Get Your 4×4 Kicks On These Off-Road Winter Trails

It has been quipped that “Monday is an awful way to spend one seventh of your life.” The workweek is starting. Your email has been piling up for 72 hours. Your Sunday Funday hangover is bringing with it a mound of existential dread, and actual, physical pain.

Same goes for the wintertime. For those that love getting their four-wheel drive vehicles out to the trails as much as humanly possible, winter can be a dreadfully dull way for their rig to spend a quarter of its existence. By the time January rolls around, they’re climbing the walls of their garage, surfing trail message boards and aftermarket parts websites, waiting for that stupid groundhog to mercifully inform them there’s a thaw just around the corner.

But the optimist, the go-getter, the glass-half-full trailchaser would like to know: Why wait for spring?

It’s time to chase your adventure! There are plenty of freshly-powdered trails just begging to be explored. All it takes is a little research, an extra layer (or three) of clothing, the right frame of mind, and a rig that can handle what winter trails are gonna throw their way.

So grab your like-minded buddies who don’t mind the cold (solo winter wheeling is for amateur fools), double check all your gear, and let’s get rolling on some of the greatest winter trails in the country. Because winter, much like Monday, only sucks if you believe that it does.

Winter 4×4 Trails

Paiute Trail, Moab, Utah

South Central Utah is home to some of the most scenic trail riding in the country, and there may be no better example of that than the Paiute Trail, near Moab.

Rated by Dirt Wheels Magazine as one of the 15 best trails in the country, the Paiute is a 275-mile long loop with over 1,000 miles of marked side trails and 1,500+ side forest roads. While generally set up for ATV use, locals tell us that a large number of routes are passable in a 4×4.

“The Paiute ATV Trail caters to relaxing and family-type riding,” explains the state’s official tourism website. “Many riders along the four-foot-wide trails enjoy the scenery and atmosphere of a deeply dense forest, as well as popular activities such as fishing or camping near the path. Panoramic scenes along ridges allow riders to see over a hundred miles in the distance (and 11,000 below!), which makes the ATV Trail a popular photographic destination.”

In fact, the scenery in the winter is so pristine that there’s even a designated cold weather ATV run, the aptly-named Cabin Fever Ride. In addition to the sweeping mountain views, compliments of three ranges (the Pavant Range, the Sevier Plateau, and the Tushar Mountains), keep an eye out for wildlife. The Office of Tourism says it’s not unusual to catch a glimpse of some free-roaming herds of elk.

Black Hills National Forest, Deadwood, South Dakota

Home to Mount Rushmore and a host of spooky, Old West towns, South Dakota is a grand place to visit anytime of the year. But, in the winter, when the Black Hills National Forest’s 350+ miles of marked, mapped, and groomed snowmobile trails open up? Well, then it becomes an off-roader’s paradise.

“At 6,000 feet, trails develop a five-foot snow pack each winter, carrying you through snowy pine forests and deep into canyons that lead to summit lookouts or untracked meadows and play areas with top-notch powder-floating,” explains the state website. “With warming shelters, gas stops, local service and expert guides, the snowmobiling support in South Dakota is hard to match.”

Fear not, traditional 4×4 fans, there’s plenty for you to get into as well. While the winter trails are mostly reserved for winter sports enthusiasts, the Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association assures us that “year-round four-wheeling enthusiasts enjoy everything from hill climbing races, rock crawling expeditions, geocache hunting, group rides, winter games that communities hold close to the trails, and winter camping trips.”

Click here for more information on trail permits, vehicle regulations, a free phone app for navigation, and camping rules.

Dun-Good ATV Trails, Marinette County, Wisconsin

Off-roading is a way of life in Northern Wisconsin, and the residents of Marinette County boast one of the most well-maintained trail networks, thanks to the good folks of the Dun-Good Riders ATV/UTV and Snowmobile Club.

Named for the Dunbar and Goodman areas of northwestern Marinette County, the club regularly grooms the 200+ miles of wooded trails year-round. (These trails also meet up with the rest of the Marinette County trail system, as well as the Florence, Forest, and Oconto County trails—connecting the most rural northern reaches of the Cheese State.)

With more than 230,000 acres of county forest land available for hunting, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and just regular ol’ exploring, there’s plenty to do in this outdoor paradise—in addition to the ample riding opportunities, that is. Affectionately called the “Waterfall Capital” of Wisconsin, this scenic part of the state is one of the most beautiful secret spots in Packer Country.

Drummond Island, Michigan

Whether you get your kicks in a Polaris or a Wrangler, Michigan’s Drummond Island, and its expansive labyrinth of off-road routes, is continually growing in popularity—particularly among those thrill seekers with a yen for challenging winter trails, whose cold weather options can be limited.

Located on Lake Huron, off the mainland of the state’s Upper Peninsula, Drummond Island boasts over 60 miles of ATV trails and 40 miles of ORV routes, making it Michigan’s largest closed-loop trail system. Apart from the trails’ abundance of deep-wood challenges that range from novice to expert level, riders can enjoy some of the most unique scenery in the country. Forests, sprawling meadows, rocky ridges, and routes carved from bedrock during the last Ice Age are all there to behold, even picturesque routes along the shore of Sitgreaves Bay.

Snow levels can vary, and change in a blink, so make sure your rig is packing tow points and all the recovery gear you can carry (think straps, a winch, and a Hi-Lift Jack). And keep an eye out for some of the area’s bountiful wildlife, like deer, coyotes, and bald eagles, as the snow season makes conditions ideal for spotting them.

For any Jeepers looking to make new friends, check out Jeep Jamboree USA’s Drummond Island Winter Jamboree. Now in its second year, it offers two days of trail riding and the most knowledgeable guides in the biz.

Tug Hill State Forest, New York

It’s easy to forget that there’s a whole lot more to the state of New York than just Manhattan. Open year-round, Tug Hill State Forest offers 12,242-acres of outdoor recreation. And, as the park is located on the the Tug Hill Plateau, an area known for harsh winters and heavy snowfalls, you can bet your bottom there’s some sweet winter wheeling to be found.

While the winter trails are mostly reserved for snowmobiles and ATVs, there are still some areas passable by truck or Jeep. There are also miles of lesser-traveled, rough roadways nearby that become particularly fun and scenic after a fresh snowfall.

New York State can be sticklers for permits, so make sure you have all your ducks in a row before setting out. And if you really want to find the hidden gems, hook up with an off-road club like Twisted Axles or Adirondack Jeeps, who know what’s good—and stick to Tread Lightly practices.

Big Bear Lake, California

Bringing our line-up of winter trails full-circle, back to the West Coast, is Big Bear Lake, near San Diego.

Like a snow globe on a beach, the trails surrounding Big Bear Lake are a frosty oasis set in the San Bernardino Mountains nestled in an otherwise-idyllic climate. Elevated trails strewn with rocks and boulders are sure to put those skid plates of yours to the test, while old mining and logging trails dating back to the California Gold Rush test out your suspension components.

From the easygoing Gold Fever Trail on the lake’s north shore, to the Champion Lodgepole Trail that leads to the historic oldest tree in Big Bear Valley, there is plenty of action for beginners. The road to the Butler Peak Fire Lookout steps the challenge up a bit, so have some experience under your belt if you aim to tackle it. And nearby, the John Bull Trail, whose boulder-strewn craziness is strictly for expert wheelers, shows just how much variety this amazing landscape has to offer.

What are some of your favorite winter trails? Let us know in the comments below!