How wide are the Atv trails for colorado? Buying a Rzr and the dealer said that you could take it on the atv trails where you can not take the Rhinos. Is this true?

Yea, I am wondering too if anyone in CO and/or Utah has had any issues with RZRs on atv trails.

I contacted the local ATV Club here in Grand Junction and they found some answers for me (though I didn't like them)

According to their response:
National Forest: RZR's do not meet ATV standards (too heavy, no handle bar, no straddle seat)
BLM: Is just sticking with the 50"

Sounded like though they are reconsidering as the RZR challenges their definition some...

I did a little research on this. I found the official definition of the ATV requiring a straddle seat and handle bars. But I only saw a very few places that used that definition in their regs to prohibit riders.

Most places ignore the definition of ATV and just call them OHVs (Off Highway Vehicles) and write their regulations by width. 50" seems to be the most common limitation but is not universal. A stock RZR is 50" but I think as soon as you change tires, put on wheel spacers or fender flares you are over 50".

In Colorado, there seems to be different standards for different National Forests.

Here are the regs for Pike and San Isabel:

Pike and San Isabel OHV Regs

At the very bottom that they specify 48"

Here are the regs for the San Juans:

San Juan OHV regs

About 2/3rds of the way down they say 50".

So the moral is you need to know the specific regs for the place where you plan to ride. The other moral is that dealers are not 100% honest when they are trying to sell stuff.

Hey All,
I am a new RZR owner in Colorado and will be taking my new toy to the Rampart Range area this weekend and will let you know if I run into any issues. I am sure that the Rangers will be out checking registration stickers as the area just opened up. I am a little concerned about the width issue as with my Nerf Bars I am a little over the 50" limit. I will report back.

We went riding this last weekend at an area called Rainbow Falls which is north of Woodland Park. The trails there allow Jeeps so there is really no width restrictions. The trails are fun and go from easy to moderate.

Keep the Shiny Side Up!!!!!!

__________________
3jsales
1-2008 Polaris RZR
2-2004 Polaris Sportsman 500
1-2006 Polaris Predator 500
1-2006 Honda Foreman 500
2-Honda XR600R
36' Motorhome
Too many toys, never enough time.

Hey All,
Just wanted to report on our RZR riding at Rampart Range Motorcycle Riding area this last weekend.
Regarding the RZR's width and the Rangers, there seems to be no problems in that area. The local ranger stopped by our campsite to check registrations and saw the RZR and was very interested in it. He asked the width and I told him that it is exactly 50" wide and he said well that is good enough for their trails. He liked the idea of a side by side as opposed to people doubling up on quads as he see them do all the time. He said that they don't recommend doubling up but there isn't anything that they can really do about it.
The RZR got a good workout this weekend but did not come home unscathed. It has a few new scratches on the sides and top. On of the biggest problems that we had was on banked turns that have a tree in the apex of the turn. As the RZR goes into the bank turn, the unit leans over and the roll bar and roof contact the tree. We have the Polaris solid plastic roof and it held up to the punishment extremely well. I am going to augment the roll bar with some tree sliders going from the top of the front roll bar to the rear roll bar so the trees can slide along it instead of hitting the roof.
At Rampart Range there are some trails that the RZR will not be able to go on due mainly to the tightness of the trees along the trail. If I want to ride those trails I will just leave the RZR at camp and go on my quad.
If you have any questions just PM me and I will get back to you.

Keep the Shiny Side Up!!!!

Thanks 3jsales, I all so talked to a ranger last weekend but at old stage rd area, and he said the same thing! Have fun and stay off the road (old stage rd. you need a plate)