the tread surface of Walters Gap as native material.
- How difficult is Walters Gap?
- Its grade-based difficulty is Easy (grade band +5-8%), 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 George Washington and Jefferson National Forest (USFS trail geometry isn't mapped).
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