ATV Trail Riding Tips

Many people like to take their all-terrain vehicles (ATVs, also known as quads or four-wheelers) out for off-road riding through the mud, or a grassy field, or over sand dunes. But other people choose to ride on established trails because it’s safer and more predictable, which is especially good if you’re riding with kids.

Trails are a fun way to get in some time on your four-wheeler without taking too much risk, but it’s still important that you follow good safety practices and make sure you’re doing everything you can to be respectful of the area. Altus Motorsports has gathered up these ATV trail riding tips to assist you in safe and enjoyable quad riding.

Gear Yourself Up

First, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve got all the necessary gear and supplies for safe and comfortable riding. Obviously, your helmet is a must, as is a pair of goggles if you don’t have a face shield. Even a well-groomed trail will have debris or dust that could temporarily blind you if your eyes aren’t protected. The rest of your ensemble should cover your skin to protect it from scrapes and sun damage, so long sleeves and pants are essential. Riding gloves with good grip and sturdy boots with good tread complete your outfit.

You’ll want to stock your ATV with everything you might need on your ride, like food and water, sunscreen, a map of the area, your GPS, your phone and charger, extra gas, a first-aid kit and anything else you think might come in handy.

Inspect & Prepare Your Quad

Next, you need to make sure that your ATV is ready and raring to go. You don’t want to have a breakdown in the middle of the trail due to a flat tire, and you certainly don’t want to leak fluids everywhere. Inspect your ATV and tune it up as necessary; this means checking tire pressure, changing the oil, filling up your gas tank and tightening bolts. Bring a tool kit with you to help address any minor repairs on the trail.

Be Respectful

Four-wheelers are designed to handle nearly any type of terrain, but that doesn’t mean you get free rein to go wherever you want when you’re on an established trail. The trail is specifically laid out in such a way that it avoids perilous obstacles and doesn’t interfere with the surrounding landscape, so don’t go off the marked path! You could endanger yourself by hitting something you can’t see or you could harm animals or vegetation.

When you stop to have a snack or tune-up your quad, make sure you’re practicing leave-no-trace ethics, which means you’ll want to pick up any trash, clean up spills and generally leave the area in even better shape than you found it. Even if the trash around you isn’t yours, be a good rider and pick it up.

You can also do other riders a favor by using your quad’s winch to haul fallen logs or other debris out of the way. That way, no one has to deviate from the path to get around such items. You’ll be doing your part to make the trail a better place to ride!

These tips should help you and your fellow quad riders have an enjoyable time at the trail the next time you go. Still don’t have a four-wheeler? Visit our dealership in Altus, Oklahoma, to see our full stock of new and used ATVs for sale. You can take advantage of our financing options to get the quad you need! Altus Motorsports welcomes all of our southern Oklahoma customers as well as those across the border in Amarillo, Texas.