August 3, 2012

Piute Trails, UT

This summer we've been exploring trails outside of Las Vegas. Last weekend, we drove up to Utah, near Marysvale, there are over 2,000 miles of trails that can accomodate 60" UTV's. Our RZR 4 is bigger than some models so we don't fit on the standard 50" ATV trails. We are able to ride for long periods and log many miles so the Piute Trails sounded perfect. And they were.

What can I say? Utah is the prettiest state I've been. Each visit I find it more and more beautiful. We stayed in a cabin at the Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort. It's not too rustic, it has comforts of home including DirecTV and WiFi. Trail access was only a few feet from our door on the otherside of the Sevier River. The resort rents ATV's, they offer ziplines and white water rafting. It's a nice getaway. We had dinner at the BBQ. It was priced right, service was friendly and it had a nice smoke. We stopped in right before they were closed so the meal wasn't as fresh as I'd prefer and meats were room temperature.

We crashed early so we could get an early start on Saturday. We had breakfast and lunch at the Prospector Cafe in Marysvale. Historic place with good home cookin' run by a couple that left Vegas to ride trails. I admit it is tempting... Anyhow, it's weird to feel temps in the 50's after weeks of triple digits, but it's great to breathe in that clean crisp air.

We started by climbing the mountain in the first photo below which is trail 77, we then connected to 25 and the 1 which is the main Piute loop. The main loop is marked with a symbol that I referred to as the creepy manbeast. It was always a relief to see him when we'd come across a reassurance marker. 121 miles allowed us to see a variety of scenery, and some wildlife like deer, a beaver, and a wild turkey. The trails took us from Big Rock Candy Mountain Resort to Marysvale around Circleville, near Beaver and back. Toward the end, we rushed to outrun a storm that built up in the mountains.

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It was a wonderful adventure. After riding trails on Saturday, we drove to the next "big" town, Richfield, about 30 miles away. Home to Kickers (formerly The Detour) the only bar within 100 miles. Hard to comprehend coming from Vegas and even odder that when we walked in 7ish on Saturday night we were the only customers. It was us and the bartender the whole time. So, eerie. We had dinner at the Pepperbelly. It's not authentic Mexican, but it's decent. The restaurant is super cute and service was friendly.

Sunday we took the scenic route home and it did not disappoint. We stopped at Cedar Breaks for photo opportunities. One day I would love to see it with those bright blue skies UT is known for, but even the ominous look is neat. I'll share those photos soon.

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