Manti-La Sal National Forest OHV

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park encompasses 3,370 acres in Kane County in southwestern Utah, tucked between the Vermilion Cliffs and the Zion-Bryce Canyon corridor between Mount Carmel Junction and Kanab — one of the most scenically positioned OHV areas in the entire country, surrounded by the red-rock landscapes of the Grand Staircase Escalante country. The dunes occupy a windbreak pocket where the surrounding sandstone plateaus create a venturi effect, concentrating sand-transporting winds and building dunes that reach up to 100 feet in height. The pink-red color of the sand is the dunes' most immediately distinctive visual characteristic: iron oxide minerals in the Navajo Sandstone parent material give the sand a warm coral-pink tone that changes character significantly with sun angle — deep salmon at midday, rich orange-red at sunset. Approximately 90 percent of the park is designated open-vehicle area, making the riding zone expansive relative to the 3,370 total acres. ATVs, off-road motorcycles, and dune buggies are permitted in the designated OHV area; the park's 10% protected zone shelters riparian habitat and vegetation communities that stabilize the dune margins. A Utah OHV permit and state parks day-use fee apply. On-site camping with hookups is available at the park's developed campground. The park's position between Kanab (8 miles south) and Zion National Park (30 miles west) makes it a practical addition to a southern Utah national park road trip. Contact the park office for current conditions (435-648-2800).

The Dixie National Forest encompasses 1.9 million acres of the Colorado Plateau and High Plateaus country in Washington, Iron, Garfield, Kane, and Wayne counties in southwestern Utah — the largest national forest in Utah, occupying the high plateau terrain that rises above Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in one of the most scenic concentrations of landscape in North America. The OHV trail system operates on designated routes across the forest's four districts, with the Cedar City, Escalante, Powell, and Pine Valley districts providing the primary riding terrain accessible from the Cedar City, St. George, and Panguitch gateways. The Markagunt Plateau north of Cedar City — the high volcanic tableland that reaches 11,307 feet at Brian Head — provides the most accessible Dixie OHV terrain: forest roads and designated OHV routes thread across the plateau through the subalpine meadows and spruce-fir forest at 9,000-to-10,000 feet, with views extending south across the canyon country of Zion and the Mojave Desert margin. The Paunsaugunt Plateau (Bryce Canyon's rim country) and the Aquarius Plateau east of Escalante provide additional high-elevation riding zones with the characteristic Colorado Plateau geology — Claron Formation limestone producing the pink and orange hoodoos that define the Bryce landscape, with OHV routes on the plateau margins above the canyon rims. The Pine Valley Mountains in the forest's southwestern reach provide lower-elevation desert mountain riding above the St. George corridor. The proximity to Zion and Bryce Canyon makes Dixie NF the most scenically-positioned OHV forest in the American Southwest. Utah OHV registration required. Cedar City Ranger District (435-865-3700) manages Markagunt Plateau route status.

Fishlake National Forest covers 1.4 million acres of central Utah high country across Beaver, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, and Wayne counties — the national forest that anchors the majority of the Paiute ATV Trail's mileage and contains additional OHV trail systems extending well beyond the Paiute network. The forest's OHV resources outside the Paiute corridor include the Great Western Trail corridor, the Fishlake High Plateau OHV network (the high-elevation riding above Fish Lake itself), and the Thousand Lake Mountain and Cathedral Valley area that provides OHV access to the terrain adjacent to Capitol Reef National Park. The terrain is quintessential Colorado Plateau transitioning into Basin and Range: red-rock desert at the lower elevations below 6,000 feet, pinyon-juniper woodland at mid-elevation, ponderosa pine and aspen at 7,500 to 9,500 feet, and the mixed-conifer and aspen forests above 9,500 feet on the plateaus and peaks that rise to over 11,500 feet (Delano Peak, Mt. Belknap, the Tushar Mountains). Fish Lake itself sits at 8,843 feet on the Fishlake Plateau and is surrounded by the Pando quaking aspen grove, the largest known living organism on Earth by mass — a 106-acre clonal colony that OHV trails pass through. ATVs, UTVs, and dirt bikes are permitted on designated motorized routes; Utah OHV registration is required. Dispersed camping is available throughout the forest under 14-night limits. Fishlake NF supervisor's office in Richfield (435-836-2800) coordinates district-level trail information across the Beaver, Fillmore, Fremont River, and Richfield ranger districts.

Five Mile Pass OHV Area is a 17,500-acre BLM-managed open-riding zone in Utah and Tooele counties approximately 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City — the closest large-scale public-land OHV destination to the Wasatch Front's 2.5-million-person metro area. The area occupies the pass and the rolling BLM land between the Oquirrh Mountains to the north and the Lake Mountains to the south, in the transition zone between the Great Salt Lake basin and the Utah Valley watershed. The terrain is characteristic Great Basin sagebrush and scrub: open sagebrush steppe across the broad valley bottoms, juniper-covered hills on the surrounding ridges, and the exposed rocky outcroppings that give the area technical riding character where the topography allows. The open-riding designation means riders are not restricted to designated trails for most of the area — cross-country travel is permitted on the BLM land, which is part of what makes Five Mile Pass such a popular destination for Wasatch Front riders: unrestricted desert riding terrain that simply does not exist within the Salt Lake Valley proper. ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and 4x4 trucks are all permitted; the terrain and scale accommodate all skill levels from beginner desert riders to advanced technical explorers. No day-use fee; Utah OHV registration is required for all machines. Dispersed camping is permitted on the BLM land under standard 14-night limits. The proximity to Salt Lake City means Five Mile Pass sees substantially more traffic on weekends than during weekdays — weekday visits are dramatically quieter. BLM Salt Lake Field Office (801-977-4300) manages current access and any temporary closure information.