Nez Perce-Clearwater NF OHV

The Boise National Forest encompasses 2.6 million acres of the Idaho Batholith country in Boise, Valley, Elmore, Ada, and Gem counties — the granite mountain terrain immediately north and northeast of the Boise metropolitan area, Idaho's largest city and one of the fastest-growing metros in the American West. The OHV trail system operates on designated routes across the forest's four ranger districts, with the Boise, Mountain Home, Idaho City, and Cascade districts providing the primary riding terrain accessible from Boise, Nampa, Meridian, and the Treasure Valley population corridor. The Idaho City district on US-21 northeast of Boise provides the most popular OHV access: the Boise River corridor through Garden Valley, the Banner Ridge OHV area, and the forest roads climbing from the Boise River drainage to the 7,000-foot summit terrain of the Sawtooth and Boise Mountain ranges put significant high-country riding within 60-90 minutes of downtown Boise. The forest occupies the western Idaho Batholith — the massive Late Cretaceous granite intrusion that underlies much of central Idaho — and the trail character reflects the coarse granite substrate: rocky, rooted, and sandy in a way that distinguishes Idaho Batholith riding from the basalt and rhyolite terrain of the Snake River Plain below. The Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness borders the forest on the north and east, and the OHV network operates in the national forest outside the wilderness boundary while the wilderness's trail system remains foot and horse accessible only. Cascade and Garden Valley provide staging infrastructure with campgrounds and services. Idaho OHV registration required. Boise NF supervisor's office in Boise (208-373-4100) manages current OHV route conditions.

The Caribou-Targhee National Forest encompasses 3 million acres of eastern Idaho and western Wyoming, covering the Teton foothills, the Island Park caldera, the Henrys Lake country, and the Bear River Range in Caribou County — the most geologically dramatic national forest in the northern Rocky Mountain West. The forest OHV trail network spans three major riding zones: the Island Park area (7,000-foot volcanic plateau south of Henrys Lake, bordering Yellowstone National Park), the Teton Valley foothills (the western slope of the Teton Range above Driggs and Victor, with views directly into the Teton peaks), and the Big Springs and Warm River corridors that thread through the forest's interior. Each zone has distinct character. Island Park is rolling plateau riding through lodgepole pine forest with meadow openings and the geothermal features that signal the Yellowstone hotspot beneath; the Teton foothills provide the most visually dramatic setting of any Idaho OHV area with the Teton peaks forming the eastern horizon on every ridge traverse; the Big Springs and Warm River areas follow the headwaters of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River through aspen-lined canyon terrain. ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and full-size 4x4s on appropriate routes are all accommodated across the forest's designated motorized corridor. Idaho OHV registration required. The Ashton/Felt Ranger District office (208-652-7442) manages current trail designations and seasonal closure information across the Island Park and Teton foothills areas.

The Clarke Mountain OHV Trail System is a 25-mile designated OHV network in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in Clearwater County, northern Idaho, approximately 23 miles from Pierce — one of the historic gold rush towns of the Idaho Panhandle, where the first major Idaho gold discovery occurred in 1860. The Cottonwood Creek trailhead on Forest Road 250 serves as the primary access point for the system, staging in the mixed-conifer forest typical of the northern Idaho Panhandle: Douglas fir, western red cedar, grand fir, and ponderosa pine on the lower slopes transitioning to subalpine species on the upper ridges of the Clearwater Mountains. Clarke Mountain's trail character is distinctly northern Idaho: dense forest single-track through timber that can reduce sight distances and increase the technical demands of the corridor, moderate to challenging terrain that rewards riders seeking wooded forest riding over open-country desert systems, and the cooler temperatures of the Clearwater Mountains that extend riding comfort into summer months when the southern Idaho desert systems are baking. ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles are all permitted on designated routes. Dispersed camping is available throughout the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest under standard 14-night limits. No day-use fee; Idaho OHV registration is required for all machines on state and national forest land. Seasonal snow closures affect upper elevation sections from approximately November through April (208-476-4541).

Danskin Mountain OHV Area encompasses 60,000 acres with 150+ miles of designated OHV trails in the Boise National Forest south of Mountain Home in Elmore County, Idaho — one of the premier OHV destinations in the entire Mountain West for riders who want the combination of high-elevation alpine terrain, significant mileage, and the Basin and Range geography of the southern Idaho high desert meeting the Owyhee Mountains. The area sits south of Mountain Home on the Snake River Plain, and the terrain transition from the valley floor to the Danskin Range produces an elevation range from 3,000 to 7,000 feet across the designated trail network. Lower elevation sections at 3,000–4,500 feet move through open sagebrush hillsides with juniper and scrub vegetation on exposed south-facing slopes — high-desert terrain that is rocky, fast-draining, and consistently rideable except during extreme summer heat. The upper elevation sections above 5,500 feet transition into dense conifer forest and technically demanding rocky routes as the trail approaches ridge terrain with panoramic views across the Snake River Plain and, on clear days, toward the Sawtooth Range to the north. Three primary trailhead access points distribute the rider population across the 60,000-acre system, preventing congestion even on peak weekend days. ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and dual-sport motorcycles are all permitted on designated trails; Idaho OHV registration is required. Multiple developed and dispersed campground options support multi-day riding itineraries. Managed by the Mountain Home Ranger District (208-587-7961). Open April 11 through December 31; closed January through mid-April due to snow.