Trails · Field guide · Reviewed July 14, 2026

Trails, hiking, and biking

Trails feel open until a rule says otherwise. Check the manager page for pets, bikes, permits, and closures before you go.

The short version

Bike permission does not always include an e-bike

A California e-bike has working pedals and a motor of no more than 750 watts. Class 1 and Class 2 stop helping at 20 mph, and Class 3 stops at 28 mph. A rider under 16 may not operate one. None of that opens a trail by itself - the land manager still decides whether a trail is open to bikes, e-bikes, or a particular class.

What changes the answer: A line on a map can cross several managers, and an open trail may not be open to every kind of use.

Official: State park hiking tips

A trail can be a state park path, city open-space trail, national forest road, national park route, BLM singletrack, or private easement.

That means the rule starts with the manager. Dogs, bikes, e-bikes, camping, parking, water, permits, and closures can change from one trailhead to the next.

Simple rule: do not trust the app by itself. Check the official trail page, then check the day-of stuff: heat, smoke, snow, water, daylight, and the road to the trailhead.

How it works

The same path can carry more than one rule

A trail name is only the start. The path may sit in a state park, national park, national forest, BLM area, county park, city open space, or more than one of those places. Each manager decides the allowed uses for the part it controls.

Open the official page for the trail or park unit. Check hiking, dogs, bikes, horses, camping, permits, parking, and hours as separate items. When a route crosses a boundary, follow the rule for the ground under your feet.

A bicycle sign does not always include an e-bike

California calls an e-bike a bicycle with working pedals and a motor of no more than 750 watts. Class 1 gives pedal help up to 20 mph. Class 2 can use a throttle up to 20 mph. Class 3 gives pedal help up to 28 mph.

A rider under 16 may not operate a Class 3 e-bike. A Class 3 operator or passenger must wear a bicycle helmet on a street, bikeway, public path, or trail. Those statewide class rules do not decide whether a manager opens a dirt trail to that class.

California State Parks allows e-bikes on public roads open to street-legal vehicles. Trail and controlled-road use needs a park-specific superintendent's order. The state list names the units, routes, and e-bike classes that are allowed.

National parks also use park-specific decisions. A superintendent may open a road or trail to some e-bike classes and not others. Check the exact unit page and posted sign instead of treating a regular bike route as an e-bike route.

A trail app is a lead, not an opening notice

Crowd maps are useful for finding names and ideas. They may keep an old route, miss a washout, or draw a line through private land. The manager's map, alert, closure order, and trailhead sign are the better sources for today's access.

Closures are not always dramatic. Mud, fire damage, nesting wildlife, repair work, snow, or a washed-out road can close one short segment and change the whole trip. Keep a nearby backup route.

The trail and the drive need their own checks

A trail can be open while the road to it has snow, chains, fire traffic, flood damage, or a seasonal gate. Check the manager's alert and Caltrans QuickMap when a state highway is part of the drive.

Then plan for the trailhead, not the weather at home. Carry water, tell someone where you are going, save a map for weak cell service, and turn around when heat, smoke, snow, daylight, or water use up the margin you planned.

First moves

1
Find the official trail, park, forest, city, or land-manager page.
2
Check whether dogs, bikes, e-bikes, camping, permits, or parking reservations are allowed.
3
Check closures, alerts, and road access before you leave.
4
Check weather, heat, snow, smoke, water, and daylight for the exact trailhead.

Watch for

1
National parks often have stricter pet and bike rules than nearby forests.
2
E-bike rules vary by unit and trail. Look for the local order or posted sign.
3
Seasonal closures can protect wildlife, habitat, roads, and burned areas.
4
Heat and water planning matter in the desert, foothills, inland valleys, and exposed ridges.

Official sources

Where to confirm this

Use the source that matches the part you need. Current forms, fees, deadlines, maps, and local decisions can change after this guide is reviewed.

State park hiking tips California State Parks trail safety, water, and planning basics Dogs in state parks California State Parks pet rules by park unit State park e-bike rules California State Parks unit-level e-bike policy California e-bike classes California Legislative Information motor limit and Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 definitions Class 3 age and helmet rules California Legislative Information under-16 operation limit and Class 3 helmet rule National park e-bike rules National Park Service park superintendent rules for e-bikes National forest alerts U.S. Forest Service forest trails, roads, and closures BLM hiking basics Bureau of Land Management public-land hiking, dogs, heat, and trail etiquette Roads to the trailhead Caltrans state highway traffic, closures, and chain controls California State Parks e-bike policy State Parks policy and unit route list

Trail rules can change by manager, trail segment, season, weather, fire order, and road condition. The posted sign and official manager page control the day.

Directory paths

Keep moving through the directory.

Use the related shelf when this guide is the right lane, or jump back to the full directory if the task changed names.

ShelfOutdoorsReturn to California outdoor checks and public-land paths.DirectoryGuidesBrowse the full guide shelf.PaperworkPaperwork & MoneyFind a calculator, checklist, or official-office route.A-ZFind another California pathUse the index when the task has a different name.