ATV Adventures: 31st Rocky Mountain ATV/UTV Jamboree full of OHV fun
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- Climbing to the top of the Tusher Mountains on the Paiute ATV Trail System.
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- Enjoying the beautiful fall colors on the Paiute ATV Trail System.
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- Riding the beautiful Paiute ATV Trails through the aspen groves.
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- Lynn Blamires
Over the years I have been attending OHV jamborees in Utah, I have seen organizers honing in more exactly on what appeals to the OHV community. They all center on the fun things you can do riding OHVs.
The Rocky Mountain Jamboree is one of the best. It is held in Richfield, which is situated within the boundaries of the Paiute ATV Trail System. This is the largest trail system in the country with over 2,000 miles of interconnecting trails. Not only does the Paiute contain so many amazing trails, it also connects both directly and indirectly with the 80,000 miles of trail in Utah.
Sevier County has capitalized on this advantage in their 31st jamboree, scheduled for Sept. 16-22. This is one of the largest and longest OHV events held in the state. Seventy-six rides are scheduled, which would allow them to host over 2,000 registered riders. But if that many people showed up, you wouldn’t know it. On the trail, each ride is limited by the type of ride offered. The Fly-Fishing Ride, for example, is limited to six. The advanced rides can handle about 20, and most of the other rides are capped at 30. The only time this jamboree would feel big is when everyone is gathered together. There are about 500 people registered for the jamboree at this point.
One of the large gatherings will be at the light parade scheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. Billed as the “Get Your Glow On” Light Parade on Main Street, riders will be given glow sticks to light up their machines. Additional glow sticks will be given to be thrown out to those gathered to watch the parade. Parades on Richfield’s Main Street have been large enough in the past to challenge world records for the most ATVs participating in a parade.
It starts on Saturday with an early bird special ride. No rides are offered on Sunday, but credential packets can be picked up. Monday kicks off the week loaded with more adventure than you can comprehend. Those who haven’t picked up packets can do so on Monday morning.
Registration is $120 and includes: five days of guided rides, one T-shirt per registered rider, one swag bag per registered rider, four days of continental breakfasts, tickets to the closing banquet dinner, eligibility for prize raffles each morning and entry into a drawing for a UTV. This is one advantage of attending a large jamboree — smaller events don’t have enough participants to be able to offer such a large prize.
Another highlight on Monday will be a gathering of food trucks, known as the Food Truck Round-Up and a Farmer’s Market at jamboree headquarters, which is the Richfield City Park. The park is located on 300 N. Main. A variety of food trucks makes it easy to satisfy picky eaters.
Now let’s talk about the rides. No jamboree offers more rides on trails restricted to machines of 50 inches or less. This year, there are 27 rides offered with this restriction. There are also eight rides where riders are treated to full meals or at least a treat on the trail.
Night rides are also a feature of the jamboree this year. These are a favorite of mine since I added light bars and pod lights to my machines.
Organizers have set up this jamboree to keep you coming back every year. Not only are they offering 76 rides this year, but eight of them are new. I would have to put a pencil to paper to figure out how many years you would have to attend to have experienced all of the trails they have to offer.
One that seems fun to me is a GPS Murder Mystery Ride. Elements of a murder mystery will be given to you. It will be missing the names of the suspects and a victim. At each GPS site, you will need to find a name carved into a tree — fill in the blanks to identify the players in the game. Once you have all of the names, do your best to identify the killer.
Friday is the last day of the jamboree and features the closing dinner and the awarding of the grand prize. Registration and details are at https://www.sevierutah.net, but register by 5 p.m. Sept. 1 when registration closes. When you go, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity for OHV fun.
Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.