Working to protect and promote the Nisqually Watershed for current and future generations

ORV Use

The Nisqually Watershed provides excellent opportunities for ORV use, including motorbikes, ATVs and more! This page does not include opportunities to snowmobile; to learn more about that activity, please visit our snowsports page.

Nisqually at Yelm ShorelinBelow is a list of trails that are open to ORV use. The lengths given are round-trips in miles, and elevation gain is in feet. Please note that not all trails are open to all types of ORVs, and that many trails have dates during with motorized use is not allowed at all. However, many of the trails are open to all uses, any time of the year. It’s a good idea to check trails conditions before heading out, though, because many trails can be muddy or snow-covered. Have fun!

 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Explore Information

The portion of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest that lies within the Nisqually Watershed contains trails that offer challenging and fun adventure! These trails are only open to motorcycles, though, along with other uses like hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. They are free to access, unless you park in the Osborne Mountain Campground parking lot. Many of the trails are relatively lightly uses, and so get minimal maintenance.

Trail Name Length Elevation Gain
Allen Mt Trail #268 8 950
**This is a lightly used trail.
Osborne Mt Trail #250 11 3193
**A very steep trail. No motorized use from March 1 to June 30.
Teeley Creek Trail #251 8.6 860
**Closed to motorized use from March 1 to June 30
Greenwood Lake Trail #253 6 750
**Trail may be hard to follow
Cave Creek Trail #255 1 160
**Closed to motorized use from March 1 to June 30.
Silver Creek Trail #258 9 1200
**Closed to motorized use from May 15 to July 10
Big Creek Trail #252 4.8 1240
**Closed to motorized use from March 1 to June 30.

Elbe Hills State Forest
Explore Information

The Elbe Hills State Forest‘s ORV area is open to all forms of off-road vehicles. The trail system contains 8 total miles of trails, with varying ranges of elevation gains. Because the trails are viewed as a network, individual trail information is not available. To add to your time, a campground is located within the ORV portion of the forest. A Discover Pass is required to access.

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