Southern Utah's stunning scenery includes five national parks in the lower half of the state alone. Add several national monuments, the Moab area and Monument Valley to the mix, and you won't run out of areas you want to ride for the scenery alone. While you can't ride ATVs inside the national parks, the national forests and public lands surrounding them provide thousands of miles of ATV trails, along with campgrounds where you'll find areas for staging your ride.
Moab
- You'll find thousands of miles of trail twisting through red rock country surrounding Arches and Canyonlands National Park. Surrounding the small town of Moab, which lies along the banks of the Colorado River, the trails range from easy to highly technical. High routes across the red slickrock generally are more difficult, with dramatic inclines and climbs over large boulders leading to panoramic views overlooking the Green and Colorado rivers, and distant snowcapped mountains. Easier trails are found closer to town, and some include paved portions only suitable for street-legal ATVs.
Sand Hollow State Park
- Red monoliths jutting from blue waters set the stage for an ATV and camping adventure at Sand Hollow State Park near St. George. Camp at a primitive site along the shore of Sand Hollow Reservoir, or choose from two campgrounds with hookups, flush restrooms and showers. The park provides OHV staging areas, loading ramps, and a course designed to let novices learn the ropes. Ride through sand pits beneath red monoliths, or challenge the sand and slickrock of Sand Mountain. Some of the higher trails in the park offer views of Zion National Park, 20 miles away.
Dixie National Forest
- Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks and Cedar Breaks National Monument lie within Dixie National Forest in southern Utah. You can see panoramic views of the parks from vistas along 500 miles of trail in the Markagunt OHV trail system. The trail system contains 50 trails divided into seven loops, with each trail number corresponding to the loop it is in. Trail No. 57, the Zion View Connector, is one of the more difficult trails in the system, but provides unparalleled views of Zion National Park in the distance. Campgrounds are located throughout the trail system. One primitive campground, Yankee Meadows, is high in the mountains, with OHV parking, vault toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. Duck Creek Campground is accessible to the highway, provides spaces for both RVs and tents, and is convenient to three loops of the trail system that pass nearby. An ATV corral and flush restrooms are provided on site.
When to Go
- No matter what time of year you choose to visit southern Utah's scenic trails, you'll find pleasant weather for riding your ATV. May through October is the best time to visit trails in Dixie National Forest, as much of the trail system lies above 7,000 feet, with daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit for much of the season. Lower elevations such as Moab can top 100 degrees -- and sometimes 110 -- in the summer, but have pleasant winter temperatures that can reach the 50s and 60s. The St. George area is warm year-round, with daytime temperatures ranging from the low 60s to the high 90s.
