Paiute Trail - Richfield
to Aurora Loop
Access
Richfield is located roughly 165 miles
south of the center of the Salt Lake valley. Take I-15 south to Nephi.
Take the third exit in Nephi, exit 222 and go south again on US 89 to Salina.
At Salina you will intersect with I-70. About this time you
will be ready for a break or a meal. We always stop a Johnson's drive
in. It is one block west of the connection route to I-70 They have
the cutest counter help and the best shakes and onion rings on the planet.
After you've filled your tummies, take I-70 west to Richfield, just 17
miles to the south west of Salina. Take the first Richfield exit
and go about two miles south where you will turn west.
Trailhead.
The
official trailhead is on the west side of the freeway in a spacious open
area. However, If you are game for some luxury camping, the Richfield
KOA is an outstanding place to set your bivouac. After a long
day's ride there is nothing better than a quick cool off in the pool followed
by a long hot shower. This is a rare commercial campground that accommodates
ATVers, complete with Paiute Trail paraphernalia, including maps, tee shirts,
even dust bandanas in their gift shop. They permit you to ride
to and from your camp site on your ATV, as long as you keep the noise and
speed down to under 3 MPH. The back of the camping area has
a gate and bridge that permit you to access one of the ATV approved roads
where you go just about half a mile west to the open staging area.
(When you get to the KOA... please tell them you learned about their ATV
welcome mat from the UTAH ATV TRAILS web site.)
Richfield has a liberal attitude about
the use of ATVs. The community has designated routes through the
city that will permit you to pass through the city on your ATV. The
local residents are very friendly and won't miss the chance to waive, as
you pass by. The routes are marked with blue and white signs with
ATVs on them and arrows pointing out the designated route. It is
well organized. Be sure to comply with the ATV speed limit of 25
MPH in Richfield.
TRAIL
We came out of the KOA and went west under
the freeway to the I-70 Side Trail. It was marked with a brown carsonite
sign. We followed the trail over to the water tanks and then went
west, up the Richfield side trail 04 that takes you up into the hills to
the main route of the Paiute Trail. The trail through this section
is fascinating. You climb up through various geographic strata watching
the color of the earth beneath you change as you cross each strata line.
It is like a rainbow of color beneath you... from red to white to brown,
back to red and so on. The vermilion rough hewn cliffs are sprinkled
with cedars and pinions and with each turn you notice the panorama growing
with beauty. Keep in mind that access to these locations would be
impossible without motorized vehicles and trails. Not every natural
beauty needs to be protected by wilderness designation. The
trail to the top shows signs of some adventurers who had a difficult time
staying on the trail. The forest service has been kind enough to
block passage on these unapproved tracks. With so far to go there
is no time to be playing off the trail.
The distance from the KOA up the Richfield
side trail (04) to the intersection with the Paiute Trail is about 7 miles.
It is primarily a groomed gravel road suitable for most SUV's but very
steep in many places. At a constant pace it will take you about a
half an hour to get to this first main intersection. If the forest
service were out to make money, they could bring down a mint by selling
lemonade at this intersection. We went by this location on three
occasions and each time there were at least a dozen ATVers and their machines
at this intersection, just stopped for a rest and a check of their bearings.
The trail to Aurora is to your right, going
north as the bird flies. This too is a very good dirt road and will
permit speeds of 20 miles per hour without serious difficulty (so long
as the trail is not rain soaked.) You will be glad you brought
along your dust bandana to cover your nose and mouth and keep road steak
out. ("Road Steak" is our own term for the dust you eat while out on a
trail.)
The
higher you climb the eco system changes from desert to high alpine meadow.
About one half of the way there, to Aurora, you will find one of the highest
rest rooms on the north American continent. It may not be the highest,
but it is definitely among the highest. And definitely among
the most appreciated. You will travel for many miles along the crest
of the ridges through pines and meadows with the early spring flowers
a bloom in all their glory. The spring of 2002 was not a difficult
one, as the winter left very little snow in the southern Utah mountains..
We were able to traverse a section of the trail that is not often open
until the end of June or early July. Don't count on such luck each
year.
On the north end of the trail the road
winds down on switch back trails. We saw very few riders coming from
the opposite direction. There were some dispersed camping areas near
the bottom of the canyon. This is where we encountered the most people
along the whole trail.
[Beehive Peak]
As the trail descends out of the mountains
into the sage brush once again you will need to watch carefully to follow
the trail. The road is wide and used by a variety of vehicles.
In some places the road and the signs are covered with a layer of thick
dust. Watch for the trail sign to your right because the Paiute trail
takes a sharp right off the main dirt road. If you get to SR 50 you
have gone too far. That route is not permitted for ATV travel.
The ATV route is about a mile to the west of the State Road. This
part of the Paiute Trail takes on a whole different character than the
rest of the trail. While initially designed as a jeep trail, its
primary use as an ATV trail, has given it the distinct ATV characteristics
that ATVers love. There is a section of private land that has gates.
Please open and close the gates to permit the owner to control their animals.
This trail winds through the foothills in sage brush and cedar trees.
It is one of the most interesting and fun parts of the trail.
You may choose to go into the city of Aurora,
but the loop along the canal road known as the "70 side trail" is found
just before you get to Aurora. It is found immediately as you
come out of the foothills onto the valley floor you will see a trail to
your right. The trail is not marked at the intersection. It
probably should be. If it was, the sign is gone now. There
is a carsonite sign about a hundred feet onto the trail. We managed
to locate some local riders that were able to correct our course and get
us back on our desired route, before we had gone too far.
The final leg of the trail, the 70 side
trail, runs along the canal between Richfield and Aurora. This leg
of the trail is about 10 miles long. It is easy going, but you must
stay awake. The canal would be a poor place to dip your ATV.
At times the trail runs along the east of the canal. At other times
the trail runs along the west of the canal. At one point you must
turn away from the canal and go west to the point where you can see the
freeway overpass. This turn is not blessed with a sign, but
your intuition will successfully force you to take the overpass. This overpass
will let you cross I-70 without dodging the traffic on the freeway.
(Don't even attempt it - the freeway is fenced off to restrict all such
efforts) On the other side of the freeway you will once again find a carsonite
sign that indicates the 70 side trail designation.
When you reach Richfield, just follow the
blue and white ATV signs and you can zig zag your way through town to the
trail head, whether it be the KOA or the staging area on the west side
of the freeway. Be sure to obey the ATV speed limit of 25 miles per
hour and stay on the designated routes and you will have no problems at
all with the friendly local police.
WARNINGS
The trail itself is very easy to ride.
I would not hesitate to take a beginner on this ride. It is, however,
very long. Its danger lies not in the terrain or the trail, but in
the wisdom and judgment that is exercised along its route. Please
bring lots of water and food. You will not likely have a very comfortable
ride if your stomach is gnawing at you all the way. Keep in mind
that fatigue is a factor in response time. Even though you may be
extra anxious to get back to camp you must take it easy and take great
caution, more on the last part of the journey than on the first.
Take frequent stops to rest your bones and walk around a bit.
If you drive a 2 stroke engine machine
you will definitely need more gas than your machine will hold to make this
loop. Please be sure that you have your spare gas can along.
If we had not, one member of our party would have had either a long walk,
or a long wait for gas to be delivered to where they ran out of gas.
For all the reasons mentioned above do
not attempt this loop solo. Always travel with another rider.
Along the Paiute Trail, the more the merrier. There are two jamborees
that use the Paiute Trail for their group rides. The National ATV
jamboree is held in June and the Rocky Mountain ATV Jamboree is held in
September. If you need a partner for the trail, this may be an excellent
opportunity to get lots of them.
The Jamborees are not the only way to ride
the Paiute Trail. Sure, you'll get the T-shirt if you do, but with
planning and preparation you may safely ride this trail for many months
of the year. Sections of the trail are also favorites of the
snowmobiles during the winter months. Unfortunately, it is seldom
if ever possible to traverse the complete route via snowmobile.
RIDE STATS
Ride time 5.5 Hours
Distance 67.1 miles
Low elevation: 5308 at the KOA
High Elevation: 9680
Sources:
Fishlake National Forest
Travel Opportunity Map
($8.00)
Disclaimer
The information provided here is my interpretation
of the information provided on sources stated above. Each person
is responsible for obtaining and interpreting the maps on their own.
Any actions taken by anyone should be based on the information available
at the time they ride and this information is not to be used as any authorization
or permission in any respect. Anyone who obtains access to this page
agrees to hold the author of this page, the Utah ATV Trails web site owners
and sponsors free from any liability with regard to accuracy or fitness
for any particular purpose. Tread Lightly.
Written 5-28-2002