Triad trailblazers

Riding the Paiute 01 in a FULL Day                              

 300+ miles of Fun!!  

When TTB was planning the trip to Utah there was always a running joke that we were going to ride the full Paiute 01 Trail in one day. We had all viewed the various articles putting the distance at 240 to 260 miles. We even heard of one rider that made the trip in 14 hours. Seemed very possible but the laughs from the TTB Group could be heard when it was mentioned once we arrived in Utah.

The laughs ended on Sept 25, 2008 at 1:30am when a group of 5 Triad Trailblazers completed the full Paiute 01 loop after 18 hours. We left out of Big Rock Candy Mountain in Marysvale by 7am and arrived back around 1:30 am. The trail was actually around 255 miles included our 14 miles we had to backtrack due to missing a turn. The full trip was a little over 300 miles since Big Rock Candy Mountain was approx 25 miles from our starting/finishing point on Paiute 01.

So how was the trip? In one word – INCREDIBLE! We started the ride meeting many Elk Hunters on the way to 11,000ft. The temperature was as low as 20F but warmed to around 80F in the evening. We passed many great views (Bean Canyon is wow at sunset) and rode in a diversity of terrain that was beyond my imagination. We rode through mazes of woods, deep desert type sand (think baby powder consistency), long rough rock trails, seven mountain ranges, and approximately 50 miles total of long wide-open dirt roads. We saw elevation changes from 5000 ft to 11,000ft. We basically saw Utah in a way like no other in this trip.

Our rides were (1) Polaris Sportsman 500, (1) Honda Foreman 500, (1) Honda Rancher AT, and (1) Polaris Rzr. All did great with no mechanical issues other than one tire puncture that required 15 minutes to plug. Fuel was not a big issue since Paiute 01 does go through towns. The only issue was the last 60+ miles since there was no fuel stops – we basically came back with empty tanks and fuel packs.

What do I recommend for anyone trying the trip in one day?
        -leave early since you will arrive back very late and exhausted.
        -carry at least 4 gallons of extra gas for each machine.
        -dress for cold and hot with lots of layers.
        -carry plenty of repair items since you will be 50+miles from help at times.
        -pay lots of attention since there will be long gaps with no signs.
        -study the map for days before since it’s easy to get lost
        -take at least 4 good friends along since it will be talked about for years!


The Paiute 01 is an INCREDIBLE trip but is very rough. There's more truth to that than you can even know. Most of the group did not even ride the following day. My vision seemed a little blurry for several hours the next day. Those Utah rocks really take a beating on the body. My joke was that I thought my brain stem had disconnected. I rode most of the ride in the Rzr and at times wished I could stand up to absorb the many rock hits. It really was a great ride though. The group that rode Paiute 01 was really an unbeatable group to ride with. I am really glad I had the experience and opportunity. It was definitely the best ride I have had so far!!!

One of the best parts of the ride is the friendships that evolved. When we stopped we all laughed and joked about the ride. We each were amazed that we were actually riding the FULL Paiute 01. The five riders – Michael B, Carver O, Darryl M, Jay F, and Randy R all have an accomplishment between them that few others in TTB will ever have. This ride formed the TTB Elite 300 – a group of riders that covered over 300 miles in a day! We may not ever do 300 miles in a day again but we will always be talking about the fun!

Ride On!!!!

Paiute Main Page