GENERAL
For each trail section, the description follows the same pattern:
1) Travel times; 2) A short list of the elevations the trail reaches;
and 3) A brief overview of the trail including general trail conditions,
things to be seen, points of interest, etc. The travel times are based
on a moderate rate of speed that includes stops along the way to view
the scenery, take pictures, make notes, and stretch legs. Undoubtedly
some can travel the sections in shorter times, but they will certainly
miss some of the area's scenery.
Richfield to Fremont Indian State Park
The ride from Richfield to Fremont Indian State
Park, in Clear Creek Canyon, takes about four hours. Intermediate times
for this portion of the trail are as follows:
Approximate Section Time
· Richfield to junction with main trail 0.5 hr
· Main trail to Second Creek Road 1.5 hrs
· Second Creek Road to Clear Creek Road 0.75 hr
· Clear Creek Road to Fremont Indian State Park 1 hr
From the 5,400 foot elevation of the Sevier River
Valley at Richfield this segment of the Paiute Trail rises to 8,000 feet
along the southern portion of the Pahvant Range before descending to
6,500 feet in the valley of Second Creek. The trail then rises to 7,200
feet at the Second Creek divide with Grass Creek and then ends at
Fremont Indian State Park at 5,800 feet.
The access road from Richfield to the main Paiute ATV Trail follows
Forest Road 096 known locally as the CC road because it was built by the
Civilian Conservation Corps. This is side loop 04 of the Paiute ATV
Trail. The road rises through red rock formations that nature has
sculptured into fantastic shapes and small caves. Along the road there
are many panoramic views of the green valley of the Sevier River. The
green contrasts with the reds of the nearby rocks and the dark green
pigmy forests of pinyon and juniper. This road can be rough, especially
after flash floods that wash debris over the road. Otherwise, it is
intermediate-to-easy riding.
Turning south from the Richfield side loop, the main trail follows a
good, rolling dirt road through woodlands of oak, maple, mahogany,
pinyon, and juniper. These woodlands are interspersed with grass and
sage meadows that have been recreated by chaining the woodlands and
reseeding with grasses.
South of the side road leading east down Albinus Canyon to Elsinore
the trail is good, but slightly steeper. This is caused by a change in
the underlying rocks to volcanic's from the Tushar Mountains. Vegetation
along the trail is mainly oak brush with conifers in the bottoms.
Openings along the trail provide spectacular views of the deserts in the
Great Basin to the west. In the Great Basin no river reaches the oceans.
An opening in the vegetation on a point west of Cummings Creek gives a
great panoramic view.
The trail soon reaches the Second Creek Road (Forest Road 106). This
road allows for some fast travel, but beware of ruts in the road and
potential traffic which can use this road. At the broad, open divide
between the Second Creek and Grass Creek drainages there are spectacular
views of the Tushar Mountains to the south. These are the third highest
mountains in Utah and are snowcapped throughout much of the year. From
the divide down to Clear Creek, the trail passes through an area of
intermingled private and National Forest land that provides pastoral
scenery. Three Creeks Reservoir is to the east.
Crossing Utah Highway 4, the trail parallels this road for a short
distance before heading up Shingle Creek. This short stretch of the
trail is slow going. The trail then follows a good road up Shingle Creek
and passes beneath two massive bridges carrying Interstate 70 high over
the creek. The trail leaves this road at the revegetated pit where they
excavated the material for I-70.
From Shingle Creek to Mill Creek, to the east, the trail follows old
horse trails and roads where grass grows between the wheel tracks. There
are several short, steep pitches along this stretch. Also, the trail
crosses Fish Creek three times. As with the area of Three Creeks, there
are grand views of the Tushar Mountains to the south. Much of the trail
is through woodlands of pinyon and juniper, cleared by chaining in
several places. These clearings permit the rider to compare the closed
canopy stands containing no grass understory with the open grasslands
that have been created.
Arriving at the Mill Creek Road (Forest Road 113) the rider can turn
south to follow the main trail, described in the next section, or turn
north to go to Fremont Indian State Park. Fremont Park is about four
miles from the turn onto Mill Creek Road. This road is smooth and
provides for fast travel so be careful of other traffic. The massive
Mill Creek bridge for I-70 and the exotically eroded towers, or hoodoos,
near Castle Rock provide the scenery along this stretch of the trail.
Castle Rock Camp ground is accessible by crossing a bridge and following
Forest road 478 for about a mile. Fremont Indian State Park provides a
trailhead as well as an excellent museum of prehistoric Native American
relics.
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