Best ATV Trails in North Carolina: Public OHV Areas and ATV Parks
Last updated on October 26th, 2026 at 08:14 pm
North Carolina has four national forest OHV areas open to ATVs: Badin Lake in the Uwharrie, Brown Mountain in Pisgah, Wayehutta in Nantahala and Black Swamp in the Croatan. Passes cost $5 a day or $30 a year at Badin Lake, Brown Mountain and Black Swamp, and the Forest Service requires every operator and passenger to wear a DOT helmet and eye protection (Forest Service OHV rules). Private parks such as Brushy Mountain, Busco Beach and Lake Houser add longer seasons and room for side-by-sides and Jeeps.
Which one fits depends on your machine, the month and how far you are willing to drive. The selector below sorts the seven verified areas on this page by those three things.
Which North Carolina ATV area fits your machine?
Pick a vehicle, a month and a region. The tool lists areas that allow your machine and are open that month, then flags the ones to call first.
Based on the Forest Service OHV pages, the seasonal closures page and each private park's own rules, all linked in the table below. Dates can shift with weather.
Results come from the table further down. Where an agency page does not say whether a vehicle type is allowed, the tool puts the area under "Call first" instead of guessing.
Hurricane Helene damage in the mountains is not mentioned on the Forest Service OHV pages, so a phone call to the ranger district is the only way to confirm which trails are open. Numbers are in the checklist near the end.
When are North Carolina ATV trails open?
The three mountain and Piedmont national forest systems close for winter. The Forest Service seasonal closures page lists Badin Lake and Wayehutta as closed December 15 to April 1, and Brown Mountain as closed January 1 to the first weekend in April.
Black Swamp in the Croatan is open year-round, and the private parks in the chart run through winter as well. The Forest Service warns that closure dates can shift with weather, and the page notes some closures may already be in effect.
North Carolina ATV areas compared
| Area | Where | Vehicles and size | Season | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badin Lake OHV Trail Complex | Uwharrie NF, near Troy | About 17 miles, 9 trails; ATV, UTV, dirt bike, full-size 4WD | Closed Dec 15 to Apr 1 | $5 day, $30 annual |
| Brown Mountain OHV Trail System | Pisgah NF, near Morganton | 34 miles; mostly trail bikes and ATVs, 4WD on Trail 8 and part of Trail 1 only | Closed Jan 1 to first weekend in April | $5 day, $30 season |
| Wayehutta OHV Area | Nantahala NF, near Sylva | ATVs and dirt bikes listed; about 28 miles per regional tourism site | Closed Dec 15 to Apr 1 | Pass sold at vendors; Forest Service lists no price |
| Black Swamp OHV Trailhead | Croatan NF, near New Bern | 8 miles; ATVs under 60 in. wide and trail bikes | Year-round | $5 day, $30 annual (Recreation.gov) |
| Brushy Mountain Motorsports Park | Private, Taylorsville | About 1,700 acres, 100 miles; ATV, dirt bike, side-by-side up to 64 in.; no Jeeps or trucks | Daily except Tue (members only) | $30 ATV or bike, $50 SxS |
| Busco Beach ATV Park | Private, Goldsboro | ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes; no Jeeps or trucks on trails | Year-round; day guests out by 9 p.m. | $10 per person + $10 per machine, cash |
| Lake Houser Adventures | Private, Mooresboro | Over 600 acres; ATV, UTV, dirt bike, Jeep, trucks | 365 days, daylight only | $20 per day, $395 annual |
Private parks set their own rules, which are often stricter than state law. Brushy Mountain, for example, bans coolers on the trails and charges $25 to $50 an hour to retrieve a broken-down machine.
Cape Fear ATV and MX Park (Elizabethtown) and Triple A Farms (Yadkinville) turn up in older lists. No current official page for either could be confirmed, so neither is listed; call before driving out.
National forest OHV trails
Badin Lake OHV Trail Complex (Uwharrie National Forest)
Badin Lake is the only public motorized trail system in the Piedmont, with about 17 miles across nine trails marked with orange diamonds and open to two-way traffic (Forest Service). It allows dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs and full-size 4WD vehicles.
Start from Art Lilley Campground, Falls Dam or Dutch John trailheads. The Forest Service warns against starting at Cotton Place, the eastern end of the Daniel Trail, which is extremely difficult and not recommended for ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, stock 4WD or beginners.
Dickey Bell (3.5 miles) and Dutch John (2.1 miles) are rated difficult, and Daniel (2.1 miles) is extremely difficult, per the Forest Service list. The agency does not tow broken machines, so carry recovery gear. Passes are sold at the Uwharrie Ranger Station in Troy and several local stores; the district number is (910) 576-6391.
Brown Mountain OHV Trail System (Pisgah National Forest)
Brown Mountain has 34 miles of designated trails and is the only OHV area in Pisgah (Forest Service). It is mostly for trail bikes and ATVs, and the page says Jeeps and 4WD vehicles may use only Trail 8 and part of Trail 1.
Rules here are specific: no double-riding, no metal-studded tires, a 99 dBu noise limit, and no alcohol on the trails or at dispersed campsites. Permits must be attached to the vehicle and are sold at vendors in Morganton, Lenoir, Valdese and Collettsville. Call the Grandfather Ranger District at (828) 652-2144 for trail status.
Wayehutta OHV Area (Nantahala National Forest)
Wayehutta sits in the Roy A. Taylor Forest near Sylva and Cullowhee, on old logging roads and rail beds. A regional tourism site describes a 28-mile loop system with a beginner section (Great Smokies), but the Forest Service does not publish a mileage.
The season runs April 1 to December 15, and the Forest Service trail page says pavement ends about 4 miles up Wayehutta Road, followed by roughly 1 mile on Forest Road 4650. Passes are sold at the Nantahala Ranger District office, Tuckasegee Trading Post, Top Cat Grocery and Caney Fork General Store, and the agency lists no price. The supervisor's office at (828) 257-4200 can point you to current status.
Black Swamp OHV Trailhead (Croatan National Forest)
Black Swamp is the coastal option: 8 miles for ATVs and trail bikes, open year-round (Forest Service). The page defines an ATV as a straddle-seat machine under 60 inches wide, so side-by-sides and 4x4s are not what it was built for.
Every machine needs its own pass, bought on Recreation.gov, and you enter each rider's name and your tow vehicle's plate at the trailhead. There are no restrooms or drinking water. From US 70 between New Bern and Havelock, turn onto FS 1100 at the white church. The Croatan Ranger District number is (252) 638-5628.
Private ATV parks
Brushy Mountain Motorsports Park
Brushy Mountain, at 2491 Lambert Fork Road in Taylorsville, advertises over 1,700 acres and 100 miles of single and double track from "mild to wild" (bmmspark.com). Day passes are $30 for ATVs and dirt bikes and $50 for side-by-sides, and riders 8 to 15 pay $15.
The park rules require DOT helmets, goggles, long pants and ankle-height boots. Trails are one way, ATV and UTV tread height is capped at ¾ inch, and side-by-side drivers and passengers must be 16 or older with a valid license.
Busco Beach ATV Park
Busco Beach in Goldsboro charges $10 per person and $10 per machine, cash only, with an on-site ATM (buscobeach.com). Helmets are required on machines without a roll cage, and Jeeps and trucks are prohibited on trails.
Expect a 5 mph limit around camp, a mounted headlight for night riding and a 9 p.m. exit for day guests. Sand and mud riding calls for lower tire pressure; the air-down pressure guide covers starting numbers.
Lake Houser Adventures Off-Road Park
Lake Houser, now entered at 1250 Steel Bridge Road in Mooresboro, covers over 600 acres and is open to ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, Jeeps, stock trucks, mud trucks and rock rigs (lhaoffroad.com). It is the one park here that takes full-size 4x4s.
Day rides are $20 in cash at the office, and an annual pass is $395. Everyone signs a waiver, UTVs and SUVs require seat belts, and the park bars alcohol and crossing Sandy Run Creek or the Broad River.
North Carolina ATV laws and national forest rules
State law and Forest Service rules overlap but are not the same. Under G.S. 20-171.19, anyone under 18 must wear eye protection and a DOT motorcycle helmet when riding off a public road, and adults must wear them on a public street or vehicular area where ATV use is otherwise allowed.
Every operator born on or after January 1, 1990 must carry a safety certificate from an ATV Safety Institute or Insurance Commissioner-approved course (G.S. 20-171.20). Violations are infractions with a penalty of up to $200 (G.S. 20-171.21).
Other state rules in G.S. 20-171.19: no riding while impaired, no reckless operation, no public roads except to cross them, and a lit headlamp and taillamp from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise.
Forest Service rules on OHV trails
- Every OHV needs a valid pass, and a driver's license must be available for law enforcement checks (Forest Service).
- Under 8: no ATV, UTV or motorcycle. Under 12: nothing 70cc or larger. Under 16: nothing 90cc or larger, and an adult over 18 must supervise continuously.
- ATV and motorcycle operators and passengers need helmets and eye protection meeting U.S. DOT motorcycle standards, so adults are covered too.
- Passengers are allowed only on machines the manufacturer designed to carry them, and engines need a working spark arrester.
- Alcohol is prohibited in all OHV areas. Off-trail riding is prohibited.
- ATVs cannot be registered, so they are not allowed on Forest Service roads. Trailer your machine to the trailhead.
The state also bars unlicensed motorized vehicles from game lands except in designated national forest areas (NC Wildlife Resources Commission regulations), so a game land is not a place to ride. For manners on shared trails, see the trail etiquette guide.
Before you go: a short checklist
- Buy the pass before you arrive. Passes are sold through local vendors and ranger offices, and Black Swamp passes only on Recreation.gov.
- Call the ranger district to confirm trail status: Grandfather (828) 652-2144, Uwharrie (910) 576-6391, Croatan (252) 638-5628, or the supervisor's office (828) 257-4200 for Wayehutta.
- Gear up with a DOT helmet, goggles, gloves and boots; the ATV riding gear checklist covers the rest.
- Carry a map, first aid kit and recovery gear. Cell service is limited in forest areas, so use an offline map from this list of off-road navigation apps.
- Check width. Brushy Mountain caps side-by-sides at 64 inches and Black Swamp is for machines under 60 inches; the guide to side-by-sides explains how they differ from ATVs.
Planning tire or gearing changes for the trip? The free off-road calculators cover tire size, pressure and more.
Frequently asked questions
Yes in the national forests. Badin Lake, Brown Mountain and Black Swamp charge $5 per day or $30 per year or season, and Wayehutta also requires a pass sold through local vendors. Private parks charge their own fees.
On national forest OHV trails, yes: operators and passengers must wear DOT helmets and eye protection. State law requires them for anyone under 18 off-road. Private parks set their own rules; Busco Beach requires helmets on machines without a roll cage.
Badin Lake allows UTVs and side-by-sides. Brushy Mountain (64 inches wide or less), Busco Beach and Lake Houser also allow them. Black Swamp is for ATVs and trail bikes.
Black Swamp in the Croatan National Forest near New Bern has 8 miles for ATVs and trail bikes. Busco Beach in Goldsboro is the private option.
No. Unlicensed motorized vehicles are prohibited on game lands except in designated areas of national forests.
I'm Suryashankar Dasgupta, the founder of Off-Road Handbook. I've been off-roading for years in the USA, including California and Texas, and have ridden mountain and desert terrain abroad. I've also driven a Jeep Compass for more than seven years, so I know the day-to-day side of Jeep ownership first-hand, from the Uconnect screen to the warning lights. Every guide here is researched from manufacturer owner's manuals, NHTSA recall and service-bulletin records and other trusted sources, checked against them before it is published, and corrected when we find a mistake. You can read how we work in our editorial policy: https://offroadhandbook.com/editorial-policy/
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