ATV trail restrictions: Know before you go
A Yamaha Wolverine squeezing through a 60-inch gate. Neither one of the machines Blamires had on the trail that day was legal to be there. Forest Service maps can help riders know which trails their machines are legal to ride.
Sometimes when I make a mistake I wonder if anyone noticed. Over the years I’ve learned it is not appropriate to broadcast all of your faults to the world. However, when someone does notice, you have to decide what to do about it.
In my article entitled, ”Getting off the map and into the shade along Paiute ATV Trail,” published in the Standard Examiner July 2, I related an experience on a trail out of Kanosh. I called it the Dry Canyon Trail when it is actually the Dry Wash Trail, and I said that it turns east off the Cove Fort Trail, when it actually turns south. Those kinds of mistakes are just embarrassing.
A reader called me on another mistake I made that deserves attention. I was on a trail that was restricted to machines greater than 60 inches.
In an article I wrote that was published by the Standard Examiner November 5, 2008, entitled, “Some trails too tight for UTVs to travel on,” I described problems arising with the advent of the wider UTVs, and I gave some reasons for trail restrictions to be applied. The purpose was to lend some reason and logic to the new gates popping up restricting machine width. It also included a warning about trying to find ways around these gates.
The first restrictions were to prevent machines greater than 50 inches from traveling certain trails. Being familiar with the Paiute ATV trails, this made sense to me because of tight switchbacks and trees on either side of the trail that prevent wider machines from passing between. On the Wades Canyon Trail that goes northwest out of Circleville, for example, there were 11 switchbacks that were a challenge for an ATV and almost impossible for a UTV. Hazards like rock walls on narrow trails can cause expensive damage.
Some time ago I noticed a new designation on the Paiute Trail Map restricting machines to less than 60 inches. I learned that some trails like the Wades Canyon Trail have been improved to accommodate wider machines. However, problems still exist because UTVs keep getting wider.
My first UTV was 58 inches. The UTV I have now is 61.6 inches. Some machines in my ATV club are sporting 32-inch tires pushing widths beyond 70 inches.
I have been approached by people about trails they can’t ride. My response is that there are over 50,000 miles of trail in Utah and 80 percent of them are open to wider machines. When you have ridden the 40,000 miles of trail that you can ride, come and talk to me about the other 10,000 miles.
I own both ATVs and a UTV, which gives me the ability to ride restricted trails by choosing the machine appropriate for the trail. This brings me back to my mistake. I have been riding restricted trails without a complete understanding of the restrictions. I was on a trail that had a 60-inch restriction riding a machine that was more than an inch wider. Even though I could fit through the gate, I was out of line.
Brian Carter, a ranger with the Fish Lake National Forest District, explained that the gates don’t reflect the restrictions. A gate for a 50 inch-restricted trail is usually set at about 53 inches to accommodate cargo on a machine. A 60-inch gate maybe set as wide as 63 inches for the same reason.
There is a purpose for the restrictions. I have already mentioned trees and tight turns — more than one UTV rider has gotten themselves into situations that have required expensive rescue operations for extrication. If you are riding a machine that is wider than the restrictions designated for the trail, you are subject to a citation. It is not just fitting through a gate — it is actually being on a restricted trail with a machine that is too wide that will get you in trouble.
Another problem is that many published maps are outdated. The only reliable maps with the latest changes are travel maps available from the Forest Service offices located in the area of the trail. Always check with them.
When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down, and know before you go.
Lynn R. Blamires can be reached at quadmanone@gmail.com
