Things To Do on an eBike in San Bernardino County, CA

Where to ride in San Bernardino County

Think in three managers. County Regional Parks runs the valley path and a handful of regional parks. The U.S. Forest Service runs the San Bernardino National Forest road and trail network. California State Parks runs its own units under its own e-bike policy. A route that looks the same on a map can have a different answer depending on which of the three owns the dirt.

County Regional Parks. The Santa Ana River Trail & Pkwy is the county's best-documented bike corridor. The county describes it as a Class I bike path, which means it is fully separated from vehicle traffic. The county's biking page also lists Calico Ghost Town, Glen Helen Regional Park, Mojave River Forks Regional Park, Prado Regional Park, Yucaipa Regional Park and the river trail as biking options. We found no e-bike rule posted for those county park trails in the sources reviewed, so the state default applies. Read the kiosk at each park.

San Bernardino National Forest. The Forest Service biking page says electric bicycles are allowed on roads and trails open to all vehicles and on 50 inch OHV and motorcycle-only routes. Electric bicycles, including pedal assist, are not permitted on non-motorized trails. For mountain bikes in general, riding is permitted on designated routes in the forest road and trail network, except the Pacific Crest Trail, short nature trails, and any trail leading to or inside designated Wilderness. The forest's recreation listings name the Alpine Pedal Path Trail 1E50 and Alpine Pedal Path Spur 1E50.1 under biking and e-biking, along with trails such as Alder Creek Trail 2W18 and Alessandro Trail 2E44 and 2W20. We have no published distances for those in our sources, so they are not given a route entry below. Open the listing and read the access line for each before you drive up.

California State Parks. The state's e-bike policy says no one may operate an e-bike in a park unit except on public roadways and in areas allowed through a Superintendent's Order. In state recreation areas, apart from public roadways, only Class 1 e-bikes may be allowed by Superintendent's Order on controlled-access roads and trails, and Class 2 or Class 3 are not allowed. Chino Hills State Park has such an order, and it is a closure, covered under what not to ride.

County tourism also publishes a biking list with mileage, elevation gain and difficulty. That is where the mountain route numbers below come from. We mark them as secondary because a tourism listing is not the land manager, and it does not state whether e-bikes are allowed.

eBike shop hubs

Use these city directories for addresses, phone numbers, detail pages and claim links. A city page is a contact index, not proof of current stock, rental availability or route access. If you need service rather than a ride, start with electric bike repair near San Bernardino County on the county hub.

• eBike shops in Fawnskin
• eBike shops in Redlands
• eBike shops in Rancho Cucamonga
• eBike shops in Ontario
• eBike shops in Big Bear Lake
• eBike shops in Victorville
• eBike shops in Ridgecrest
• eBike shops in Fontana
• eBike shops in Apple Valley

Rental and tour contacts

One rental card is on file for the county, in Fawnskin. Call before you plan around inventory, delivery or trail permission. A card is a contact lead, not today's stock, and a rental shop cannot override a forest, park or trail manager.

Named eBike routes and access checks

Five routes have a published distance in our sources. The first comes from the county parks page. The other four come from the county tourism biking list, so treat their numbers as listed figures and confirm the trailhead and the e-bike rule with the land manager. Where a source did not give a surface or trailhead, we say so instead of guessing.

1. Santa Ana River Trail & Pkwy, Phases I to III (11 miles)

This is the one corridor here that the county itself describes as a Class I bike path, fully separated from vehicle traffic. The trailhead is on South Waterman Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92408, with the entrance behind the County Hall of Records at 222 W. Hospitality Lane. The county lists 909.794.1123 for the park. Phases I, II and III are complete and run 11 miles from the San Bernardino County border at Riverside Avenue east to California Street in Redlands. The county page calls it a bike path but does not give a pavement type, so judge the surface when you arrive. No e-bike rule appears on the county page, so the state default applies; check posted signs at the trailhead. Etiquette is shared-path etiquette: call out before passing, slow at street crossings and entrances, and keep the assist level low around walkers. The long-term plan is 110 miles from the National Forest in Mentone to the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach, with Regional Parks managing 22 miles from Mentone to Colton. Phase IV is not built yet (see the note under what not to ride). Details are on the county trail page.

2. Silverwood Lake Bike Path (12.5 miles out and back)

The county tourism list gives this path 12.5 total miles, out and back, with San Bernardino as the nearby city. It rates the skill level as easy and not technical, yet it also lists 3,400 feet of elevation gain. Those two numbers sit oddly together, so read the figure as a prompt to check the profile with the manager before you commit a battery to it. The listing (secondary) does not give a trailhead or surface. The managing agency is not stated in our sources, so no e-bike rule was found for this path and the state default applies. If the path turns out to lie inside a California State Parks unit, the state policy above applies: Class 1 only on controlled-access roads and trails where a Superintendent's Order allows it, and no Class 2 or Class 3. Out and back means you finish on the same grade you started, so keep the assist for the return. Pull to the right to let others pass, and give lakeside walkers plenty of room. See the tourism biking list.

3. Pilot Rock and Miller Canyon Road loop (11.2 miles)

Listed at 11.2 total miles as a loop from Crestline, with 1,400 feet of elevation gain, moderate aerobic effort and moderate technical difficulty, with a few rougher sections. The listing puts the ride at about 1.3 hours. It does not give a trailhead or surface, so confirm both before you drive. The route name includes a road, but a road name is not a surface guarantee. If the route is on San Bernardino National Forest land, the forest rule applies: e-bikes are allowed on roads and trails open to all vehicles and are not permitted on non-motorized trails. Do not assume which category each section falls in. On a loop with rough sections, slow down, walk anything beyond your skill, and yield to uphill riders and to vehicles on shared roads. Moderate technical difficulty on a heavy e-bike is harder than the same rating on a light bike, especially on the descents.

4. Keller Peak National Children's Forest (12.5 miles out and back)

Listed at 12.5 total miles out and back, nearby city San Bernardino, with 1,882 feet of elevation gain. The listing calls it moderate only because of the climb and not technical, and it names spring, summer and fall as the seasons. The trailhead and surface are not stated, so ask the Forest Service before you go. This is forest country, so the forest rule applies if the route sits on National Forest roads or trails: allowed where the road or trail is open to all vehicles, not allowed on non-motorized trails. Climb first, so the battery is spent while you still have the full pack, and bank enough reserve for the return. Control descent speed, because brake heat and fatigue show up on the way down. Yield to uphill traffic and keep to the right.

5. Santa Ana River Trail, Angelus Oaks listing (9.6 miles loop)

This is a separate tourism listing from the Class I path in the valley, even though the name overlaps. It gives 9.6 total miles as a loop from Angelus Oaks, minimal elevation gain, moderate aerobic level, moderate technical difficulty and about 1.3 hours. Because the name matches the county's Santa Ana River Trail & Pkwy, confirm which trail you are on before you read any rule. The listing (secondary) gives no trailhead or surface. The county tourism page does not state the manager, so for any National Forest portion the forest rule above applies, and for any other land the state default applies with signs controlling. Keep the pace down on a technical loop and walk sections that exceed your comfort.

Half-day and full-day eBike plans

Base the day near a shop. The Sunnyside E-bike Rentals card in Fawnskin is the one rental on file, and the hub pages for Redlands and Big Bear Lake list contacts for service. A portable power station can help at a trailhead base if the site allows it, but do not plan a ride that depends on finding an outlet.

What not to ride in San Bernardino County

Any trail in Chino Hills State Park. Superintendent's Order 951-20-002, revised December 3, 2020, closes all trails to e-bikes, personal electric transporters and motorized transportation devices. The speed limit on all trails and roads in the park is 15 mph. The North Ridge Trail west of Gilman Trail is closed to all use because of unsafe conditions. Read the state order.

Non-motorized National Forest trails. Electric bicycles, including pedal assist, are not permitted there. Also stay off the Pacific Crest Trail, short nature trails and any trail leading to or inside designated Wilderness, which are excluded from the forest's mountain bike permission.

State park trails without an order allowing e-bikes. State policy bars e-bikes in a park unit except on public roadways and in areas allowed by Superintendent's Order, and bars Class 2 and Class 3 on state recreation area trails.

Santa Ana River Trail Phase IV. It is not a ride yet. Phase IV-A is in design, with construction anticipated to begin in mid-2027, and the segments run A through E. Do not plan a route that depends on the unbuilt link, and expect closures near work zones once construction begins.

A route because a listing named it. A tourism page tells you a route exists and roughly how hard it is. It does not tell you whether your class of e-bike is allowed there. Always read the manager's page.

When to ride San Bernardino County

Our sources give season data for one route: the Keller Peak listing names spring, summer and fall. For the rest, plan around the terrain. The valley path and the mountain routes sit at very different elevations, and the Silverwood listing alone shows 3,400 feet of gain, so conditions can differ a lot on the same day. In warm months, start early and finish before the afternoon, and carry more water than you expect to drink. Mountain roads can close for weather or maintenance, so check the Forest Service page the morning you ride. Battery range falls on long climbs and in cold, so shorten the plan when temperatures are low. Construction on Santa Ana River Trail Phase IV is anticipated to start in mid-2027, so watch the county page next year for work zones.

California eBike rules snapshot

Vehicle Code 312.5 defines an electric bicycle as a bicycle with operable pedals and a motor that does not exceed 750 watts. Class 1 is low-speed pedal-assisted and stops assisting at 20 mph. Class 2 is low-speed throttle-assisted, where the motor may propel the bicycle alone, with no assist at 20 mph. Class 3 is speed pedal-assisted, stops assisting at 28 mph, and has a speedometer. Class 1 and Class 3 may have a walk mode up to 3.7 mph. A vehicle built to be modified, or modified, to exceed 20 mph on motor alone or 750 W, or with its pedals removed, is not an e-bike under that section.

Vehicle Code 21213 bars anyone under 16 from operating a Class 3 e-bike, and requires a helmet for the Class 3 operator and any passenger on a street, bikeway or public path. Vehicle Code 21212, amended effective January 1, 2026, requires a helmet for riders under 18. A first charge is dismissed, the fine is $25 or less, and a citation can be waived if the rider completes a local bicycle safety course or a specialized e-bike safety course within 120 days.

Vehicle Code 21207.5 lets a local authority prohibit e-bikes, or any class, on equestrian, hiking or recreational trails by ordinance, and lets California State Parks prohibit e-bikes or any class on any path or trail in its jurisdiction. That is why the land manager matters more than the statewide class. We found no county or major-city e-bike ordinance and no sidewalk riding rule for San Bernardino County in the sources reviewed, and no e-bike rule for the county regional park trails, so the state default applies there and posted signs control. Read our California eBike laws guide for the plain-language summary.

Frequently asked questions

All eBike shops in San Bernardino County

The complete local directory is the San Bernardino County eBike shops and repair contacts page. This guide covers route planning; the county hub keeps every shop card.