Utah Off-Road Trails

Hideout Canyon Road connects the east end of Onion Creek Trail to Polar Mesa, winding through its namesake canyon along the famed Kokopelli Trail. The road is lined with mature Utah juniper, giving the canyon a classic high-desert feel as twisted trunks and dense green crowns stand out against the red sandstone walls and sandy desert floor, with Cowhead Hill towering in the background. Following part of the Kokopelli Trail corridor, the route offers scenic canyon travel, access to great camping, and a memorable connection between two classic backcountry areas.

The Pinnacles Trail is one of the most popular trails in the Hog Canyon trail system. It is named after the interesting Pinnacles rock formation, also called the Beehives, encountered about a third of the way into the trail with an established picnic area next to it.

While this trail is known as the 'softer' route through the Hog Canyon area compared to the extreme route through Tom's Canyon, it is still a difficult trail requiring a modified 4WD vehicle, preferably with lockers. This trail is highly scenic and fun to drive, with much of it feeling like a sand and slickrock roller coaster as you cross numerous washes and gullies following the hillside above South Fork Hog Canyon. Steep sandy hills, slickrock ramps, rocks, and ledges abound. The most challenging obstacle is a series of sand-covered ledges on the final climb out of the canyon just before the end, for which lockers are very helpful.

From the end of the trail, you can either turn right on the Mosdell Trail and descend the difficult Mosdell Hill to loop back to the Hog Canyon Staging area or turn left and take the easier route out to the Crocodile Staging Area in Johnson Canyon. There are no established campsites along this trail.

Rolling through the mountains of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest is a popular trail known as Soapstone Basin. This well-traveled route is known for being a quick getaway from the summer heat of the city, providing ample opportunities to set up camp among the trees or take a walk down one of the many hiking trails that the Uintas has to offer. At an elevation of just over 9,000 feet, this trail will allow you to breathe in the cool, refreshing air while listening to the breeze whisper through the trees. Although it is a popular trail, it doesn't take much to find yourself a little campsite tucked away among the trees so you can enjoy your own little slice of mountain paradise.

Otherworldly, barren, and desolate describe the foreboding landscape along Salt Wash Trail. The trail winds through and across rugged canyons with colorfully striped cinder cones dotting the horizon. This rugged but oddly beautiful Utah desert is frequented by geologists and archaeologists seeking rare earth minerals and ancient fossils. Salt Wash Trail has enough 4x4 challenges to keep things exciting and a wild mix of terrain, an excellent alternative to the easier trails in the area.

Close to the Arizona border in an area known as the backside of Sand Hollow, Queens Court is a newer trail with entirely different qualities from any other in Sand Mountain. Queens Court is a technical, boulder-strewn 3.5-mile loop with countless diff-catching rocks, small ledges, steep and loose climbs, birds-eye Arizona Strip views, and almost completely absent of any sand. The farther into this trail you travel, the more difficult it becomes. The trail does not offer bypasses for the major obstacles, and there are no winch points for self-recovery.

The trail starts on the eastern end of Warner Valley with large, open, dispersed camping opportunities. Queens Court is best run in the counter-clockwise direction around both loops. The first loop is a mild taste of what you will encounter later in the trail, with a small stair-step ledge. The second obstacle, named left hook, is a two-part obstacle starting with a v-notch ledge, up to a landing, and then a hard left turn up a steep, 36-degree slickrock slab with an uncomfortable amount of off-camber lean. Long-wheelbase vehicles will find the slab easier to climb than short-wheelbase vehicles. The trail climbs a loose boulder-infested hill with moving basketball-sized rocks before finishing the first loop.

The second loop starts with small obstacles and various lines at "The Ledge," where you drop a short cliff into a narrow-cut wash. The canyon then comes to a pinch-point obstacle with no bypasses known as "The Slot." This obstacle will beat on rock sliders and requires careful tire placement to negotiate. The trail then turns south, and heads through Diff Buster Canyon, a time-sucking natural drainage with endless boulders of every shape and size and several 2-3 foot ledge climbs. You are then rewarded with amazing views of the Arizona border as you gaze out across Warner Valley. Drivers will then need to traverse two simultaneous 4-foot drops, the second of which is on the cliff edge, with little room for error. These drops are where the trail earns its highest rating. You then finish the loop with ease and return to where you started.

This trail best suits modified vehicles with lifts, larger tires, skid plates, rocker protection, and locking differentials. 35s should be considered a minimum tire size, with 37s being helpful with long wheel-base vehicles.

About Sand Mountain

Sand Mountain is an extremely unique parcel of public land. Designated as an Open OHV Area, riders are free to make their own trails. Due to this, many of the long-established named trail routes have several variations that can take easier or more challenging routes through the intended trail. The GPX track for this trail helps you navigate the area, but various lines, bypasses, and additional obstacles may exist along the way. Riders are encouraged to stay on existing trails and not unnecessarily drive over or destroy vegetation.

Fees

Riding on Sand Mountain is entirely free. However, there are multiple entry/exit points for the area, including "the tunnel," which connects Sand Hollow State Park to the open OHV area. Any entry into the boundaries of Sand Hollow State Park requires a Utah State Park Pass.

Requirements

When operating on Sand Mountain, users must attach an orange or red safety flag to the vehicle, rising at least 8 feet off the ground.

This is an important road in the area. Although it may be short and mild, it allows quick access to the Tintic Mountains from Little Moab/Chimney Rock Pass on a public road. Other roads in the area are quite a bit out of the way or private property. This is also part of the Prospector OHV Backcountry Complex, taking you from Utah Lake over to Vernon Reservoir. The Prospector OHV Backcountry Complex is a network of trails in the west desert of Utah, taking you from town to town by dirt. The network spans hundreds of miles and achieved funding in 2010 for signage and maps. The network ranges from Tooele to Eureka and Utah Lake over to Dugway. This accommodates day runs to long multi-day trips to everything in between. Gear up and be ready for an adventure in the west desert of Utah.

When a short trail combines numerous arches and one of the best views in Utah, you simply have to do it. Upper Muley Twist Canyon hosts several impressive arches along its short track, but they are easy to miss. Keep a careful eye out to the left as you drive inbound. There's even a double arch. The trail ends at a small trailhead parking lot. Follow the cairns east to the Strike Valley Overlook. The vibrant colors of the Waterpocket Fold are simply striking. The Henry Mountains dominate the eastern skyline. A view like this is why you come to Utah

Airport Hill is a small section of the 3D Jeep Safari Route starting near the Mill Canyon Trailhead. The trail is known for its steep, rocky hill climb near its eastern end. This hill climb snakes up to the top of a mesa. There's a two-foot rock ledge before the trail levels out with panoramic views of the Labyrinth Rims area and the Canyonlands Field Airport. The trail continues west, trekking along exposed piles of slickrock and soft sand before ending at an intersection with Sevenmile Rim within Tusher Canyon.

This trail is suitable for any high clearance 4x4.

There is no camping along this trail. Camping in this area is limited to designated dispersed spots only. Several designated sites are located along Cotton Mine Road.

Located south of Moab, on the edge of the Manti-La Sal National Forest, Brown's Hole is an easy 5.3-mile trail cutting through a scenic canyon with private residence. The western portion of the trail is a graded gravel road with a couple of campsites. They are easily accessible and have room for a couple of vehicles with tents. The trail becomes rougher once you enter Browns Hole, a canyon with a flowing creek. There can be deep muddy ruts and potholes while passing the various rustic ranches. The eastern portion is a lovely forest road along a narrow ledge above the creek. The complete trail can be completed in a stock high clearance 4x4 vehicle.

Driving out to the point and walking up to the edge of Rainbow Rim is breathtaking. The adrenaline rush of slowly approaching the edge of the 400-foot vertical cliff is something you will never forget. Countless overlooks in the Moab area require quite a bit of effort to reach either on foot or in a Jeep. Rainbow Rim is an excellent way for the family or a group to experience the feeling of walking up to a breathtaking overlook without committing to an arduous all-day beat down. This memorable trail has no rock crawling or challenging obstacles. Instead, the mild mix of Moab-type terrain entertains even the seasoned wheeler.

Hoyt Canyon is a rough dirt trail spanning 4 miles but ending just shy of Hoyt Peak. It climbs 1,500 feet and has no major obstacles other than a few ruts and rocky patches where 4WD may be necessary due to the incline. This is a great trail to take the family up, enjoy a day away from the city, and breathe in that fresh air. Once you park at the overlook, there is a final hike to reach the peak if you wish for even better views.

This trail takes you along a section of the Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869. It was the first railroad to span from the Eastern United States to the Western United States, connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Sacramento, California. This trail, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake Field Office, is one of the few remaining original, historic railroad grades left that you can actually drive on.

While much of the original grade is closed off due to washouts, cave-ins, and broken bridges, you'll still get a good feel for it as you drive on and next to the original railroad grade.

While you could drive this road in a day, along with a stop in Promitory, Utah, to visit the historic Golden Spike National Park, there's also a great opportunity to take your time and camp along the trail or on Utah State Trust Land next to the Great Salt Lake.

Located within the vast network of OHV trails of Dixie National Forest, Red Valley is a mildly challenging drive through dense pine and aspen forest. The route has been used as a logging trail for many years and is now used for a backway into the small mountain community of Mammoth Creek. The trail has a few mild challenges for stock type 4x4's, making for an excellent choice for connecting numerous trails in this beautiful region of southwestern Utah. You'll encounter a mud hole, bumpy lava rock, and possibly a downed tree or two. When you're in the area, be sure to visit the top of Henrie Knoll and you can't miss exploring the vast tunnels at the nearby Mammoth Cave..

Tom Best Spring Road is an easy drive near Bryce Canyon National Park with a plethora of dispersed camping.  The southern end is dotted with shaded campsites capable of hosting RVs.  Further north, the campsites begin to thin out, but the scenery improves with large open prairies, pine-dotted hillsides, and colorful bluffs.  The namesake spring is marked with signage.  It's a short drive or an easy walk to the watery oasis.  The drive requires crossing the normally dry Hunt Wash. 

Most of the trail is in the Dixie National Forest.  The northern end crosses private ranch land and is far more boring.  Just watch out for cattle on the road.