ride Suggestions

Start here. The map will take it from there.
If this is your first time on the Arapeen, the four highlighted Ride Suggestions on the map are the right starting point. Each covers 41 to 58 miles through a distinct canyon, with side trails available for riders who want to stretch the day. Take them in any order. Each one earns a good dinner.
If you have more than one day — and you should — the Overnight Ride Suggestions link one town to the next, with lodging waiting at the far end. Ride long one day. Ride shorter the next. The Arapeen is built for that kind of pace.

The overnight ride is worth planning around. You leave town in the morning with your gear, climb through the canyon you’ve already picked on the map, and cross the Skyline by early afternoon. The descent into the next canyon is quieter than the climb. New trees, new drainage, new country revealing itself mile by mile. By the time you reach the valley floor, you are in a different town from the one you woke up in, your machine is caked from the day, and dinner is already waiting somewhere on Main Street. You have not ridden this road before. You will not go back the same way tomorrow. That is what the Arapeen is built for.

These are routes built for two. Enough miles to feel like you earned the evening. Paced for riders who want to actually see the country they are riding through, not just cover it.
"I ride the trails with my daughter every year and the whole system never ceases to amaze me... the trails themselves are incredible. The trail advisory symbols on most trails help us decide which ones to take and which ones may be a bit much for us. I can never say enough about the Arapeen trail system, it’s my heaven on earth.”  -Rita, West Jordan, UT

Temperature

Dress for the mountain, not the valley.
Leave town in 90 degree heat and you will be reaching for a jacket by the time you hit the Skyline. The elevation difference between the valley floor and the ridgeline is nearly a mile — the temperature difference feels like it. Pack layers.

Afternoon thunderstorms are part of a Utah summer now and then. They are rarely a long event, but rain gear weighs nothing and you will be glad you brought it if the sky builds up while you are on the high section.

“We all would like to see more of the Arapeen trail system, you just can’t see it all in any one visit.”  -Dennis, Redding, CA

Utah OHV laws

OHV-friendly towns mean you ride from your front door.
The communities along the Sanpete Valley —Ephraim, Manti, and others — welcome UTV traffic on city streets. Ride directly from your lodging to the trailhead. Stop for gas. Have lunch in town. No need to trailer your machine for any of it.
You can cross U.S. Highway 89 but cannot ride along it unless your machine is street legal. Keep in-town speeds to 15 MPH. All Sanpete County roads are open to OHV use.  Valley ATV-UTV route map- to get between towns.
“It’s nice to go to a place where the towns welcome your business and nobody gives you the evil eye when you drive your RZR through town". -Shaye, Stansbury Park, UT
Chief Arapeen deeded this valley to pioneer settlers in 1856. The towns they built are still here, still recognizable, still working the same land. There is a continuity to the Sanpete Valley that is unusual in the American West, where so many places have been remade for whoever arrived most recently. This valley was not remade. It was kept. Riding through it, that comes through.
OHV EDUCATION: 
Utah requires all OHV operators to complete an Off-Highway Vehicle Education Course:
HELMETS:  A properly fastened helmet is required for all Type 1 ATV and off-road motorcycle riders under the age of 18.  Utah OHV Law Highlights

Non-resident permits

Riding in from out of state?
If your machine is not registered in Utah, purchase a non-resident OHV permit online before your trip at:  OHV.Utah.Gov  It takes a few minutes and saves a problem at the trailhead.

Environment

Ride designated routes.
All motorized vehicles must stay within 150 feet of roads and trails — no cross-country travel, no improvised routes. Pack out what you pack in.
This access was earned. Ride like you know that.

Respected access is open access.

where to stay

The best rides end with a real bed.
Book a hotel, vacation rental, or campground in one of the Sanpete Valley towns and you are minutes from a trailhead. Spend the day on the mountain. Come back to a hot shower, a good meal, and somewhere comfortable to look at the map for tomorrow. That combination is what keeps riders coming back for three and four days at a stretch.
Some of the best conversations happen at the end of a long ride, over dinner, with the next day’s route spread out on the table. Summer weekends and the September color window are busy.  Reserve 4 to 6 weeks out if those dates are on your list.
Forest Service Campgrounds are also available, as well as primitive camping for those who like to rough it.  Forest Roads that are improved enough to accommodate Large RVs are marked in black on the Arapeen map.   All other routes may prove unsafe for RV’s.  RV Dump Stations
Palisade State Park Website
“I found the maps very accurate and helpful, we pulled them out and referred to them several times a day.”  -Crystal, Las Vegas, NV

UTV Rentals

Don’t own a UTV yet — or prefer not to trailer one?
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Local rental operators are based in the valley, with UTVs available in Sterling, Ephraim, Manti, and Fairview. Renting locally means you arrive, pick up, and ride — no hassle, no logistics
  1. Skyline Recreation in Sterling*
  2. Utah UTV Rentals in Ephraim*
  3. Peaks Powersport in Ephraim*
  4. Outback Recreation in Manti*
  5. ​Ride Elevated in Fairview
​* ride to the trails from the UTV Rental Company- No need to trailer the machine!
“The views from the top looking into the valleys are amazing.”  -Don, Las Vegas, NV

trail fun

There's more up here than miles.
Some of the best days on the Arapeen do not follow a plan. You head out with a route in mind, take a side trail that looked interesting on the map, and find yourself at a high lake by mid-morning with no particular reason to leave. The fishing is good. The view is better. Town is an hour away when you are ready for it — dinner, a shower, and somewhere comfortable to look at the map for tomorrow.
Over 40 lakes and ponds are scattered across the trail system. Mt. Musinia is a genuine summit hike if you want to earn a view on foot. Horseshoe Mountain is worth the stop — a rewarding overlook with a geocache marked on the map for those who are looking for it. Wildlife moves at the edges of the day. Hunting in season. Mountain biking on designated routes.

Leave room in the schedule. The mountain tends to fill it better than you will.
Fishing 12-Mile Canyon, near Mayfield, Utah
"The trails were super organized and it was hard to get lost. It was spectacular riding with awesome vistas. We rode to grassy lake and... caught us some fish for breakfast.  It couldn’t have been a better trip. I wish they had a trail system like this up in eastern Idaho.”  -Kevin, Rexburg, ID
How many days do you need?
Plan for three days riding and four nights in the valley. Arrive the evening before your first ride -- get settled, find a good dinner, look at the map. Three days on the mountain gives you enough time to ride three different canyons, cross the Skyline more than once, and start to understand how the system connects. Four nights gives you a real home base rather than a place to sleep between drives.

Riders who come back already know which canyon they left off the first trip. Three days shows you the Arapeen. The second trip is where you start making it yours.

Cell coverage on the mountain is limited. Download the Avenza map before you leave town. Load your GPS before you leave the trailhead.

Who was chief arapeen?
The trail system carries the name of Chief Arapeen, a 19th-century Ute leader who lived in the Sanpete Valley. His brother and predecessor, Chief Walkara, invited the first pioneers to settle here in 1849. After Walkara’s death in 1855, Chief Arapeen formally deeded the Sanpete area to Brigham Young, opening the valley to the settlement that shaped the towns riders pass through today.
Before trail numbers and trailheads, the Ute people followed these same canyons and ridgelines through the seasons. Hunting the high country in summer. Moving down to the valley when the snow came. Chief Arapeen's people did not discover this mountain -- they belonged to it. The trail system that carries his name follows some of those same ancient routes. When you ride into a canyon meadow that feels like nobody has been there before, the feeling is worth noticing. It just isn't accurate. You are part of a much longer story than the one that starts with a trailhead sign.

Trail Maps

Need a new place to ride?  Try the Arapeen

Deluxe Arapeen Trail Map

$9.99
600+ miles of motorized trails and forest roads- Only 9.99
The paper map highlights trail-heads, suggested rides, points of interest, fishing spots, trail geocaches, campgrounds, and local towns. Everything you need to know for a GREAT ride.
Buy Map Here- Free Shipping
“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting.  So… get on your way.” ― Dr. Seuss

Free gps dATA

GPS Data for the Arapeen OHV Trail- (Sanpitch OHV Trail included).
Data Formats:
GPS Exchange Format - .gpx
File Size: 6140 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File
Garmin - .gdb
File Size: 1251 kb
File Type: gdb
Download File
For free software to convert the above files to other GPS formats, visit: GPS Babel.org

Free Mobile Device Map

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Utah Arapeen OHV Trail - Mobile Map
This topographical map tracks your position as you ride the trails.  (Sanpitch OHV Trail included)

STEPS TO GET THE MOBILE MAP:
  1. Install the AVENZA MAPS App on your mobile phone- (Google Play or App Store).
  2. Open the app
  3. Click  DISCOVER icon at the bottom
  4. Click FIND A MAP search bar, select KEYWORDS, then  type:  UTAH ARAPEEN OHV TRAIL SYSTEM
  5. ​Click FREE button to download the map​
  6. Click LIBRARY icon at the bottom to view.
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Arapeen Trail on Gaia GPS 
For over 20 Free printable Trail maps, Click Here

Other Trail Systems

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SANPITCH OHV TRAIL
The Sanpitch loops up Log Canyon, travels south along the spine of the Sanpitch Mountain range, and descends through Maple Canyon — a well-known sport climbing area worth a look even if you’re not on the rock. Stop at the DWR Fish Hatchery on the way through. 

Elevation: 5,692 to 9,332 feet. Season: July 1 through October 15. Fall color peaks September 20 through October 10. Open to all vehicle widths.
sanpitch_ohv_trail_3.pdf
File Size: 15884 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
SANPETE VALLEY SPRINGTIME OHV TRAILS
Ride in April and May — Before the High Country Opens. When snow is still sitting on the upper trails, the Sanpete Valley Springtime routes are already open. These low-elevation trails run through sagebrush, juniper, and pinyon from 5,000 to 7,000 feet, with views back across the valley that riders on the Skyline miss entirely.

Best seasons: April and May in spring, October and November in fall. Difficulty is moderate with a few more challenging sections. A street-legal machine is recommended for accessing routes via paved highways.
Access from Ephraim, Spring City, Manti, Sterling, Mayfield, Gunnison, and Fayette.

Nearby State Parks:  Palisade State Park and Yuba State Park.
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Sanpete Valley Springtime OHV Trails - Mobile Map
This topographical map tracks your position as you ride the trails.

STEPS TO GET THE MOBILE MAP:
  1. Install the AVENZA MAPS App on your mobile phone- (Google Play or App Store).
  2. Open the app
  3. Click  DISCOVER icon at the bottom
  4. Click FIND A MAP search bar, select KEYWORDS, then  type:  SANPETE VALLEY SPRINGTIME OHV TRAILS
  5. ​Click FREE button to download the map​
  6. Click LIBRARY icon at the bottom to view.​​
Steel Safari 4x4 Trail- southern Sanpitch Mountain range.
"Then something... woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls... and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick." ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Sanpete County travel

Not sure where to start? Reach out, we’ll point you in the right direction.
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