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Top 10 ATV Trails in America

Our Favorite Bucket List ATV Trails

February 4, 2015

With nearly 3.8 million square miles, the United States features the most varied types of climate, geography and terrain of any spot on Earth. For those looking to take a riding vacation, or those just hoping to check some ride location off their bucket list, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite ATV trails and ATV parks where you can let the dirt fly. With the days getting longer and a significant portion of the United States about to wake up from a winter hibernation, there’s no better time than now to start planning your next adventure.

Hatfield McCoy Trail System-West Virginia: (www.trailsheaven.com)

Created by the West Virginia legislature to generate economic growth in impoverished communities, the Hatfield McCoy trail system has been a godsend to the area since its inception. With over 700 miles of trails split between the eight trail systems consisting of Rockhouse, Buffalo Mountain, Bearwallow, Indian Ridge, Little Coal, Pocahontas, Pinnacle Creek, and Ivy Branch. All of the trail systems are open 365 days a year to ATVs, UTVs, and dirt bikes. Many of the trail systems also offer community connecting trails that allow visitors to access “ATV-friendly towns” to experience the charm of southern West Virginia and patronize local businesses. Trails range in difficulty from beginner to downright gnarly. When completely finished, there will be an estimated 2,000 miles of trails on the whole trail system.

Brimstone Recreation Area-Tennessee: (www.brimstonerecreation.com)

Located on over 19,000 acres in northeastern Tennessee, Brimstone offers over 300 miles of OHV trails. With numerous trails chocked full of raging riverside views, scenic overlooks, and mountain passes trails with significant elevation change, Brimstone affords visitors an opportunity to submerse themselves in nature.

Paiute Trail System-Utah: (www.marysvale.org)

Best estimates put the total number of miles on the Paiute Trail system well north of 2,800 miles. The trail system passes through multiple towns, and offers riders a riding experience like no other. Paiute has so much diversity to offer, like 11,000 foot ridges, beautiful Aspen groves, canyon trails through slick-rock, and the ability to navigate into “ATV friendly” towns.

Moab-Utah: (www.discovermoab.com)

ATV enthusiasts can use all of the popular Moab 4WD Trails, or explore the backcountry trails that surround the Moab area itself. With thousands of miles of unpaved roads, including several infamous trails like Chicken Corners Trail, Gemini Bridges Trail, Poison Spider Mesa Trail, and Moab Rim Trail, there is plenty of exploration to do. Most of the public land surrounding both the Arches and Canyonlands National Parks is permissible to ride. However, riding within both parks in strictly prohibited.

Mesquite, NV to Bar 10 Ranch (www.bar10.com)

Located on the north rim of the Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona, the Bar 10 Ranch is an excellent destination ride from neighboring Mesquite, NV. With nearly a million acres of National Park without a paved road in site, this day-long ride traversing approximately ninety miles of roads and trails provides breathtaking views like no other. The Grand Canyon itself is nearly one mile deep, two hundred and seventy seven miles long, as wide as eighteen miles, and much of the surrounding park land operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is open to ATV and UTV exploration. This area is incredibly isolated, so riders must be prepared to be self-sufficient with enough fuel, food, and especially water to complete the journey safely.

Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area - Pennsylvania: (www.anthraciteadventure.com)

Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) near Shamokin, PA is likely the newest riding area in the country. Headquartered on approximately 6,500 acres in the heart of the Pennsylvania coal region, AOAA sits in a centralized location less than three hours from New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Baltimore. This allows AOAA to bring outdoor recreation to one of the highest populated areas in the country. Currently in the initial phase of development and with phase one already open, there are approximately 250 miles of trails with varying degrees of difficulty. With financial backing from Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), grant money in excess of three million dollars has already been contributed to developing AOAA into a world class riding location. This area is the epicenter of Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) territory, so it’s no surprise that multi-time GNCC champions Traci Cecco and Chris Borich call this area home and grew up riding here. Whether it’s mud, rock crawling, or beautiful wooded trails, AOAA has it covered.

Imperial Sand Dunes/Glamis-CA: (http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcentro/recreation/ohvs/isdra.html )

Located in the southern-most section of California very close to the Mexican border and adjacent to a military bombing range, the Imperial Sand Dunes, (a,k,a Glamis) , offer what is arguably the best dune riding in the United States. With more than 20,000 acres open to ATV, dirt bike and OHV riders, off-roader can spend the day crushing Competition Hill and Oldsmobile Hill, or opt to explore the dunes in search of jumps. If crowds aren’t your style, steer clear on Halloween and Thanksgiving, as hundreds of thousands of people make Glamis their home away from home. The riding season usually begins in late September and runs through April. The park is open year-round, but the summer months are often too hot to ride.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area –OR: (http://www.stateparks.com/oregon_dunes.html)

Located on the southern Oregon coast on over thirty two thousand acres, the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. Extending over forty miles along the coast between the mouth of the Siuslaw River to Cape Blanco at Coos Bay. In places, the dunes can be as high as five hundred feet and extend two and a half miles inland. The largest riding area stretches between Spinreel Campground and Horsfall Road and the highest dunes are in the Umpqua riding area.

Kipu Ranch Kauai, HI (www.kiputours.com)

Those looking for a riding opportunity in a tropical environment need look no further than the Kipu Ranch in Kauai, HI. With beautiful views of Kipu Kai beach from the top of Mt. Haupu, through dense, lush tropical forests, and along the Hule'ia River to a giant rope swing. Along the trail, riders might recognize famous landscapes where movies like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Descendants were filmed. It is also very common to see wild pigs, pheasants, wild turkeys, and peacocks along the way.

Maine: (http://www.atvmaine.org)

Maine is an ATV/UTV lover’s dream. With approximately six thousand miles of trails currently available to legally ride, and smaller individual loops consistently being added and connected, Maine is a serious off-road destination. With much of the forest land owned by massive timber companies, the state of Maine itself, and countless private individual landowners, nearly two hundred ATV clubs have worked in cooperation with state agencies to manage trail maintenance, create the ever developing trail system, and work with individual land owners.