Utah

Utah may be more famous for its winters than its summers-and for good reason. Everyone has heard Utah's famous "Greatest Snow On Earth" claim.

That's why skiers-and snowmobilers-flock to Utah every winter-to take advantage of what really is some of the West's best snow conditions.

Utah's backcountry riding is another feature that sets it apart from others-lots and lots of boondocking and wide open country riding.

There are a handful of riding areas that aren't well publicized, but offer just as much fun as any offered in the state.

One of those areas includes the Stansbury Mountain Range, west of Salt Lake City, near Tooele. There are more than a half-dozen trails/roads here sledders can ride on. Then, in Davis County, north of Salt Lake City, there are roads near Bountiful (namely Skyline Drive east of town), Centerville and Farmington where snowmobilers can access great backcountry riding in the Wasatch Range. Another area is in southwestern Utah, south of Interstate 70 on the Utah/Colorado border in the La Sal Mountains in the Manti-La Sal National Forest.

Further to the south and a little to the west of the La Sal Mountains is another popular area for riding, near Dark Canyon Lake, as well as Gold Basin, although snowmobiles aren't allowed to leave the road in Gold Basin. Farther south are the Abajo Mountains, where some snowmobiling takes place.

Some consider this to be a Wyoming thing, but another great riding area in Utah is accessed via Evanston, WY, where you head south on the Mirror Lake Highway and ride the Uintas. You can get there from the south, like from the Kamas area, but gas would get pretty low (or bone dry) by the time you went up and over the pass on Mirror Lake Highway. This is high elevation riding in awesome powder.