The Book of Tavaputs Trail is a trail from Vernal, Utah to Green River, Utah. It is about 85% on dirt roads. It is intended for street-license offroad vehicles. We completed the trail in our Polaris Rzr XP4 1000s. It is approximately 230 miles long. It is doable in one long day. But if you prefer to camp, there are plenty of beautiful dispersed camping areas along the route.
The route heads south out of Vernal and crosses the Green River. It heads into the Tavaputs Plateau, where you ride just below 10,000 feet. From the top, it heads down and west across the foothills of the Book Cliffs. The destination is Green River, Utah… where you can stop and take a well-earned dip in the Green River to cool off.
Hence, the name of the trail comes from the combination of the Tavaputs Plateau and the Book Cliffs.
This route could be continued south to connect to Moab, Utah. Or, from Green River, you can continue west to connect with the Dixie Trail and explore the rest of the great state of Utah.
The route is mostly smooth graded dirt roads, suitable for most vehicles. However, along the Book Cliffs, the route gets a little choppy and a suitable AWD vehicle would be best.
Watch a timelapse of the route below. This was filmed in July 2024 on a SXS adventure with Bigfoot Ben, Sandstone Sammy, and Dusty Dave. They completed the route with a few modifications towards I-70 due to the heat and ended with a nice dunk in the Green River.
Needless to say, the route is extremely remote. There are no services enroute. Cell service is hit-or-miss. Prepare accordingly, and be safe!
