Pete checking the map
Marysvalle to Circleville
Pete and I had been riding our KTM's earlier in the week but I knew that this trip had some steep switchbacks so I planned to ride my ATV. Unfortunately, the day before the Kawasaki KFX400 died while climbing up the 02 trail leaving Marysvalle. I really wanted to explore this section of the Paiute Trail so I decided to rent a quad from Lizzie and Charlies. We left Marysvalle and headed up Bullion Canyon on the 02 trail. This is a long steep climb (over 3000 feet) that intersects with the 01 trail at an elevation a little over 8800 feet. We took the left fork and continued our climb. Pretty soon we were above the tree line. We continued West along the 01 enjoying the fall colors. This part of the trail is smooth and wide with no obstacles. We soon came upon the intersection of the 01 and 05 trails.
Pete and I had been riding our KTM's earlier in the week but I knew that this trip had some steep switchbacks so I planned to ride my ATV. Unfortunately, the day before the Kawasaki KFX400 died while climbing up the 02 trail leaving Marysvalle. I really wanted to explore this section of the Paiute Trail so I decided to rent a quad from Lizzie and Charlies. We left Marysvalle and headed up Bullion Canyon on the 02 trail. This is a long steep climb (over 3000 feet) that intersects with the 01 trail at an elevation a little over 8800 feet. We took the left fork and continued our climb. Pretty soon we were above the tree line. We continued West along the 01 enjoying the fall colors. This part of the trail is smooth and wide with no obstacles. We soon came upon the intersection of the 01 and 05 trails.
A stream crossing on the 01 just past State Route 153.
If you turn right on the 05 trail you will come intersect with the 88 trail on the left. If you continue on the 05 you will end up in Beaver, UT. If you turn left off the 05 onto the 88 you will eventually wind around and intersect again with the main 01 trail. This adds significant miles to the route. Since our trip was already over 66 miles, we decided to stay on the 01 West trail and continue our journey towards Circleville. We soon came upon State Route 157 which we crossed several times in this area. At this point we were back in the trees and while the trail was still wide, it was rocly and at times muddy, We soon passed the intersection of the 01 and the 27. The trail was starting to narrow but I would rate this section beginner to low intermediate. The next 6 miles between the 27 and 29 trails was very scenic. The trail climbed and dropped, twisted and turned with the yellow aspen trees and green pines providing plenty of beauty along the way. In another 4 miles we came upon the 88 which merged back with the 01 trail. The scenery continued to impress. We soon came upon a 50' came with a black diamond. This was a warning that the steep and nasty switchbacks were soon to appear. At his point you do have an option to turn left onto the 33 trail which is rated intermediate (blue diamond). We continued down the 01 West trail which became very narrow (not sure how two ATV's could pass), luckily no one was headed up the trail.
One of the many switchbacks that I crawled around.
If you watch the video below you will most likely want to fast forward through this part since I was a little intimidated by the steep drop-off and sharp turns. After I made it down I was sure that the next time I could do it at a much faster pace. After what seemed like forever I finally made it down into the valley. Pete and I stopped for a beer and I celebrated my survival. Pete thought I might have gone over the edge since it took me so long to meet up with him. We followed a stream bed out of the mountains and came out on State Highway 89 just East of Circleville. Neither of us needed fuel so we crossed the highway and followed the road until we came to the 33 trail. We followed the 33 West until it intersected with the 35 trail. We turned left and continued across farmland until we came upon the 77 trail which took us directly back into Marysvalle. We crossed State Route 89 and headed up Bullion Canyon back to our home for the week (Bullion Creekside Cabin). This is a great place to stay if you want to explore the area around Marysvalle and don't want to stay at an RV park. Although they do have a full hook-up RV site.
This was my first trip to Marysvalle and the Paiute trail system. I have returned several times and you can check out my other videos on my YouTube channel Barry's ATV Adventures
