Best ATV Trails in Colorado

Everyone loves a little adventure, and if you’re an ATV owner, you know just how to find it. Colorado Trailers’ home state is ripe with ATV adventure thanks to its many mountains and scenic vistas. From the Rockies to the desert, there’s something for every ATV rider in The Centennial State. ATV trails here typically involve significant elevation climb, streams and rivers, mountain views, and interesting stops like ghost towns and old mills. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best ATV and UTV trails to discover in Colorado.

Alpine Loop trail through the San Juan Mountains in Colorado

Alpine Loop

Alpine Loop is one of the most popular and best-known trails in the state. It starts near the town of Silverton and winds 63 miles through the San Juan Mountains in the southern Rockies. It’s a trail system based off of old mining roads, so you’ll see tons of mining history along the way, such as ghost towns, old mines, and mills and railroad tracks. If that doesn’t interest you, don’t worry – the natural scenery along this route is unbeatable. From the trail, you’ll be able to view some of Colorado’s famous 14ers, a name for mountains that surpass 14,000 ft. of elevation. You’ll also be riding through alpine forest and past alpine lakes and streams that make every inch of the trail worth a photo. As with most ATV trails in Colorado, winter conditions close this trail for part of the year, but if you catch it in the warmer months it’s considered one of the most beautiful rides in the US.

Animas Forks ghost town on the Alpine Loop

Taylor Park

This area has been called the Off-Road Capital of Colorado. If you are looking for one area to set up camp in and explore tons of different trails on ATVs, Taylor Park would be the best place to do it. Taylor Park includes the Taylor Reservoir in the Gunnison National Forest at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. It’s named for Jim Taylor, a local mining pioneer who was on the search for gold in the area in the mid-1800s. Taylor Pass is the area’s best-known trail that covers a difficult 4-mile climb you should plan an hour or two to get through. You can follow this road which was originally a wagon pass all the way to Aspen if you like and take in views of stunning 14ers along the way. If you love mining history, you can see ghost towns such as Tin Cup, St. Elmo, or the Forest Hill Mine near Lily Pad Lake in the Taylor Park area. Pearl Pass and Tomichi Pass are other can’t-miss views here. In other words, you won’t run out of trails to explore in Taylor Park.

Taylor Pass

Schofield Pass

This route through the Northern Crested Butte area is for the experienced rider that loves scenic stops along the way. Schofield Pass is one of the most difficult trails in the state, and there are portions of the pass with sheer cliffside drop-offs that leave no room for error. There have been multiple deaths of riders in this area, so that should tell you how dangerous it truly is. If you have the experience it takes to complete this ride, you will be rewarded with some incredible views, including Devil’s Punch Bowl and Crystal Mill. Devil’s Punch Bowl is a portion of Crystal River that features a stunning waterfall flowing into deep blue waters down below as you ride along the cliffside above it. Eventually, you’ll come to Crystal Mill, the old powerhouse that powered a mountain mine in the late 1800s. You’ll see other ghost towns and beautiful vistas along the way as well.

Crystal Mill along Schofield Pass

Rabbit Valley

If desert ATV riding is your thing, you’ll love Rabbit Valley OHV Area. Most people think of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains when they think Colorado, but this spot along the border of Colorado and Utah is packed with adventurous trails that wind through red sandstone formations. Located near Grand Junction, Colorado, you’ll get to ride through the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area and take in the pinyon-juniper desert landscape and stops like the Myatt-Moore Quarry. The area is actually filled with paleontological history and you can learn about the dinosaur fossils found there along the Trail Through Time.

Best ATV Trails in Colorado

There are way too many exhilarating off-road trails in Colorado to put them all in one list, but this guide should help you get started on your next ATV adventure. Since you’ll need a way to pack up the ATVs and get there, be sure to check out Colorado Trailers’ off-road trailer options so that you can get your vehicles to and from trailheads without worrying about a thing. Read more about what an off-road trailer can do for your ATV and UTV explorations, or place a custom off-road cargo trailer order with us to ensure your trailer fits your needs perfectly!