Paiute Trail - Introduction and Day 1

We have explored the Flint Hills of Kansas on our ATV's for three years and decided it was time to take the machines to the mountains.

Labor Day weekend we headed out on a two-day trip to Richfield, Utah where we would set out on the Paiute Trail.

ATV's loaded and ready to go

Found one of the last available hotel rooms in Salida, Colorado on Saturday night.

Great view!

Monday morning we loaded the ATV's and set out on Trail 70 adjacent to the hotel.

This was our view as we left the parking lot.

Trail 70 took us to the Paiute Side Trail 04 that connects Richfield to the main Paiute ATV Trail 01.

We stopped at the end of Trail 04 to make a few adjustments to the bags and take our photo.

Heading out on Trail 01

I was hoping to see wildlife on the trail and wouldn't you know the first thing I saw slithering across the trail was a snake. Fortunately it was the only snake I saw on the trail.

We left Trail 01 for Side Trail 97. Trail 97 turned out to be a black diamond trail (most difficult) and our first black trail of the trip. It was a very steep,sandy and narrow trail but didn't have many rocks.

From Trail 97 we headed out on Trail 06 to Trail 15 and then to Trail 76.

Canyon views on Trail 76

We stopped at Fremont Indian State Park and Museum for a short break and then headed on to Joseph for gas. We then retraced our route a bit to Trail 15 and then to Trail 13. Trail 13 follows Mill Creek up to the old mining town of Kimberly (good name). Traffic picked up at this point and the trail was busy all the way to Marysvale. We saw everything from dirt bikes to Dodge Ram pickups. The trail in this area is a road but it is a narrow road with switchbacks and tight curves making it a challenge for the pickups.

We stopped at Winkler's Point to take a few photos of the spectacular view.

From Winkler's Point we made our way on Trail 01 to the Marysvale Loop 02 and headed on in to Marysvale.

We pulled in to the Weber's Piute Trails Inn parking lot and we were warmly greeted by the owner, Brad Millett.

Brad's grill wasn't open that evening so we drove to the other end of town to The Garage for authentic hand tossed pizza. The pizza was very good and yes, the building really is a converted garage.

Back at the motel we decided to relax and have a little coffee. Since the grill wasn't open I made use of the Coleman stove and coffee pot I packed in one of the gear bags.

Joel jokingly told people along the way that they could ask me for just about anything and I could probably pull it out of one of the bags.

View outside motel room

Paiute Trail - Day 2

We loaded up the ATV's and headed to the grill for breakfast.

After a great breakfast we headed out on Trail 02 to pick up the main Trail 01. The views were incredible from the mountain meadows and the mountain scenery across the canyon of Beaver Creek.

We followed the above trail to the highest point on the Paiute Trail of 11,500 feet at the pass between Mount Belknap and Delano Peak. Here there are incredible views of Mount Baldy, Mount Belknap, Gold Mountain and Copper Belt Peak.

Joel's ATV at the highest point

We headed down the mountain through a series of easy switchbacks. I took the opportunity to practice making tight turns for the switchbacks we would face later that day.

The trail left the road to follow a true trail down Sawmill Ridge. This was my second favorite trail. It was lined with aspen and conifer, and absolutely gorgeous. I could have stayed on this trail all day.

Later on the trail we hit the first of a series of short steep stretches in the trail. The trail was a little rocky and rutted but a lot of fun.

We made a stop at one of the campsites along the trail for a snack and to rest for a bit before we drove down the switchbacks.

The switchbacks are probably the most difficult part of the entire Trail 01. There are 11 and all are tight and steep. Joel and I both made it through successfully.

I made it through the most difficult part of the trail but had a little accident about a half-mile away. I was heading down a rocky part of the trail and hit a rock with one of my front tires. I lost my grip as the handle bars jerked and I went flying into a pile of rocks. My ATV rolled on its side in slow motion.

It happens to all ATV riders at one point or another but I was hoping it wouldn't happen to me on this trip. I was just scratched a bruised. With the help of both ATV winches Joel and I were able to right my ATV. We checked it and fortunately it was just scratched and bruised too.

A couple from Oklahoma pulled up behind us as I was checking the oil. They made sure we were okay and we traded ATV stories.

We set back out on the trail and drove in to Circleville for the night.

Circleville

Somewhere out there are the switchbacks and that nasty rock.

We stayed at Butch Cassidys Hideout in Circleville, complete with restaurant and gas pump. The owners are very nice and fully support the Paiute Trail. We ran into a couple of veteran Paiute Trail riders who gave us great tips on the various trails around Circleville.

View from our motel room