ATV Adventures: Enjoy a colorful ride on the Manti Mountain Fall UTV Run
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- Colors on the Skyline Road at the top of the Arapeen Trails.
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- Colors in Manti Canyon.
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- Colors on the Sheep Trail above Manti.
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- Colors on the Sheep Trail above Manti.
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- Riding through the fall colors on the the Arapeen Trails.
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- Lynn Blamires
Manti hosts two annual OHV events — the Manti Mountain summer and fall UTV runs. The first one ran earlier this month and was a huge success. The success of this one led to the opening of a second run in the fall. This one is scheduled for Sept. 19-20 and has already reached over half its registration limit of 100 machines.
I can’t believe I am already talking about fall. It is fun to write about this event because the mountains above Manti have some of my favorite trails to ride. The fall colors come early to these high mountain trails, so the timing is just right for a colorful mountain ride.
The Manti Mountain Run features two trails. The riders are split into two groups to ride these trails on the first day. The groups will switch and ride the trail they didn’t ride the day before.
The $99 registration fee is packed with value as shown on the website, https://www.manticity.com/atvrun. A continental breakfast will be served at the Manti City Sports Park north of the Manti City cemetery after registration begins at 7 a.m.
After an information meeting, sack lunches will be distributed for the rides. Everyone in the two groups will leave at 8:30 am. The rides will take six to eight hours including time for lunch and to enjoy points of interest. At 6:30 p.m., a dinner will be served at the Manti City Park, 375 W. 200 North.
The next morning, breakfast is at 7:30 a.m. and then the distribution of sack lunches. The groups switch trails and leave at 8:30 am. The jamboree is over at the end of the ride and people are free to leave. No descriptions are given for the two trails offered, so follow the leader and enjoy the ride. Make a GPS track, save it and bring your friends on a ride.
Because this event is held on a Thursday and Friday, riders can stay an extra day and ride more of the Arapeen Trails. Arapeen Trail maps will be given to the riders at registration. This map is packed with information and will help you get the most out of these trails.
Looking at a map and choosing a trail to ride can be daunting. Not this one. There are routes for four individual day rides and two overnight rides. The day rides leave from Mount Pleasant, Ephraim, Manti and Mayfield. They provide unique riding experiences on four different sections of the trail system. The trail numbers are color-coded on the map to make the trails easy to follow. The 58-mile Mount Pleasant Trail is blue, the 48-mile Ephraim Trail is yellow, the 41-mile Manti Trail is orange and the 38-mile Mayfield Trail is fuchsia. Fuchsia?
The two overnight rides suggested on the map start in Mount Pleasant and Sterling. The ride from Sterling is called the High-Top Loop. It is marked by a uniquely dotted line that is different for each day. It is suggested that you spend the night in Sterling before starting to have a full day to cover the 72 miles to Manti. It gets its name because the route passes the highest point on the Arapeen Trail System at 10,918 feet. The views make this trail unforgettable.
Contact Lynn R. Blamires at quadmanone@gmail.com.
