🔴 Knolls borders an active bombing range; stay inside the marked boundaries and do not ride past the area limits in any direction.
Permit required — $70 (7-Day pass, valid 8 days).
Mud flats can be soft underneath a hard-looking crust, especially after rain or in spring; getting buried out on the flats is a classic Knolls mistake.
Guide
About this area
Knolls Special Recreation Management Area is nearly 36,000 acres of sand dunes, hills, and mud flats located in the Great Salt Lake Desert make a perfect OHV play area. Off-road fun is waiting, but stay within the boundaries, the Knolls OHV area borders a bombing range. Restroom facilities are available but there is no…
Facilities
• Restrooms on site
• 🔴 NO WATER — none at all, bring everything
• No shade
• Nothing at the I-80 Knolls exit itself
Full agency description
Knolls Special Recreation Management Area is nearly 36,000 acres of sand dunes, hills, and mud flats located in the Great Salt Lake Desert make a perfect OHV play area. Off-road fun is waiting, but stay within the boundaries, the Knolls OHV area borders a bombing range. Restroom facilities are available but there is no water. There is a $10.00 day use fee. Buy a pass on RECREATION.gov. https://www.recreation.gov/activitypass/knolls-ohv
Access
Getting there
Knolls exit off I-80 — south over the overpassEntrance
80 miles west of Salt Lake City on I-80. Take the KNOLLS exit and go SOUTH over the overpass. Turn WEST onto the old highway and run about 2 miles, then turn SOUTH across the railroad track to enter the area.
Specific to Knolls Off-Highway Vehicle Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA)
No camping or motorized vehicle use within 200 feet of any perennial water source or impoundment.
Pay the $10 day use fee before staying longer than half an hour anywhere in the Special Recreation Management Area.
Stay within the marked boundaries; the area borders an active bombing range.
Standard OHV rules (8)
Common equipment, registration and trail-use rules still apply.
Ride to the highest safety standard, not the legal minimum; a helmet, eye protection, a flag and proper gear are what get you home.
A properly installed spark arrestor is required; you must not operate an OHV without one.
🪖 Utah requires a DOT safety-rated helmet for anyone under 18 on public land on an ATV, motorcycle or snowmobile; everyone else is strongly advised to wear one.
Utah requires a red or orange whip flag, minimum 6 x 12 inches, when riding a sand dune area.
Under 18 you must be able to reach and work every control, hold a valid Utah OHV education certificate, and be under direct adult supervision.
Utah non-resident OHV permit required to ride public land: $30, valid 12 months; home-state registration does not replace it. Utah OHV registration is required for residents.
🗺️ Take an offline map; BLM publish free georeferenced pdf maps that show your live GPS position with no cell service. Download the map before you leave tarmac: www.blm.gov
Permits
Permits & registration
Day pass
$10 (1-Day pass, valid 2 days)
Weekly pass
$70 (7-Day pass, valid 8 days)
Season pass
$80 annual, 12 months
Permit and registration details
Knolls runs a stepped pass on Recreation.gov covering one private vehicle: 1-Day $10 (valid 2 days), 2-Day $20 (valid 3 days), 3-Day $30 (valid 4 days), 4-Day $40 (valid 5 days), 5-Day $50 (valid 6 days), 6-Day $60 (valid 7 days), 7-Day $70 (valid 8 days), and an annual $80 (12 months). Every pass is good for one day longer than its name; since the annual is $80 and a single 7-Day is $70, buy the annual if you are coming back.
State residents
Utah residents: OHV registration required.
Out-of-state riders
Out-of-state riders: a Utah non-resident OHV permit is required to ride on public land. $35, valid 12 months from purchase, and it must be bought online; the permanent permit takes up to 20 business days.
Permit and registration rules change; confirm current requirements with the managing agency before you ride.
Trip support
Fuel, food & local help
Local fuel notes (7)
EAST toward Salt Lake City: Sinclair at Delle, about 26 miles — the closest pump either way
WEST toward Wendover: a cluster of stops starting about 36 miles out. ⚠️ Wendover straddles the state line — the Utah-side stops come first, West Wendover is over in Nevada
🚚 TOWING? Head west.
Miller Travel Center and the Pilot are truck stops with pull-through lanes and the height for a toy hauler, both about 40 miles.
The Sinclairs are ordinary forecourts.
Arrive with a full tank and enough to get back out.
Carry water — there is none on site, no shade, and cell coverage on the flats is unreliable.
Pump gas & diesel
Sinclair — Dellefuel
I-80 EAST of the Knolls exit — about 26 miles · About 26 miles east of the Knolls exit on I-80.
I-80 WEST of the Knolls exit — about 40 miles · 🚚 truck stop, room for a toy hauler · Truck stop — pull-through lanes and the height for a trailer. About 40 miles west on I-80. Travel center — hot food as well as fuel, and room to park a rig.More
I-80 WEST of the Knolls exit — about 40 miles · 🚚 truck stop, room for a toy hauler · Truck stop — pull-through lanes and the height for a trailer. About 40 miles west on I-80. Travel center — hot food as well as fuel, and room to park a rig.
I-80 WEST of the Knolls exit, over the Nevada line — about 41 miles · 🚚 truck stop, room for a toy hauler · Travel center — gas, diesel, hot food, and room to park a rig.More
I-80 WEST of the Knolls exit, over the Nevada line — about 41 miles · 🚚 truck stop, room for a toy hauler · Travel center — gas, diesel, hot food, and room to park a rig.
Area information is informational only and may be inaccurate or out of date. Verify access, weather, closures, permits and hazards before and during any trip. See Terms.
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