The Paiute ATV trail is located in central Utah and consist of a loop of
about 300 miles. In addition to the main loop there are approximately
1800 miles of side trails that spur off of the main trail. The Paiute
trail also connects with the Fremont trail system to the south and the
Sanpete ATV area to the north. You can spend week riding these
trails. No matter if you ride ATVs, UTVs or Dirt Bikes this is
considered one of if not the best trail system in the county.
We started our second day by taking our Polaris Ranger UTV
(rented from Lizzie and
Charlie's RV and ATV Park) on the short trip from Manning Meadows
Reservoir to Barney Lake. Barney Lake though I liked the first
lake better this one is more private. So if you are looking for a
place to spend some time alone this is it, it gets much less traffic
since it is not on Paiute 01 and there are several Geocaches in the
area.
While heading south on Paiute 01 you will pass by this
old forest service station at Dry Creek, it does not appear to be in use
anymore. The Fishlake National Forest has several areas that once
had ranger stations. Stop and enjoy the views, there is also a
restroom here.
This was my first trip on a UTV. I am typically a
dirt bike guy but I have to say I loved the Polaris Ranger Crew. I was
able to navigate while Randy drove us around. I also loved the
ability to talk to my friends instead of just pointing at something like
we do on dirt bikes.
If you like wildflowers early July is the time to visit the Paiute ATV
trail. The one problem with early season riding is the highest
portions of the trail can be closed due to snow pack. Notice the
Tushar Mountains in the distance, that area of the trail was closed due
to snow.
We originally planned to ride the entire Paiute 01 loop but due to heavy
snow still on the ground in early July we headed south to Circleville
and the Fremont Trail
Otter Creek Reservoir as seen the Paiute 01. There are three
trails leading to the reservoir.
More wild flowers in early July along the ATV trails on the way to
Circleville Utah.
The section of trail from Utah 62 south to Circleville is very rugged
and offers only a few views. This was once a narrow trail but has
been widened in order to lay a water line for cattle use.