Plenty to do in historic Piute

When it comes to having a history in mining, places like Alta and Park City certainly come to mind. But, who would have thought that Piute County was once a hub for the mining of gold, silver and other valuable minerals?

But it is, in fact, true. The little county in the center of Utah drew prospectors from all over the world looking for instant riches.

What you know

Within the boundaries are two of Utah's more popular reservoirs — Piute and Otter Creek.

Piute Reservoir, located east of U.S. 89, is a 3,360-acre impoundment and is known for growing big rainbow and cutthroat. This past summer 400,000 catchable trout were planted in the reservoir, which should make the water one of Utah's hot spots in the coming years.

Otter Creek is only about 15 miles east of Piute and is about the same size — 3,120 acres. Both are long and narrow, and both offer a menu of summer and winter activities and both are open year-round.

Connected to each of the reservoirs is a state park.

Otter Creek State Park offers picnic areas, restrooms with hot showers, boat ramps and courtesy docks. This is a popular summer spot for water-skiers. The park is only 43 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park.

Piute State Park is not as developed as Otter Creek but does offer camping, picnicking and a launch ramp.

The Piute ATV Trail has become very popular over the years with off-highway recreationists, and two of the main hubs have become Circleville and Marysville, both within county limits.

The trail is a 272-mile loop along the tops of the Fishlake National Forest. Branching off from the main trail, like roots, are hundreds of miles of backcountry roads making riding opportunities endless.

As has been said before, what makes this trail so popular is the number of towns, such as Circleville and Marysvale, that are connected to the trail.

In fact, both towns have designated streets that connect directly with dirt roads that lead to the Piute Trail, making it convenient to stay in town, eat fine meals and sleep in comfortable beds, then wake up in the morning and head for the trail. Riders can either stay in one designated town or go from one town to the next along the trail.

Both Otter Creek and Piute parks are easily accessible off the trail.

Rides can range from a few hours to all day and even longer for the more hardy riders.

Each year, ATV riders from around the country gather for the ATV Jamboree, which includes a number of rides over the Piute Trail.

Along with access to the Piute Trail, hikers and bikers can also access the Great Western Trail from Circleville. One possible trip would be to hike or bike from town to Bryce.

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