Torrey, Utah / Guided trips / UTV and ATV
None of this happens inside the park, and that is the law not a preference
UTV Tours in Torrey, Utah
Every UTV tour and rental in Torrey operates outside Capitol Reef National Park, because the park bans off highway vehicles from every road inside its boundary, paved ones included. That sounds like a limitation until you learn the good riding starts a mile and a half from town on Forest Service ground. This page covers where riding is legal, what a visitor needs to ride legally in Utah, and what each outfit actually charges.
If you read one section
Guided if you are visiting, rental if you already ride
A guided seat starts at $92 per adult for a two hour trip and includes a helmet, goggles and someone who knows which of the local trails is 50 inches wide. It also sidesteps the paperwork entirely, since the certification and permit requirements below fall on the person driving.
Renting makes sense if you already ride and are staying a few days. Machines run $300 to $450 for four hours and $650 to $790 for 24, and you will need a Utah off highway vehicle education certificate and, if you brought your own machine, a nonresident permit.
Either way the scenery is not a consolation prize. The trails out of Torrey climb from 6,800 feet to over 11,000, and one of the standard tours looks down on Cathedral Valley from above 9,500 feet, which is a view you cannot get from inside the park at all.
If you want to see the park's backcountry rather than ride trails, a four wheel drive tour is the legal way to do it. The jeep and backroad page covers vehicles and operators, and the Cathedral Valley page covers that route specifically.
The sentence that decides everything
The park's rule, in full
Capitol Reef states it plainly: the use of off highway vehicle, ATV's, OHV, UTV's, etcetera, is not allowed within the boundary of Capitol Reef National Park. This includes all paved and unpaved roads within the park. Motorcycles designed, equipped and licensed for highway use are not included in this restriction.
Three things follow from that, and they answer most of the questions people arrive with.
Paved roads count
The Scenic Drive is not a loophole. Neither is the paved section of the Burr Trail inside the boundary. The rule names all paved and unpaved roads within the park.
Only motorcycles are exempt
The exemption covers motorcycles designed, equipped and licensed for highway use. It does not name street legal side by sides. The park does not address plated UTVs on its own pages, so if you have a street legal machine and want to drive Highway 24 through the park, call 435 425 3791 and get the answer from a ranger rather than from us.
Outside is different
The same park page adds that on public lands outside Capitol Reef you must stay on roads and established routes, and that cross country travel is only allowed in designated OHV areas, to protect the biological soil crust that holds the desert together.
Worth noting for trust: the largest local operator states the same rule on its own website, that UTVs are illegal inside national park boundaries, and points riders to comparable scenery on forest and BLM ground. That is not a given in this industry, and it is a reasonable thing to weigh when choosing who to book with.
Paperwork, honestly
What you need to ride legally in Utah
This catches visitors out more than any other rule in the region, and it applies whether you rent here or trailer your own machine in.
| Requirement | What the state requires | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Nonresident OHV permit | $35, valid 12 months from purchase, bought online. You need proof of out of state residency and that the machine is not owned by a Utah resident. A temporary permit arrives by email; the permanent one takes up to 20 business days | Anyone bringing their own machine into Utah |
| Education course | Utah requires all OHV operators to complete the Utah Off Highway Vehicle Education Course. Adults over 18 complete the written component, which the state describes as a free once in a lifetime course. Under 18s complete both a written and a skills component, and the youth online course is listed at $30 | Everyone operating on public land, residents and visitors |
| Helmets | Under 18s must wear DOT rated headgear on Type I ATVs, snowmobiles and off highway motorcycles. The statute does not name Type II side by sides, though one state parks page states the requirement more broadly. Every operator here supplies helmets to all riders regardless | Riders under 18, at minimum |
| Staying on route | Cross country travel is prohibited on both national forests here. You must stay on designated roads, trails and areas, and routes not shown on the motor vehicle use map are not open | Everyone, everywhere outside a designated open area |
| Machine width | Fishlake National Forest limits trail riding to 50 inch and 60 inch trails. Anything wider than 60 inches must stay on roads and trails marked open to all | Everyone, and it decides which machine to rent |
That width rule is the one worth planning around. The best local trail, Hell's Hole, is open only to vehicles 50 inches or less, which means a six seat machine cannot go there. If a specific trail is the reason for your trip, rent the narrow machine.
On the permit fee, a note on sourcing. The state's live page says $35 and its printed brochures say $30. The fee is set administratively rather than in statute, which is why the documents lag. Use the live page and expect it to change.
A rented machine on a tan Utah off highway vehicle plate is not street legal. The state's motor vehicle division states that plate is not considered street legal and is not for street use, so you cannot simply drive a rental down the highway to a trailhead unless the operator has made it street legal or is trailering you.
The good news
Where riding is legal, with official distances
The Forest Service publishes trailhead locations and mileages for this area. These are its figures, not ours, which matters because almost nobody else cites them.
| Where | Distance | Season | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand Creek Great Western Trailhead | 1.5 miles northwest of Torrey, at 6,950 feet | Mid April to November | The Great Western Trail north, and the Velvet Ridges open riding area. Also Hell's Hole, which the Forest Service describes as challenging and open only to vehicles 50 inches or less |
| Bicknell Bottoms Great Western Trailhead | About 11 miles southeast of Loa on Highway 24 | Generally April to November | The Great Western Trail and the Velvet Ridges open riding area from the western side |
| Elkhorn Trailhead, Thousand Lake Mountain | From Loa, 12 miles on SR 72 then 7.6 miles on FR206 then 0.2 on FR210, at 9,843 feet | June to October | High aspen and spruce country. Most trails here are open to vehicles 50 inches or less |
| Factory Butte and Swing Arm City | 12 miles west of Hanksville on Highway 24 | All year, but unrideable when wet | The nearest legal cross country play area. No fees. Swing Arm City is about 2,600 acres and Factory Butte about 5,300, plus over 200 miles of designated routes |
That first row is the whole argument for riding here. The Forest Service independently names the Velvet Ridges open riding area and Hell's Hole, which are exactly the places the Torrey operators market, and puts the trailhead a mile and a half from town. You can ride from the edge of Torrey onto the Great Western Trail.
The Great Western Trail itself runs, in the Forest Service's sections, 33.7 miles across Thousand Lake Mountain and 26 miles across Boulder Mountain, with more sections north toward Hogan Pass and Interstate 70. Neither the Forest Service nor the BLM publishes a total length for the trail as a whole.
Factory Butte is mancos shale, which turns to grease within minutes of rain and stays that way. The BLM and the town of Hanksville both note the clay surface is slippery when wet and prone to heavy flooding during storms. Check the sky before you commit to that hour long drive east.
On BLM ground closer to Torrey, the picture is genuinely unsettled. The Henry Mountains and Fremont Gorge travel management plan covers 1.45 million acres in Garfield and Wayne counties and designates over 2,200 miles of routes as open, limited or closed. We have not read the final decision and are not going to list routes we cannot confirm. Ask the BLM Richfield office, or ride with someone who knows the current map.
Everyone we can find
Tours and rentals
Prices below are what each company publishes, checked September 2026. One site's product pages were returning errors when we looked, and we have said so rather than guessing.
| Guided tour | From | Length | Season and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velvet Ridge | $92 per adult | 2 hours plus | Their most booked trip. 6,800 to 7,571 feet, rated moderate, groups of 1 to 20, departures at 9am, noon and sunset. Must be reserved the day before |
| Stargazing and s'mores | $110 per person | 2.5 hours | S'mores, hot chocolate and stargazing equipment provided. Groups of 1 to 20 |
| Cathedral Valley Overlook | $152 per person, or $690 private | 4 hours | June to mid October. 6,800 to 10,400 feet, rated difficult. Six seat machines. Looks down into Cathedral Valley from outside the park boundary |
| Aquarius Plateau | $152 per person, lunch included | 4 hours plus | Climbs to 11,317 feet with a short hike to the top of Bluebell Knoll. Groups of 1 to 20 |
| UM Pass and Boobe Hole Mountain | $800, lunch included | 6 hours plus | June 1 to October 10. Two seat machines only, because the route is a 50 inch trail. Maximum 8 people |
Those are all run by Capitol Reef Outfitters on 435 425 3999, at 1012 East Highway 24 in Torrey, which is the only outfit here publishing a full priced tour menu. Every tour lists a guide, helmet and goggles as included, and requires a signed assumption of risk waiver and a reusable water bottle. Drivers must be at least 18 on the guided trips.
Their self drive rentals run $300 for four hours, $500 for eight and $650 for 24 on a two seat RZR Trail 900, which at 50 inches goes on any trail; $400, $650 and $750 on a four seat RZR 1000; and $450, $690 and $790 on a six seat Ranger Crew. Rentals need a Utah OHV certificate per driver unless you are on a guided tour, a current driver's license, a $3,000 damage deposit, and helmets and goggles at $5 each. Drivers under 18 must be accompanied on the machine by a parent, and no drivers under 16 are allowed at all. Rentals generally run March through November.
Backcountry Outfitters
On 435 425 2010 in Torrey. They rent Polaris and Honda ATVs in single, two and four seat configurations, half day and full day, with instruction, helmets, a safety overview and directions to the trails included. Their site says machines can be ridden directly from the store to dirt roads heading into the local mountains.
Their product pages were returning server errors when we checked, so we have no reliable per duration price table, minimum age or season for them. The lowest price visible was $100. Call for current rates.
Hanksville Tours and Motorsports
An hour east, and the right choice if Factory Butte and the Mars Desert country is what you want. Self drive rentals run $400 to $525 for a four seat Teryx and $450 to $600 for a two seat KRX, at five, ten and 24 hours, with insurance required.
Guided UTV trips run $475 for three hours, $675 for five and $775 for six, taking two to four guests to Factory Butte, Moonscape Overlook and the Mars Desert. Age and license requirements are not published.
One correction to a listing you may find elsewhere. Thousand Lakes RV Park in Torrey advertises Jeep rentals, not UTVs or ATVs. Their site offers a four door Jeep Wrangler at $249 a day plus tax with 150 free miles, and states that Capitol Reef Jeep Rentals is a separate entity not affiliated with the RV park. A Jeep is a road legal vehicle and can go places a UTV cannot, including everywhere in the national park.
Straight answers
UTV questions
Can I ride a UTV in Capitol Reef National Park?
No. The park states that off highway vehicles are not allowed within its boundary, and that this includes all paved and unpaved roads within the park. The only exemption named is motorcycles designed, equipped and licensed for highway use. Every tour and rental here operates on Forest Service or BLM land outside the boundary.
What about a street legal side by side on Highway 24?
Utah law allows a properly equipped, registered and insured street legal machine on state highways including Highway 24 and Scenic Byway 12, with a 50 mile per hour cap. But Highway 24 crosses Capitol Reef, and the park's rule exempts only highway licensed motorcycles. The park publishes nothing addressing plated side by sides on that stretch, so call 435 425 3791 before relying on it.
Do I need a permit to ride my own machine in Utah?
Yes. Nonresidents must buy a Utah nonresident OHV permit, currently $35, valid 12 months, purchased online with proof of out of state residency. You keep your home state registration; you do not register the machine in Utah. You also need the Utah OHV education certificate.
Is there an education requirement?
Yes, for everyone. Utah requires all OHV operators to complete the Utah Off Highway Vehicle Education Course. Adults complete the written component, described by the state as a free once in a lifetime course. Under 18s complete written and skills components, with the youth online course listed at $30. Guided tour passengers do not need it, since the guide is driving.
How much is a guided UTV tour from Torrey?
Published prices start at $92 per adult for a two hour Velvet Ridge trip. A 2.5 hour stargazing trip is $110 per person, four hour mountain tours are $152 per person, and a six hour trip with lunch is $800 for a small group. Rentals run $300 to $450 for four hours and $650 to $790 for 24 hours.
How old do you have to be to drive?
On guided tours with the main Torrey operator, drivers must be at least 18. On rentals, drivers under 18 must be accompanied on the machine by a parent and no drivers under 16 are allowed. Utah statute regulates under 18 operators through helmet, education and supervision requirements but sets no minimum age floor of its own.
Where can I ride right out of Torrey?
The Sand Creek Great Western Trailhead, which the Forest Service puts 1.5 miles northwest of town at 6,950 feet, open mid April to November. It accesses the Great Western Trail and the Velvet Ridges open riding area, plus Hell's Hole, which is limited to machines 50 inches or narrower.
Where can I ride cross country rather than on trails?
Factory Butte and Swing Arm City, 12 miles west of Hanksville on Highway 24, about an hour east of Torrey. No fees. Swing Arm City is roughly 2,600 acres and the Factory Butte open area roughly 5,300, plus over 200 miles of designated routes. Everywhere else in this region, cross country travel is prohibited.
The park rule comes from the National Park Service regulations page, permit and education requirements from the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, and trailhead distances and width limits from the Fishlake National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management, all checked September 2026. Tour prices are what each operator publishes about itself.
Next step
Ride the forest, drive the park
Two different machines for two different halves of this landscape, and there is no reason not to do both in one trip.
Also useful: today's road conditions, the stargazing option and Goblin Valley. Or who writes this site.