ATVs, UTVs & Motorbikes

The Idaho Motorized Trails Program

The Motorized Trails Program was created in 1970 to ensure quality motorized recreational opportunities remain available by providing for maintenance, education, and enforcement partnerships.

The Motorized Trails Program mission is to provide leadership statewide in the area of OHV recreation; to work with land managers to provide maintenance on designated trails, develop new opportunities, provide safety and education classes, and provide comments on all motorized travel planning within Idaho through the use of designated funding.

The Motorized Trails Program’s summer activities consist of the following:

• Working with land managers to provide maintenance on designated OHV trails through the Trail Ranger and Trail Cat programs
• Providing OHV education opportunities
• Partnering with OHV law enforcement programs
• Participating in statewide travel planning
• Working with OHV clubs and organizations to fulfill OHV trails maintenance contracts

Motorized Trails Program Funding

• OHV Certificate of Number fees
• OHV percentage of State gas tax
• Federal Recreation Trails gas tax fees

The Idaho ATV/Motorbike (Motorized Trails) program is funded through certificate of number fees purchased by the enthusiast. On January 1 of each year, every motorbike (dirtbike), ATV, UTV, or specialty off-highway vehicle (SOHV) operated on public or private land must be numbered to legally operate. The public exemptions from numbering an off-highway vehicle exists if the vehicle is only for plowing snow or agricultural purposes. The cost of the certificate of number is $12. Idaho Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) certificate of number sticker fees fund education programs, trail clearing, and maintenance projects throughout the state, as well as support valuable ATV/UTV and motorbike safety courses for all ages.

Economic Importance of Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation in Idaho

How your certificate of number fees are broken down?

• $1.50 vendor fee
• 15% is utilized for administration and the production of certificate of number stickers
• $1 goes to county sheriffs for dedicated OHV law enforcement
• $1 goes to Idaho Department of Lands to provide OHV opportunities
• The remaining 85% goes to trail maintenance, construction and education programs

What are the certificate of number fees used for?

• ATV, UTV and Motorbike safety programs for all ages
• Trail maintenance on OHV trails by the IDPR Trail Ranger program
• Trail maintenance and construction on OHV trails by the IDPR Trail Cat & Mini-Excavator program
• Online OHV trail mapping application
• Grants for OHV trail construction, maintenance, signing and trailhead facilities

Riding in Idaho

The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation wants to make sure you are prepared, educated and legal before you take to the trail on your off-highway vehicle (OHV). Be sure to stay on trails when you venture out on your OHV. IDPR Mapping Application To find OHV trails across the state visit IDPR’s Idaho Trails App. Plan your routes from your PC or mobile device, filter the map to show only the types of routes you want to see, then create custom georeferenced map files (GeoPDFs) for offline mobile navigation or print maps to paper. Funded by OHV sticker purchases, the web-based Idaho Trails App requires no login to use freely. Route and trail information is combined into a unified-format interactive map. The underlying technology allows for instant updating of validated changes. The map is continuously validated to US Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Travel Management Area Maps, and Department of Lands (IDL) Recreation Access maps. On-the-ground IDPR Trail Ranger activities, plus direct collaboration with land management agencies such as trail re-route projects, results in more-timely map updates compared to other mapping resources.

Featured Map Locations & Views

This sample of predefined map views shows how you can explore in the Summer Idaho Trails app, including adjusting Map Layers to see only the route types you want to ride:

• Land of Yankee Fork State Park, Bayhorse Townsite (all routes)
• McCroskey State Park (all routes)
• Danskin OHV Area, ATV Trails view (motorcycle layer removed)
• Owyhee Front UTV Routes (motorcycle and <50″ removed)

Other Map Sources Paper maps may be obtained at Forest Service and BLM offices around the state. However, digital options are available including versions for offline, GPS-enabled navigation and tracking purposes. To navigate offline using “GeoPDF” maps such as USFS MVUMs and BLM Travel Maps, install an app that has GeoPDF import and GPS geolocation capability from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Better yet, you can create customized GeoPDFs tailored to an area of interest, your vehicle type, and your preferred basemap type using IDPR’s Idaho Trails App. GPS technology in your mobile device combined with GeoPDFs can help you be aware of your current location and track your route to find your way back. Some GeoPDFs may also be downloaded to your PC for review in a PDF reader and printed to paper.

GeoPDF Sources

In-App When using GeoPDF maps in an app on a mobile device, tap the app’s “Store” button. Search inside the app’s interactive map, or try a text-based search with keywords such as “Boise MVUM” or “Challis BLM Travel” to find maps from each agency’s Map Store. All USFS MVUMs and BLM Travel Maps are authoritative, free of charge, and available from the Map Store of the most commonly-used GeoPDF mapping app, Avenza® Maps. Web Sites and User-Created Some GeoPDFs may be obtained or are only available from sources outside a map app’s “Store” such as from the web sites linked below. You may also create custom GeoPDF maps from IDPR’s Idaho Trails App. These map files can be viewed on a PC, or imported into a GeoPDF-capable app once saved to a mobile device. If the same GeoPDF map is available from both an app’s Map Store versus by direct download from a web site, the in-app Map Store method will usually be the best option for obtaining the map. Direct-download and In-App Sources  

Featured Routes

Grand Exploration Motorized Trail (GEM) The GEM Trail is a long-distance (289 GIS miles) OHV-legal touring route with multiple options, stretching currently from Elk City, Idaho County, to near Avery, Shoshone County. The Trail was defined under an ongoing partnership fostered by the Clearwater Basin Collaborative (CBC) beginning in 2016. Partners include USDA Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), IDPR, the Counties of Idaho, Clearwater, and Shoshone, and private landowners from timber companies to individuals. More info here and here. IDPR displays the GEM Trail as a Featured Route in the Idaho Trails map service, and also hosts downloadable GeoPDFs. Each version highlights the continuous route concurrent with existing designated public routes managed by various agencies and private routes generously permitted for public access by landowners. Posting of route signage is ongoing and is partially complete as of Fall 2025. Import GEM Trail maps in the Avenza Maps App via the Avenza® Store* GEM Trail Maps - Direct Download (see note 3):

• GEM Basic Format Basemap, overall view
• GEM Detailed Format Basemap, overall view
• GEM Detailed Format, 8-map Series

US Forest Service MVUM, BLM Travel, and IDL Recreation Maps

USFS MVUMs (Regions 1 & 4)	BLM Travel Management	Idaho Department of Lands
Avenza® Store* (1)	Avenza® Store* (2)
Direct Download (3)	Direct Download (3)	Direct Download

* Avenza® Map Store links go to their web-based map collection. Maps you select post into a shopping cart and then become available for import upon logging into the app on your device.  Selecting and downloading maps directly from within the app’s Map Store is usually the simpler way to obtain common maps such as MVUMs. However, searching in the web-based Avenza® Map Store may yield better results for difficult-to-find maps.

Note 1) Add a search term after “mvum” such as “boise” or “panhandle” to refine the results to the Forest’s MVUM you are looking for. Note 2) Add a search term for an area of interest such as “murphy” to find the BLM Travel Map you are looking for. Not all BLM lands feature formal Travel Maps. Note 3) To avoid external map import limitation of the free version of the Avenza® Maps app (max of three maps will functions with geolocation), it is recommended to instead use the app’s Map Store to obtain maps such as MVUMs. Reserve external map importing for maps that can only be obtained from outside the Avenza® Map Store such as those you create from trails.idaho.gov. (How?)  

GeoPDF-compatible Apps and Devices

Beside the industry-standard Avenza® Maps app, as of this writing there are only three known alternative methods of utilizing GeoPDF maps offline: Caltopo app (GeoPDFs imported as "Sheets"), the TrailTech Voyager Pro console (proprietary device; see How-to-import-PDFs video here), and the November 2023+ update release of the REVER app. (The owner of GeoPDF technology, TerraGo Technologies, publishes an app to utilize GeoPDFs which is only available privately to developers.)

One-Year and Two-Year options available

Purchase Online

Direct link to purchase Recreation Permits online. Stickers will be mailed to you, and your email receipt is your temporary permit.

Purchase In-person

Click here FOR vendor list Online Vendor Search

Anyone who will operate an off-highway vehicle (OHV) should complete a free IDPR Responsible Riders education course to acquire their OHV Safety Education Certificate. Idaho Code 49-302 requires any person under the age of sixteen (16) years when operating an ATV, UTV, specialty off-highway vehicle or motorbike on roads on federal or state land where the road is not part of the highway system of the state of Idaho or local road management authority and is supervised by a licensed adult operator eighteen (18) years of age or older, and the road is open for such use, subject to the following:

• Any unlicensed operators under the age of sixteen (16) years on national forest roads must have completed a motorbike or ATV safety course approved by the Idaho department of parks and recreation, and a certificate or other proof of completion of such safety course shall be in the possession of the unlicensed operator of any ATV, UTV, specialty off-highway vehicle or motorbike or shall be present in the vehicle at all times when the vehicle is operated on national forest roads. The certificate or proof of completion shall be provided for inspection to any peace officer upon request.
• For purposes of this subsection, "supervised" means that the supervising adult must be in a position, on another ATV, UTV, specialty off-highway vehicle or motorbike, or if on the ground, within three hundred (300) feet of the unlicensed operator, to provide close support, assistance or direction to the unlicensed operator.

Currently, Idaho recognizes OHV education certificates issued from IDPR or any “state issued” certification cards. The state card must possess the logo of the state or state agency providing the OHV education on the certificate.

Register for OHV Safety Classes

This free one-day course is offered by Idaho Parks and Recreation. Classes are offered throughout the state for anyone who will be operating an OHV including an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), motorbike, or utility type vehicles (UTV). The course includes training on safe riding, proper machine sizing, responsible and ethical riding, proper handling and shifting, riding within your ability, understanding the machine’s capabilities and rules of the road. To schedule a skills test or for more information about classes, contact a Recreation Education Coordinator in your region:

• North Idaho (208) 769-1511 office or (206) 234-7793 cell
• East Idaho (208) 701-7081 or  cell (208) 416-3119 cell
• South Idaho (208) 514-2414 office or (208) 866-7700 cell

IDPR Course Resources

• ATV Student Reference Guide
• OHM Student Reference Guide

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) safety laws are enforced by county sheriffs’ offices in Idaho. For specific questions regarding enforcement of an OHV law please contact your local sheriff’s office and ask for the backcountry patrol deputy or recreation division. Backcountry deputies also participate in OHV safety outreach events all over the state to help educate the public and teach classes for those interested in learning more about Idaho OHV laws and rules.

OHV Law Enforcement Resources

Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation trains and provides resources to Idaho sheriff’s deputies and others responsible for patrolling Idaho’s backcountry.

OHV Law Enforcement Courses

• 2027 OHV LE Registration is OPEN, register here.
• Annual OHV Law Enforcement Academy: March 30-April 1, 2017, in the Boise area.

OHV Law Enforcement Forms – (For official law enforcement use only)

• Daily Activity Log
• OHV Exempt Sticker Request Form
• Sound Testing Form
• OHV Accident Form (These forms are available in booklet format)
• Idaho OHV LE Pocket Guide
• City/County Ordinances (This is as up to date as we are aware)

Law Enforcement Repository – (For official law enforcement use only)

• Click here to access the Law Enforcement Repository (account required)

Contact Information:

• E-Mail the OHV LE program by clicking here
• Cell: 208-244-2783

REQUIREMENTS FOR OHV OPERATION

Trails

These are the requirements for motorbikes, ATVs, UTVs, and Specialty Off-highway vehicles operating off-highway on a designated trail, open riding area or motocross track.

• A valid IDPR OHV certificate of number sticker for resident and nonresident IC 67-7122
• A DOT approved helmet under age 18. IC 49-666
• A muffler and Forest Service approved spark arrestor. Your muffler must be at or below 96dB at the half-meter test, SAE J1287. IC 67-7125

State & Federal Roads

This includes Idaho Department of Lands, Bureau of Land Management, U. S. Forest Service, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and privately owned roads open to OHV use. Contact the landowner or manager for information on roads open to OHV use.

• OHV Education Certificate for unlicensed operators. IC 49-302(11)a U.S. Forest Service Roads only.
• Valid driver’s license (except under the age of 16 when supervised by a licensed adult operator). IC 49-301 or IC 49-302 “supervised” means the supervising licensed adult must be in a position, on another OHV to provide close support, assistance or direction, or if on the ground, within three hundred (300) feet of the unlicensed operator.
• Liability insurance or alternative insurance. IC 49-1223 or IC 49-1232
• Valid IDPR OHV certificate of number sticker for resident and nonresident IC 67-7122
• A DOT approved helmet under age 18. IC 49-666
• Muffler and U.S. Forest Service approved spark arrestor.  Your muffler must be at or below 96dB at the half-meter test, SAE J1287. IC 67-7125

City & County Roads

The following requirements must be met on city, county, and highway district roads. Check with local jurisdiction for information on roads open to OHV use.

• Valid restricted vehicle license plate. IC 49-402(4)
• Valid IDPR OHV certificate of number sticker affixed to restricted vehicle license plate for resident and nonresident. IC 67-7122
• Valid driver’s license. IC 49-301
• Liability insurance or alternative insurance.  IC 49-1223 or IC 49-1232
• A DOT approved helmet under age 18. IC 49-666
• Muffler and U.S. Forest Service approved spark arrestor.  Your muffler must be at or below 96dB at the half-meter test. SAE J1287. IC 67-7125

For safe operation on roads the following equipment is recommended:

• Brake light
• Headlight and taillight after dark/poor visibility.
• Horn audible at 200 feet.
• Mirror showing roadway 200 feet behind the OHV.
• Be sure to check with local jurisdictions for specific ordinances.

Rangeland

Idaho’s public lands allow for many uses, including ranching. To learn how to recreate responsibly around livestock on public land, please read these ten tips and visit the Idaho Rangeland Resources Commission website.

Download or View OHV Publications

• OHVs in Idaho Booklet
• ATV Student Reference Guide
• Motorbike Student Reference Guide
• Economic Importance of Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation in Idaho
• Idaho Statewide Motorized Recreation Action Plan

Links

• Idaho Recreation Council
• TREAD Lightly!
• Blue Ribbon Coalition
• Idaho State ATV/UTV Association
• Idaho Trail Machine Association
• National OHV Conservation Council
• Motorized Vehicles and Hunting
• Idaho Trails App Help & Tutorials