Road-trip-worthy destinations that allow eMTB access.
While discussion continues about how trail access will be affected by the Department of the Interior’s recent order classifying e-bikes as regular bicycles on trails and roads within DOI-managed lands, there are already a number of great riding destinations where electric mountain bikes are allowed. We’re talking world-class, road-trip-worthy terrain in the Western United States. Some of the locations already cleared for eMTBing—in some cases, areas with a variety of trails designated for motorized use—might surprise you.
Moab, Utah
Now let’s be clear: It’s not open season for eMTBs in one of mountain biking’s most celebrated meccas. For instance, don’t think you can leisurely pedal up to the top of Porcupine Rim and bomb down the world-famous descent.
But what about the iconic Slickrock Trail? Sure, go ahead. It’s legal for e-bikes. Same with Poison Spider Mesa, Poison Spider Loop, White Rim Trail, Dead Horse State Park, Sovereign, and Fins & Things. Then there are the numerous 4×4 trails and scenic jeep roads throughout the region. You might not get the whole (enchilada) of the Moab mountain bike experience, but there’s plenty to keep legs spinning and motors whirring for a worthwhile stay.
If you don’t bring your own electric mountain bike, you can rent an eMTB from local bike shops including Poison Spider Bicycles, Moab Cyclery, and Double Down Bike Shop.
Also, many of Moab’s most popular mountain bike trails are on lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, which is under the Department of the Interior, so there could be more trails opened to electric mountain bikes in the near future.
Mammoth Mountain Bike Park, California
Mammoth Mountain Bike Park opened its 80-plus miles of singletrack to Class 1 eMTBs (pedal assist up to 20 mph) for its summer 2018 season, and just wrapped up its second season in mid-September. The bike park has a fleet of rental electric mountain bikes from Trek, Haibike, and Rocky Mountain. Bike shops in the city of Mammoth Lakes also offer rental eMTBs.
Riders new to eMTBing—or mountain biking in general—can get comfortable behind the handlebars riding the Discovery Zone learner’s area. Gabe Taylor, marketing manager for the bike park, also recommends the 4-mile trail Downtown that takes riders into Mammoth Lakes’ downtown village. “It’s got a couple of climbs, so people can get used to the power of an e-bike going uphill,” he said. Riders can return via the Uptown trail or, if they run out of battery, can hop on a shuttle from town back up to the bike park. Charging stations are also available in the downtown village to top off e-bike batteries.
Near the close of its summer season in mid-September, Mammoth opened a new purpose-built eMTB trail, Electric Avenue, with sponsorship by Bosch eBike Systems. The 1-kilometer loop features berms, whoops, jumps, and wooden features for climbing. Be sure to check it out next season along with jump- and stunt-filled favorites like Flow, Twilight Zone, Chain Smoke, and Pipeline.
South Mountain Park and Preserve, Phoenix, Arizona
Located at the southern edge of Phoenix, South Mountain Preserve is one of the largest urban parks in North America, at more than 16,000 acres. The park tops out at 2,300 feet of elevation at Dobbins Outlook, offering a panoramic view of Phoenix and its surrounding mountains. Trails wind through a rocky, moon-like landscape punctuated by giant saguaro cacti reaching toward the sky.
The park is home to several of the Phoenix metro area’s most popular mountain bike trails, from the steep, technical Holbert Trail (a double-black-diamond descent) to the moderately difficult National Trail with its oft-photographed waterfall section, and the mellow and cruisey Desert Classic Trail. Class 1 (pedal assist up to 20 mph) and Class 2 (throttle assist up to 20 mph) e-bikes are allowed on all 70 miles of the park’s trails—as are traditional bikes, hikers, and horses.
Other parks in the Phoenix area open to e-MTBs include White Tank Mountain Regional Park, McDowell Mountain Regional Park, and Estrella Mountain Regional Park.
Sun Valley, Idaho
Southwestern Idaho is rich in singletrack and trails open to e-bikes, plus many roads and areas designated for motorized use. Some can be accessed directly from the picturesque Rocky Mountain town of Ketchum.
Eve’s Gulch, a 7½-mile point-to-point trail, can be ridden as an out-and-back ride straight from town. Much of the trail was rerouted in 2009 following the Castle Rock fire. “You’ll cross [Warm Springs Creek] many times (usually by skinny bridges), wander in and out of forests, meadows, and burn areas. Views are exceptional as you get higher,” states a trail description on MTBProject.com.
The Greenhorn Gulch area southwest of Ketchum offers a high-desert riding experience overall, but riders can also climb up into the coniferous forest. One epic route is to ride the Greenhorn Trail to Red Warrior and descend the high-speed, swoopy singletrack into Ketchum.
North of Greenhorn Gulch, the Sawtooth National Forest boasts rockier, more technical riding than many of the trails in Sun Valley. Right from Ketchum, you can climb Rooks Creek up to Osberg Ridgeline, a rolling, up-and-down backcountry singletrack that tops out at almost 10,000 feet of elevation and offers stunning views.
If you don’t want to travel to the area with your own eMTB, rentals are available from local bike retailers including Sturtevant, PK’s Bike Shop, and Formula Sports.
Kernville, California
Use an eMTB for a shuttle ride. Makes perfect sense on the e-bike and moto-legal Cannell Trail in California’s Southern Sierras. An IMBA Epic trail, Cannell starts at a lung-punishing 9,200 feet of elevation and remains above 7,000 feet for the first 17 of the trail’s 25.5 miles, so you’ll be glad you have some electric assist for the climbs and even the flat pedaling along the way. You’ll also be better rested for the trail’s final 8 miles, known as “The Plunge,” descending more than 4,000 feet to Kernville below.
Another eMTB-legal shuttle, Just Outstanding to Dutch Flat, is a 13-mile point-to-point ride. It starts by driving to the top of Just Outstanding and carving a flowy route through a cedar forest before heading through a tunnel of manzanitas. Dutch Creek, by contrast, is much more technical, rutted, and rocky—with 500 feet of climbing and 3,000 feet of total elevation loss over its 5.2 miles.
These two routes are the most popular among mountain bikers, but eMTBs can also be ridden on the scenic Kern River Trail (16.5 miles), Mill Creek Trail (7.9 miles), the Keyesville Classic race course (a 7.7-mile loop), and Granite Trail (a 1.75-mile alternate off of Just Outstanding).
Consideration should be made regarding the distance you want to go and the incline you may be dealing with. I would make sure I have an ebike with full suspension, long battery range, massive torque, and plenty of power!