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The Top 16 UTV and ATV Trails in Texas

By Megan Randall | Behind The Wheel on May 24, 2021
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It’s no surprise that some of the best off-road riding spots in the United States are found in the great state of Texas. After all, they say everything’s better in Texas! (Or is it bigger? We digress.)

Seriously, though—if you’re looking for places to ride in the Lone Star State, you’re not hurting for options. Whether you’re hankerin’ for mud, hills, sand, or a little bit of everything, you’re never far from some prime ATV and UTV trails.

To help you out, we’ve put together a list of 16 of the most popular UTV trails in Texas. Here are the quick-and-dirty details of everyone’s favorite spots, in no particular order.

NOTE: Park details and prices reflect what was current as of February 2021.

1. Alligator Run Offroad Park

  • Location: Easton, TX
  • Size: 5,200 acres
  • Style: Mud, trails, hills, creeks
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, 4x4s, monster trucks
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $10/day, $15/weekend pass
Aerial view of Alligator Run
Photo by Alligator Run

2. Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area

  • Location: Gilmer, TX
  • Size: 1,850 acres
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, 4x4s
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $15/day for members, $30/day for non-members
Side by sides coming down deep trail
Photo by Barnwell Mountain

3. Childress ATV & Motocross Park

  • Location: Childress, TX
  • Size: 16 miles of trails
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $15/day
Aerial shot of trails
Photo by Childress ATV Park

4. Creekside Offroad Ranch

  • Location: Splendora, TX
  • Size: 350+ acres
  • Style: Trails, mud, sand, hills, creeks
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, trucks, 4x4s, dune buggies
  • Experience Level: Mostly for experienced riders
  • Cost: $20/day
Machines driving through creek
Photo by Creekside Offroad Ranch

5. Eisenhower State Park

  • Location: Denison, TX
  • Size: 423 acres (2.5 miles of trails)
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, dirt bikes
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $5/day
Eisenhower State Park
Photo by Eisenhower State Park

6. Escondido Draw Recreation Area

  • Location: Ozona, TX
  • Size: 3,400 acres
  • Style: Trails, rocks, hills
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, 4x4s, dune buggies
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $15/day for members, $30/day for non-members
Buggy rock climbing
Photo by Escondido Draw Recreation Area

7. General Sam’s Offroad Park

  • Location: Huntsville, TX
  • Size: 706 acres
  • Style: Mud, trails, sand, creeks, rocks, hills
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, 4x4s, dune buggies
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $20/day
Aerial shot of a lot of machiens parked around mud pit at park
Photo by General Sam’s Offroad Park

8. Hidden Falls Adventure Park

  • Location: Marble Falls, TX
  • Size: 3,000 acres
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, 4x4s
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $6/day for entry, $25/day for riding
Polaris Ace driving through creek
Photo by UTV Action

9. Lake McClellan UTV/ATV Area Trailhead

  • Location: Alanreed, TX
  • Size: 10 miles of trails
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, 4x4s
  • Experience Level: Intermediate
  • Cost: $5/day
Quad coming up trail on hill
Photo by Rider Planet

10. Mudbuddys ATV Park

  • Location: Hallettsville, TX
  • Size: 500 acres
  • Style: Trails, mud, creeks
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $6.50/day for spectating, $20/day for riding
Quads going through mud pit
Photo by Mudbuddys ATV Park

11. Northwest OHV Park

  • Location: Bridgeport, TX
  • Size: 300 acres (25 miles of trails)
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, 4x4s
  • Experience Level: Intermediate
  • Cost: $15/day for ATVs and bikes, $25/day for UTVs and 4x4s
Machines lined up and parked on rock bed
Photo by UTV Action Mag

12. Red River Motorcycle Trails

  • Location: Bulcher, TX
  • Size: 2,500 acres
  • Style: Trails, sand, hills
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, 4x4s
  • Experience Level: Intermediate to experienced
  • Cost: $25/day
Machines stuck in mud hole
Photo by Red River Motorcycle Trails

13. River Run ATV Park

  • Location: Jacksonville, TX
  • Size: 2,000+ acres
  • Style: Trails, mud
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes, 4x4s
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $20

For more details on River Run, check out our coverage of the best riding spots in the South.

Side by sides parked at River Run
Photo by River Run ATV Park

14. Sam Houston National Forest

  • Location: New Waverly, TX
  • Size: 85 miles of trails
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, dirt bikes
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $7/day
Sam Houston
Photo by Rider Planet

15. TexPlex Park

  • Location: Midlothian, TX
  • Size: 1,000 acres
  • Style: Trails, mud
  • Machines: ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, 4x4s, trucks
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $10 for entry, $35 for riding
Side by side racers coming down track
Photo by Texplex

16. Trophy Club Park

  • Location: Trophy Club, TX
  • Size: 877 acres
  • Style: Trails
  • Machines: ATVs, motorcycles, dirt bikes
  • Experience Level: All
  • Cost: $15/day
Racer on quad coming down hill
Photo by Trophy Club Park

Are UTVs Allowed on ATV Trails in Texas?

Now that you know where to ride, it’s time to determine how.

While many of the parks on this list welcome all types of vehicles—from dune buggies to monster trucks—there are some exceptions. Whether or not UTVs are allowed on smaller trails depends on the park.

Most parks are very clear about which types of ORVs are permitted on which trails, so be sure to do your research ahead of time. And don’t be afraid to call ahead and ask if you’re not sure!

Two Can-Am Maverick X3's parked on top of trail in Texas
Photo by ATV Rider

It’s the biggest of the lower 48 states, so we can’t possibly cover all of the UTV trails in Texas in just one article. But hopefully we’ve included a few places that spark your interest! For more places to ride, check out our Best Ride Parks in the South rundown to see what other Texas parks we’ve covered.

So where to now? Stay tuned to see which state we’re riding through next!

RELATED CONTENT: riding spots33 trails31
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4 Comments

  1. Avatar for Brent David Kahnke Brent David Kahnke says:
    December 17, 2021 at 8:28 pm

    is thier camp grounds around or on utv trails

    Reply
    • Avatar for Tyler Lichlyter Tyler Lichlyter says:
      December 20, 2021 at 9:35 am

      Hey Brent! Yes, nearly all of these parks offer campsites and/or RV parking. You can click on the links within the article to check out each parks website to book. Thanks for checking in with us!

      Reply
  2. Avatar for Kevin G Kevin G says:
    January 31, 2023 at 9:03 pm

    What about Monahan sand hill park? Do they offer riding atvs,utvs,etc there?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Kavan Wright Kavan Wright says:
      February 1, 2023 at 3:53 pm

      Hey Kevin, I don’t see any off-roading options at Monahans Sandhills State Park. That one’s reserved for hiking and horses only it seems.

      Reply

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