# UTV approved trails



## missduckhunter (Sep 13, 2007)

I am wondering if anyone can help me out. We are wondering what they consider a UTV on the trails. Is it an ATV or is it a 4X4? I guess I need to know if the trail marker has the sign with the trail number and then below it has the ATV and a red slash through it does that apply to UTV's too. Our Cat is 61 inces wide so it is much wider than an ATV and there is one road that we used to go down on our 4 wheeler that was for ATV's only. Most of the signs that have no ATV's they only allow 4X4's like jeeps and pickups but if I go down that road is it illegal. I know ignorance is no excuse so I am hoping to find out more because I certainally do not want to find out from an officer.
Your time and input is appreciated.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

You're considered to be a Type II ATV, not a 4X4. With a few exceptions, ATV trail designations and restrictions apply to you just like any other ATV.

However, once in awhile you'll need to deal with track restrictions. Single tracks (motorcycles) have access on some trails where ATV's don't. Likewise, sometimes type I ATV's have access where type II ATV's don't because the type II usually has a wider track. That shouldn't be a problem, though, because it's usually obvious with a pylon at the beginning of the trail to prevent you from entering.

Add to this the recent legislation that allowed the counties (except Salt Lake) to set their own regulations on their roads and the result is...

Always get a map! :lol:

Some good links for you:

http://stateparks.utah.gov/docs/UtahCodeOHV.pdf
http://www.atvutah.com/utah_ohv_laws.htm

and the bottom of this page:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/wcnf/recreation/ohv.shtml


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## missduckhunter (Sep 13, 2007)

Thank you for your help. We have a map coming in the mail and the links you provided were perfect. I saved them for future reference.


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## The AntiPETA (Nov 11, 2007)

Finnegan said:


> You're considered to be a Type II ATV, not a 4X4. With a few exceptions, ATV trail designations and restrictions apply to you just like any other ATV. ...


This is sort of right. Your UTV _is_ a Type II ATV (as would be a jeep or buggy that's registered as a Type II), but ATV trail designations on FS & BLM lands will generally view your UTV as a 4x4. So if there's a sign that shows an ATV allowed, but a jeep not allowed (red circle and slash), your UTV is probably NOT ALLOWED. And there are a lot of trails that are width or vehicle limited that don't have bollards (common name for what Finnegan is calling "pylons") to filter entering vehicles.

The Polaris RZR, which is 50" wide, is allowed on 50" width-limited ATV trails, such as on the Fishlake NF under the new travel plan. Some National Forest units in Utah haven't completed route designation plans under the 2005 rule, and may have other limitations in their current travel plans that also prohibit RZR's from ATV trails.

So... this brings us to the other point where Finnegan was sort of right -- you need a map. Not just any map though. You need to know who (Forest & Ranger District, BLM Field Office, ...) manages the area, contact them, and get the official travel map (or other information) for that area or areas.

National Geographic and other third party maps may be pretty, but they are usually a poor source -- and are NOT an official source -- for route designations. I've seen many, many route designation errors on NG maps. USGS quads typically have NO route designation information.

On National Forest lands, if you don't have the travel map or Motorized Vehicle Use Map, assume that any trail which isn't posted OPEN to your type of vehicle (in the case of UTVs, a 4X4 symbol) is CLOSED to your type of vehicle. It's generally NOT "open unless posted closed", as some believe.

I didn't see where you were planning to use your UTV, but the only Forest that Finnegan linked was the Wasatch-Cache NF (which has some good general guideline too). There are 5 other National Forests that also have Supervisors' Offices in Utah, and 2 that manage lands in Utah but have SO's in Idaho.


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