Mountain trail system (multi-day) · Central / south-central Utah
Paiute ATV Trail
Central Utah's big multi-day system: a roughly 275-mile main route plus 1,000+ miles of marked side trails.
Quick answer
The Paiute is the multi-day ATV trail most riders mean when they say "Utah trail ride". Sources disagree on its exact size (see the miles row), so treat mileage as approximate and plan from the current agency maps.
Sources disagree two or more sources give different figures; both are shownNot verified not published on the pages we read, or only in a secondary source
Key facts
| Location & counties | Sevier, Millard, Piute, Beaver and Garfield counties; passes through three Utah State Parks. [1] |
|---|---|
| Managing agency | BLM Richfield Field Office (435-896-1500), USFS Fishlake National Forest, Utah State Parks and private landowners "in conjunction". The Paiute Trail Committee is the trail association. [1, 2] |
| Total miles | BLM: main trail 275 miles plus more than 1,000 miles of marked side trails (974 miles "managed in conjunction" with the Forest Service, State Parks and private landowners). Dairyland repeats the 275-mile main loop. An older USFS publication says a 238-mile loop; the Paiute Trail Committee describes a 2,079-mile network linking 16 communities. Use agency maps for current routes. [1, 3, 4, 2]Sources disagree |
| Loops & main segments | Marysvale to Circleville about 65 miles; Marysvale to Monroe Mountain about 61 miles (event-site figures, secondary). The trail began in Circleville in 1988 (association). Many riders split the system into 3+ days; the full main loop takes about 25 hours of riding (insurer guide, secondary). [5, 2, 3] |
| Trailheads & access towns | Marysvale (central basecamp), Richfield, Beaver, Fillmore and Salina; Circleville is the historic start. Betenson Flat trailhead on Fishlake NF sits at 9,710 ft. Some towns allow ATVs on designated streets to reach fuel and food. [3, 2, 6] |
| Elevation | Mountain passes over 10,000 ft; valleys are far lower and hot in summer. [3] |
| Season | Spring through fall. High sections (Pahvant Range, Sevier Plateau) can stay closed until mid-to-late July; many riders pick September or October. [3] |
| Width limits | On Fishlake NF, OHV trails are limited to 50" and 60" trails; machines wider than 60" must stay on routes marked "Open to All". Quads (typically 50" wide or less) fit the 50" trails; wider machines such as side-by-sides are held to the wider trail classes. Forest Service recommends that no accessory be wider than the trail width. [6] |
| Vehicle restrictions | Designated routes only. Fishlake lists two open areas: Sawdust Pits / Flat Canyon (about 690 acres) and Velvet Ridge (about 189 acres). [6] |
| Permits & registration | Utah-registered machines follow the Utah DMV OHV registration rules; machines from other states need a Utah non-resident OHV permit ($35 per machine, valid 12 months). Every operator needs the Utah OHV education certificate (adult course is free and online; youth under 18 need a youth certificate). Details in the Utah rules summary. [7, 8, 9] |
| Fuel & lodging towns | Marysvale has gas, restaurants, lodging, RV parks and ATV outfitters; Richfield, Beaver, Fillmore and Salina also list fuel, food and lodging. Fishlake OHV-friendly campgrounds: Birch Creek, City Creek, Adelaide, Oak Creek, Paiute, Elkhorn, Rosebud and Gooseberry (Fishlake's camping page showed Adelaide as closed on the verification date). Fuel stops between towns are not individually verified; carry range for the longest leg. [3, 6, 10] |
| Difficulty | Mixed: graded roads to rough, rocky and steep sections. No single published rating; the Paiute Jamboree site describes trail markers as colored disks with difficulty definitions. Use the official map legend. [5]Not verified |
Highlights
- Historic mining and Fremont culture stops (Miner's Park, Fremont Indian State Park), the Tushar Mountains and Sevier River canyon near Marysvale. [3]
- Ride-in town access: designated streets in several trail towns let you reach fuel and food without a trailer. [3]
Hazards
- Altitude: symptoms (headache, dizziness, shortness of breath) can appear on passes above 10,000 ft. [3]
- Wildfire and fire restrictions in dry months; check Utah fire restrictions before you go. [3, 11]
- Black bears: store food securely when camping, especially in Fishlake NF. [3]
- Remote riding: cell service can be spotty or absent; carry offline maps, a GPS and a satellite messenger. [3]
- Fast-changing weather at elevation; pack layers and rain gear. [3]
Maps and official pages
- BLM Paiute Trail page
- BLM Piute County trail map (PDF)
- Paiute Trail Committee (official printed map)
- Beaver County Piute Trail map (2012, older)
- USFS MVUM finder (Fishlake)
Always download the current MVUM or agency map; the Utah OHV maps page lists statewide map sources. Utah rules summary: Utah OHV rules. We did not build a route map: we have no sourced trail coordinates.
Machines and loads
2-up touring and big-bore machines carry the most camping gear (check rack ratings below); check your machine's width against the 50"/60" trail limits (our model database lists overall width where we found it; a quad of 50" or less fits the 50" trails, and your owner's manual is the final word).
| Class in our database | Models | Front rack rating (lb) | Rear rack rating (lb) | Towing rating (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (<500cc) | 9 | 66-90 lb | 133-180 lb | 802-1350 lb |
| Mid (500-649cc) | 15 | 75-121 lb | 100-242 lb | 661-1830 lb |
| Mid-large (650-899cc) | 14 | 88-120 lb | 176-240 lb | 848-1830 lb |
| Big bore (900cc+) | 10 | 120-200 lb | 240-300 lb | 1500-1830 lb |
| 2-up touring | 23 | 44-121 lb | 77-242 lb | 772-1830 lb |
Ranges across the models in our database for each class; blank cells in a source are skipped, and some front ratings are not published. Your own machine's rating is on its model page and in the owner's manual and is the number that counts.
See the model database and how to choose. Our database lists overall width where we could find it (see the Width column; blank means unknown). A quad of 50 in or less fits the 50-inch trails. Check your owner's manual against the width limits above, and remember that wide tires, spacers and cargo count toward width.
Gear for this trip
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- Multi-day trail-ride loadout (Paiute-style)
- Overnight ATV camp loadout
- Trailside recovery and repairs
- Utah dispersed camping rules
- Recovery checklist, camping checklist, safety checklist
- Recovery gear roundup, satellite messengers & GPS
What we could not verify
- Exact current total mileage (275 vs 238 vs 2,079-mile network).
- Per-leg fuel stops and distances.
- Single official difficulty rating.
Sources
- BLM: Paiute Trail
- Paiute Trail Committee (trail association; site returned HTTP 409 on a re-fetch, content read earlier in this research pass)
- Dairyland Insurance: Paiute ATV Trail Guide, Dec 9, 2025 (insurer; secondary source)
- USFS publication, older edition, via GovInfo (GOVPUB-A13-PURL-gpo122587)
- Paiute Jamboree (event site; secondary)
- Fishlake National Forest: OHV page (updated Mar 9, 2026)
- Utah Outdoor Recreation: Off-highway vehicles (program home)
- Utah Outdoor Recreation: Non-resident OHV permits
- Utah Outdoor Recreation: OHV laws & rules
- Fishlake National Forest: Camping & cabins
- Utah Fire Info (fire restrictions)
Last verified Oct 27, 2026 (America/Denver). Structured data: trails.json, trails.csv.
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