Utah Arapeen Tail System Map Update

It's one of the reasons that the economies of the small central Utah towns are still solvent – the extensive offroad trail system that they have learned to promote.

The Utah Arapeen Trail System is in the Manti-LaSal forest and the city fathers of the many little towns (with a bunch of coaxing from both local businesses as well as offroaders) have come to learn just what a valuable asset the trails in the surrounding hills are to their local economy.

Anyone traveling in central and southern Utah will quickly come to realize that the towns are all spaced a day's journey by horse and wagon apart, a legacy of simpler times.

All of the towns have local ordinances which welcome offroad vehicles to traverse their roads with almost none of the hysteria or inordinate rules that accompanied similar considerations in Mesquite a couple of years ago.

Offroading Home created a free map of the entire Arapeen Trail System almost five years ago and each year one or two additional trails have been added. This year a substantial enhancement has been made.   [A free Google Earth file of this master map is available at: Offroading Home.]

The Ephraim Chamber of Commerce usually sends out several mailings each year announcing various offroad jamborees. This year, as usual, they link to a file of the trails; however, now many "connecting" trails have been added.

I've spent today thoroughly comparing all the trails their map has against our "official" Google Earth map and found they compare favorably; although, the tracks on our map are nearly always more precise in following the satellite image.

I have never, until now, thought to add all the connecting trails, but looking at their map I can see how helpful they are when one wants to prepare for a LOOP ride, or one which can go from the town and not require trailering.

So, I'm pleased to say that today all of those connecting trails have been added to the Offroading Home map. You can easily see that all of the Arapeen system is accessible from nearly all of the motel, gas stations and restaurants in all of those central Utah towns which border it.

And, you can easily plan trips which ride in the mountains all day but stop for "bed and breakfast" in a motel and you don't need to carry tons of extra fuel. Good on ya people! - people of Sanpete County!

This is an area that should be on every riders "bucket list" – it's absolutely gorgeous riding and the convenience beats nearly any alternative. You people in Nevada – come on up! The people of Ephraim, Manti, Sterling, Spring City, Mt. Pleasant and Moroni will show you how visitors should be treated and how welcome you are in their towns.

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And just where was this thing when we were kids???

Life Before OSHA