10 Best Places To Ride ATVs In Oregon

When thinking about riding all-terrain vehicles in Oregon, there remain a lot of opportunities and dedicated trails for adventure rides. You will find it all in Oregon regardless of your preference for trails. 

They have spectacular wooden trails, dunes, and even desserts. Numerous trails all over the state of Oregon perfectly suit high-clearance vehicles like ATVs.

OHV Trail System In Oregon

The dedicated ATVs and single-track routes are perfect for riding in groups with roaring ATVs through the gorgeous trails. 

The coastal dunes of Oregon are widely famous in other countries, making the dunes a friendly spot for riding rented ATVs for tourists.

Hunting might also be legal in a few trails, so the ATV trails in Oregon are a wonderland for hunting lovers.

Very rarely do states have inland dunes, but in Oregon, you can find them in the middle of the state, which is amazing for ATV riders. 

Not only ATVs, but you can also even have motorcycles and side-by-sides or UTVs in action all over the maintained and secure trails all over Oregon. You would be surprised that Oregon has more than 54 dedicated riding trails.

But it is important to know the specific places you can ride and the rules that come along. 

The government and Forest Service departments want you to have a lot of fun but be safe at the same time. 

The direct trail maps are also present to let you check the trail before setting off with the ATV. You will know all about where to ride ATV in Oregon here.

The Management Behind The Trails

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is the prime organization behind the Oregon trails and rides management. 

They work hand in hand with several land management agencies throughout the state to take care of the funding necessary for the perfect rejuvenating and adventure trail available. 

The federal, county, state, and many landowner’s non-profit congregations handle the exact trails.

The OPRD also runs a Safety Education Program intended for ATV riders. These programs are perfect for making the riders more knowledgeable and informed about their vehicle handling and safety. 

You can’t just take your All-Terrain Vehicle out of the garage and set off for a trail ride in Oregon. That even sounds reckless.

Popular OHV Trail In Oregon

The official website mentioned earlier gives access to all the maps of the trails and even provides pdf files to let you save them on your phone to have full-time access even without any internet.

The Tillamook National Forest

This forest range is very popular among group riders and especially families. The whole range has more than two hundred and fifty miles of road, excluding the range covered in gravel. There is a browns camp area in this range, which is reputed to be more family-friendly. 

The range has a unique 4WD rock crawl space, which all riders should visit at least once. For riders who would take motorcycles instead of ATVs and UTVs, they would love the black diamond motorcycle trail found in this region.

Morrow County ATV Trail

The space bought by morrow county with the help of grants summed up for ATV riding is a huge range for taking your ATV—the whole space numbers around 8000 acres of land, which is immense when figured.

This whole range is specifically dedicated to the recreation of ATVs. This range hosts proper camping sites but lacks a few freeways. Camping lovers would cherish choosing this range.

The Oregon Sand Dunes

The Oregon state has a colossal network of dunes in the Tillamook range of forest already mentioned. 

The other common dunes regions include the Coos Bay area and Florence Bay. You will find ATV renting spots along all the coasts easily and get going on a thrilling ride.

If the whole area of dunes is considered, it will total more than seven thousand acres.

The Central Part of Oregon

The East Fort Rock and Millican terrains are very popular for ATV riding as the trails are highly maintained and taken care of for smooth and hassle-free rides.

The central Oregon region has over a thousand miles of land mapped accurately and precisely for the rider’s safety and delight.

The type of land present in this range can be considered high-altitude land with characteristics of a desert. This also means these trails will be available for riding all year long, no matter the season.

The other specialty of the Millican trail is that in the snowy winter of the state, this trail often remains free of snow.

At the time of summer, ATV riders often prefer the east Fort Rock region as many shady spots can be easily found there for relaxation.

A coastline in Oregon where an ATV rider is enjoying the sand dunes

The Blue Mountain OHV trails

This trail is present in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and is well-customized by the authorities. The whole design of the trail is great for riders with little experience. 

The main trail now runs for around 50 miles, consisting of many short loop trails. The trail is mostly free from rough blocks and has several land bridges.

There are great camping spots on this trail, among which Elk Creek and South Fork are the most popular. The surroundings of these camping spots are serene and soothing.

The surrounding area has a river and a great highland for hiking. Those who love fishing can try their cast into the beautiful river to catch a fresh game.

These camping grounds are mentioned on the southern part of the Blue Mountain Trail. There are more trails if you still want more options for where to ride ATV in Oregon.

Christmas Valley Oregon dunes trail

The trails in this area are not much maintained like the other trails of Oregon and are much wilder in features. So taking an ATV will be better than a motorcycle.

Get your ATV maintained and shaped up in proper condition before venturing out into these trails. These trails are open to riders all year, which is a big advantage over others. 

The area has some fabulous sand bowls, which are fun to ride. The other dunes are medium in size as well. Try avoiding the springtime if you are not an excellent ATV rider and are not comfortable with extremely muddy tracks. 

One of the best attractions of this trail is Fossil Lake. This huge historic lake has amazing fossils you will be astonished by after witnessing.

Private land properties are all around the dunes, rimming the whole area, so riders should be aware of the map.

Cline Buttes area for riding

The trail type can be specified as high desert land, which covers a large area with several trails. This area is about over a thousand acres of land and is mostly dry, lacking in trees. 

But desert-found trees like dense scrub bushes, pines, and juniper can be prominently found. Camping is allowed in this region, and there is a lot of open space to keep your ATVs comfortable like yourself. 

Some of the trails are very rocky in feature and should be carefully driven through at a slow speed. 

Experts suggest the right time to visit this region with your ATVs is during spring. If you like the cold weather more than visiting in the warm seasons, this trail would be one of the best choices.

Crane Mountain OHV trail

If you remember the poem “The Road Less Traveled,” maybe the poet was talking about this trail. The trails in this region are logging kinds of paths the other majority being the fire roads.

This area would sometimes seem like an adventure game as you might often find dead ends if you are not following the GPS map well enough.

In winter, more tracks might be in this situation, so this area is mostly chosen in summer when the temperature remains much higher. But the single trails in these regions are great to choose from. 

The other attraction would be the goose lake, which can be an excellent spot for nearby camping. 

The peak of the region is a popular spot for the sport of hang gliding, and there remains a town nearby called Lakeview, which is quite remote and will provide you with a unique experience.

Albany motorsports park

Besides all the trails mentioned, there remain a few more options for your question of where to ride an ATV in Oregon. This trail region is more of a pro-rider suitable spot.

This is because there are motorsports held here. The dedicated park has tracks that are well-maintained and customized often.

The tracks are mostly free of dust and rock. The tracks include karts, flat tracks, sand drag races, and vintage-style ones.

The timings are usually between three o’clock in the afternoon and when it gets dark.

On weekends, the park may be open between ten in the morning to three in the afternoon. The other attractive features will be the presence of a clean pool, shower options, and a few other concessions might be present.

Permits For Riding ATV In Oregon State

You would need an ATV sticker permit to legally drive in one of the many managed trails. You can easily get one from their website by buying it at a really low price. The top perk is that the permit will be valid for two years. 

So many months of ATV riding permit you will get for only ten dollars, the money many spend for a day’s coffee. 

After you buy the permit, it will be sent to you via email so you can print it or properly save it on your phone, which you should be able to provide during the ride.

You would be happy to know that this low amount also goes back into the fund to maintain the riding trails and well in condition. 

But the online purchase isn’t the only option. There are about ninety-six agents nationwide for giving out private ATV vehicle permits.

Oregon park management is very cooperative and understanding with all features of trail riding, including the permit.

Are Other States’ Permits accepted in Oregon?

So they also accept permits from states like Nevada, California, and Washington. But they do not accept the permit from other states nor return the favor of accepting Oregon’s permit in their states. 

For states like Utah, Arizona, and Idaho, their permits are not accepted in Oregon.

The Most Popular Spots For ATV Rides In Oregon

A bunch of the 54 trail routes in Oregon are very popular. As the trails in Oregon are properly maintained with areas of staging, maps, and even signs, they are bound to be much appreciated by the ATV riders. 

This will come as a fun fact to you that Oregon comprises around sixty percent of public lands with astonishing versatility of the land types. 

Except for the main trails, which are always looked after, there are some other trails available too which might be a little wilder as they are not under the maintenance of the Oregon official departments.

Oregon’s 54 highly maintained trails receive regular funding from ATV sticker purchases and fuel tax money.

FAQs

Conclusion

The great maintenance and features of the trails in Oregon make them unique. The Oregon state organizations have made the trail riding process simple and safe through their constant efforts.

Maintaining more than 54 trails is a big deal and requires a well-functioning system to keep all the trails and private lands in good form.

You need to know what type of trail would be the best choice for you, and then get the permit and get going with your team for a unique adventure in the wild trails.