Overview Of Little Sahara Recreation Area
- Open: Year round
- Latitude/Longitude: 39.726445, -112.303905
- Usage: Heavy
- Managed by: BLM
- Riding Fees:
- $18 vehicle/night
- $120 Annual Pass
- $60 for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities
- Camping: Yes, dispersed + 3 developed campgrounds. No hookups. 255 total improved sites, 40 toilets and 2 potable water sites
- Camping Fees: Free camping with entry fee
- Location: Central Utah
Directions:
- Two hours south of Salt Lake City
- From Provo UT
- Take I-15 South to US-6 West
- Drive I-15/ US-6 West for 59.1 miles
- Right on Sand Mountain Rd.
- Drive 4 miles to staging area
Little Sahara Recreation Area
Located just a couple hours south of Salt Lake City, this is a very popular off roading destination with about 300,000 visitors a year.
Summers are too hot for riding or anything more than a road trip with air conditioning. Riding season doesn’t start until late September and runs through May (or maybe early June if it’s a cool year).
Weekends and three day holidays are the busiest, with about 20,000 people visiting on Easter, Memorial Day and Labor Day. If you’re looking to avoid crowds, plan a visit Monday though Thursday and you can avoid the worst of it.
The 60,000 recreation area is a multi-use area open to hiking, fat tire biking, sand boarding, sand skiing, camping and wildlife viewing.
Little Sahara offers a nice variety of terrain with enough variety to keep you coming back for more. Sand Mountain, at 700 feet tall, is the premier destination for riders looking for a challenging hill climb.
The White Sand Dunes area is divided into two different riding areas with very different terrain.
The northern area is a huge open riding dune area with good sized rolling dunes and bowls. This area is best for intermediate and advanced riders. The dunes south of Black Mountain are excellent for beginners with smaller dunes and less traffic.
If you’re looking to mix it up, head over to Black Mountain and hit the dirt trails for some excellent trail riding.
The Rockwell Outstanding Natural Area, which is part of the Little Sahara Recreation Area, is set aside as a natural area where no motorized traffic is allowed. This area is open to visitors for non-motorized use.
16 miles of paved roads allow easy access to the staging areas and campgrounds.
Both the White Sands Campground and the Jerico Campground have several acres fenced off and set aside as play areas for children and people looking to play in the sand. No motorized vehicles are allowed in these fenced off areas.
In addition to the campgrounds available at Little Sahara, dispersed camping is also allowed.
When the Visitor Center is closed in the summer due to heat, pay at one of the two self registration stations – the main entrance or Rockwell.
Little Sahara Camping
White Sands Campground
Fee: Free. Camping is included in day use fee.
Reservations: No reservations. First come, first serve.
Sites Available: 100
Amenities:
- Located on the White Sand Dunes
- Direct access to the dunes
- Some limited shade from the Juniper trees
- Flush toilets (vault in winter)
- Water
- Fenced play area
- RV dump station (closed in winter)
Oasis Campground
Fee: Free. Camping is included in day use fee.
Reservations: No reservations. First come, first serve.
Amenities:
- Closest camping to OHV Black Mountains trail riding area
- This is the most developed campground at Little Sahara Recreation Area
- Not located directly on the ATV sand dunes, but you can easily drive OHV to the dunes
- Paved pads for RV and trailers
- Flush toilets (vault in winter)
- Water
- RV dump station (closed in winter)
Jericho Campground
Fee: Free. Camping is included in day use fee.
Reservations: No reservations. First come, first serve.
Amenities:
- Located on the White Sand Dunes
- Direct access to the dunes
- Picnic area and camping area
- 40 picnic tables with shade ramadas
- Good option for large groups
- Paved parking access road
- Flush toilets (vault in winter)
- Fenced play area
- RV dump station (closed in winter)
Sand Mountain Camping
Fee: Free. Camping is included in day use fee.
Reservations: No reservations. First come, first serve.
Amenities:
- Group Campsites
- Dispersed Camping
- Closest camping to Sand Mountain
- Primitive camping and staging area
- 3 paved parking loops
- Flush toilets (vault in winter)
- Water
- RV dump station (closed in winter)
Utah has another beautiful ATV dune area that you should check out: Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Kanab, UT.
- Bring cash in case the visitor center is closed.
- It’s too hot for riding in the summer.
- Three day weekends are extremely busy.
- Utah does not recognize ANY out of state OHV registrations, so you are required to purchase a UT registration permit sticker.
Rules & Regulations
Little Sahara Utah Rules
- Helmets are legally required for all riders under 18 years old.
- Helmets are strongly recommended for ALL riders.
- Glass containers are prohibited.
- No bonfires.
- No wooden pallets are allowed.
- No paintball guns.
- Operating an OHV under the influence of alcohol or drugs is against the law.
- Whip flags required.
- No guns are allowed at Little Sahara.
- Vandalism is illegal and if witnessed, should be reported to a BLM employee
Pack it in, pack it out. - Do not try burn aluminum or glass.
- Ride carefully. Always check for razor backs and be cautious of other riders.
- This is a multiuse area, so be alert to hikers, children and pets who may also be using the dunes.
- Respect the environment, stay in OHV approved areas and don’t run over vegetation.
Utah ATV Registration Laws
- All OHVs are required to be registered (registration sticker must be displayed)
- As of 2020, Utah No Longer Honors Out Of State ATV/OHV Registration
- Out of state registration permit is $30 for 12 months. (+$5 if you buy online)
To register in Utah You Will Need To Provide:
- Proof of residency: driver’s license or other state-issued identification.
- Proof of ownership: title or current registration or bill of sale.
Utah ATV / OHV Laws and Rules
Utah law does allow for street legal ATV, UTV and OHV
- Helmets are required for all riders and passengers under age 18 (fitted and fastened)
- Children under the age of 8 are not allowed to operate an OHV
- Children under 8 are allowed to compete in off road racing/events providing that certain criteria are met (see link below)
- Operators between 8-15 years old must have an OHV education certificate before operating an OHV on public land
- Ride only in designated OHV use areas
- Ride on the right and in single file
- It is illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Whip flags are required in all sand dune areas (can be red or orange)
- Lights are required between sunset and sunrise
- Spark arrestors are required
More Utah ATV Information
With its beautiful red rock formations, Moab has some of the most spectacular off roading in Utah. 10 Epic Moab ATV Trails & 5 Family Friendly ATV Trails In Moab
The Ticaboo Lodge in North Lake Powell, Ticaboo UT is an all inclusive ATV resort. In October 2019, Ticaboo Lodge held their first annual ATV/UTV Rally at North Lake Powell. Hopefully this event will take off and become a successful yearly event.
Utah has some of the best off roading in the US, so it should be no surprise that they also have a ton of awesome ATV events. Check out our ATV Jamboree page for dates and links to upcoming events.
You’ll find links to all these off roading events in Utah on the Jamboree page:
- Winter 4×4 Jamboree
- Tri-State ATV Jamboree
- Kanab ATV Jamboree
- Rally On The Rocks
- Beaver County Trails ATV Jamboree
- Outlaw ATV Jamboree
- Millard County National ATV/UTV Jamboree
- Manti Mountain ATV-UTV Run
- Paiute Trail Jamboree
- Bryce Rally
- Arapeen OHV Retreat
- San Juan ATV Safari
- Rocky Mountain Jamboree
- UTV Takeover
- SxS Adventure Rally