Utah has a great deal to offer outdoor enthusiasts and there are many ATV trails throughout the state. Explore mountains and aspen forests, remote hidden canyons, spectacular slick-rock country, sand dunes and abandoned mining camps. Most ATV trails are shared by dirt bike enthusiasts, 4X4 vehicles, hikers and horseback riders. In Utah, ATVs and Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs) must be used in designated areas on public lands. These regions are clearly marked on maps that can be obtained from the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management (BLM). No off-road vehicles are allowed in wilderness areas, national parks or on lakeshores.
Hardware Ranch and Bountiful Peak trails cover rural alpine country, giving spectacular views of Great Salt Lake. Diamond Mountain Plateau and Brown's Park trails cover through hangouts of Butch Cassidy, with views of the remote Book Cliffs. The dry Great Basin is traversed by tracks of the first transcontinental railroad. Oquirrh Loop follows 150 miles of the Pony Express Trail west of Salt Lake City. The 60,000 acre Little Sahara Recreation Area and Sand Mountain welcomes dune buggies, ATVs and four-wheelers to its free-moving sand dunes and sagebrush flats.
There are 1,600 miles of the Great Western Trail in Utah, which enters the state at the Idaho border and travels its length, exiting near Kanab. The Arapeen Trail runs over 350 miles through this central region of forests and lakes. It includes Skyline Drive, which has high mountain views, excellent camping and fishing. The Paiute Trail makes a 275-mile loop through towns and fishing areas with numerous branches into scenic areas.
There are miles of 4X4 trails around Moab open to jeepers, ATVers and dirt bikers. Elephant Hill is popular with slick-rock fans and is renowned for its challenges. Moab Rim and Poison Spider Mesa trails have plenty of crumbling ledges and blow sand, requiring more experienced drivers of OHVs. White Rim Trail loops 100 miles around the Canyonlands' Island in the Sky while Bears Ears Trail runs through the Abajo Mountains to Natural Bridges National Monument and Beef Basin. The San Rafael Swell has spectacular sandstone formations, brilliantly colored canyons and miles of ATV trails. Huntington Canyon Loop runs through the Manti-La Sal National Forest, giving spectacular views of the desert below.
ATVs are not allowed in national parks like Bryce or Zion, but there are miles of trails in the surrounding areas. In the remote region north of the Grand Canyon, explore Boulder Mountain and Cathedral Valley on rugged trails with spectacular views. Poison Creek Trail in the Escalante area runs through beautiful canyon country. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park welcomes ATVers to miles of trails through pink sand dunes.
There are four trail systems in this remote, arid area. Take plenty of water, fuel, food, BLM maps and a well-stocked tool box. Amasa Basin has 33 miles of trails through rugged terrain, canyons and juniper-covered hills. There are trails through Burbank Hills, Conger Mountain and Cricket Mountain.
