Want to know where to ride an electric mountain bike in the Eastern Sierra? Of course you do; that’s the number one question we get: where is it legal to ride these types of bikes?
Down the page, I have listed 25 ideas of where to ride your E-MTB legally in the Eastern Sierra. Some of these routes take you deep into the high country, all the way up to 14,000 feet.
Since E-MTBs are considered a class 1 motorized vehicle, that limits where you can ride them. Areas that are closed to E-MTBs are all non-motorized trails in the Inyo National Forest. Popular trails that are closed to E-MTBs are Mammoth Rock Trail, Mountain View Trail, and Lower Rock Creek Trail. There are some big fines if you get caught riding in those areas on an E-MTB.
What you can ride is the entire 80-mile Trail Network at the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park when the snow melts. Also open to E-MTBs are all National Forest Service Roads and OHV Routes, a mix of single-track, double-track, and full-width dirt roads.
The elevation spread you can ride at goes from 4100 feet up to over 14,000 feet at the top of White Mountain Peak. The top of the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park gets you lifted assisted access all the way up to 11,000 feet.
The legally open routes you can ride listed down the page include beginner to intermediate to double black diamond rides you can take here in the Eastern Sierra.
Disclaimer: Many of the rides listed below take you out into the middle of nowhere. Be responsible for yourself, or don’t go. You need to be self-sufficient or risk being stuck without immediate help.
If you break down, you must have extra water and food and carry the tools and the practiced knowledge needed to repair your bike. Also, know that there might not be cell service in some extreme locations in the Eastern Sierra. Again don’t go on any E-MTB Adventure unless you’re fully prepared. You have been warned…
Below is a list of all the rides we have compiled that are now legal to ride an E-MTB on. (The full details of all these rides will be linked here shortly, so check back weekly.)
#1 Mammoth Mountain Bike Park = 80 Miles of Single Track
#2 Mammoth Lakes Paved Trail System = 20 miles
#3 Inyo Crater Trail to Inyo Crater Loop = 20 Miles
#4 Sawmill Rd to Big Smokey Bear Loop to Look Out Mountain Loop = 20+ Miles
#5 Mammoth Lakes Overlook Ride = 5+ Miles
#6 The Mammoth Knolls Loop = 12 Miles
#7 June Lake Area – Hartly Springs Loop =
#8 June Lake Area – Panorama Loop Mt. Bike Route
#9 Toms Place / Sunny Slopes / Upper Gorge Loop = 11 Miles
#10 Toms Place to Sand Canyon OHV Trail and Back = 17+ Miles
#11 Wheeler Ridge Route
#12 OHV & Single Track Routes in the Buttermilks = 25+ Miles
#13 Silver Canyon to Silver Canyon OHV Single Track Trail
#14 Black Rock Canyon Road to Poleta Ridge Single – Double Track Downhill
#15 Paposose Loop = 26+ Miles
#16 MC Gee Creek Road Fall Color Ride (Pavement)
#17 Toms Place 4S54 Double Track Road = 10 Miles
#18 Bald Mountain Road
#19 Coyote Flats Road to Druid Trail
#20 Coyote Flats Road to Rawson Creek
#21 White Mountain Road – *Requires Spare Battery
#22 Coyote Ridge Road
#23 Harbegger Road
#24 MC Murray Meadows Loop – Big Pine
Here at Eastern Sierra Mountain Biking, we fully support Class 1 Peddle Assist E-MTB use on proper trails and dirt roads.
