Off-highway vehicle recreation guide : Desert Wells Multiuse Area, Pinal County, Arizona

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Desert Wells Multiuse Area
Desert Wells Multiuse Area cooperative partners
The creation of the Desert Wells Multiuse Area is the result of a two-year commitment by a
diverse group, which comprises government agencies, private ranchers, and organized OHV
usergroups. The group worked together to seek long-term and practical solutions to issues such
as illegal shooting, dumping, littering, impacts from unregulated OHV use, and repeated damage
to private ranching developments and federal flood control properties.
A State Land Department recreational permit is required
for legal access to Desert Wells Multiuse Area. Permits are
available by phone or can be obtained at State Land
Department offices. For more information call
(602) 364-ASLD. Pursuant to ASLD Rule r12-5-533(D),
permit violations are punishable by law.
Desert Wells is a multiuse area where you may encounter
others at any time. Please be respectful of
all users and yield right of way when appropriate.
Team Members
• A State Land Department recreational permit is
required for legal access.
• For permit information call (602) 364-ASLD (2753).
• Keep out of closed areas and off closed routes
(see map).
• Avoid creating excessive dust.
• No dumping or littering.
• Use designated routes only: Cross-country travel is
strictly prohibited.
• No target shooting.
• Consumption of alcoholic beverages while operating
any vehicle is strictly prohibited.
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• Keep out of closed areas.
• It is illegal to harass wildlife.
• Avoid creating dust: Excessive dust complaints can
force OHV closures.
• A State Land Department recreational permit is
required for access.
• Respect the rights of others sharing the same trails,
including hikers and horseback riders.
• Be aware of the potential for your vehicle to frighten
pets and horses.
• It is illegal to operate an OHV while intoxicated.
• It is illegal to operate an OHV with careless disregard
for persons or property.
• Target shooting is strictly prohibited.
• Traveling off-road creates new tracks that others
will follow, leading to unwanted roads and severe
habitat damage.
• Stay away from stock tanks, ponds and the berms
and dams around them.
• Do not litter.
• Leave all gates as you find them, either open or closed.
• Designated open roads within the Desert Wells
Multiuse Area are marked on all entry gates and on
the enclosed map.
• Cross-country travel is prohibited for all users,
motorized and nonmotorized.
Traveling on state trust land
• State trust land is not public land.
• You must get a recreational permit from Arizona State
Land Department to be on state trust land. Permits are
$15 for an individual and $20 for a family. They are
good for a 12-month period from date of purchase.
The recreational permit allows travel only on existing
roads and trails.
• You must register your OHV if you plan to drive it on
any maintained public roads or highways on state trust
land. To determine if a road is maintained, look for road
signs such as “speed limit” or “stop” signs. If signs
are present, the road is maintained. If the road has
been built up with gravel or other natural materials, it
is maintained. Your vehicle must be “street legal” and
registered in Arizona to use a maintained public road
or highway on state trust land.
• ATVs and other OHVs do not require registration if
operated only on dirt roads or routes not maintained
by the state, a city, town, or county. These roads are
commonly marked within this recreation area with
vertically numbered signposts.
• Motor vehicles may not be operated on or in any road,
trail, or area that is barricaded, gated, or signed as
being closed to motor vehicles.
• Arizona State Land Department recreational permits
prohibit motorized vehicles from operating within one-quarter
mile of a structure (occupied or not), stock
tanks or flood control structures.
• Persons actively hunting or fishing with a valid hunting
or fishing license on state trust land do not need a
separate recreational permit. If you are pursuing any
other activity then you must get a recreational permit.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is responsible for
managing Arizona’s wildlife and for helping to protect wildlife
habitat. By law, the department is responsible for identifying
habitat damaged by off-highway vehicles, providing information
and education about off-highway vehicles, and enforcing off-highway
vehicle laws. OHVs include motorcycles, four-wheel
drive vehicles, dune buggies, all-terrain vehicles, pick-up trucks,
sand rails, sport utility vehicles, and any other motorized vehicle
that is operated off of main roads. The Arizona Game and Fish
Department encourages OHV users to protect wildlife habitat by
following all rules and regulations.
OHV title, registration and license plates
The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division
(MVD) is responsible for title and registration of motor vehicles in
Arizona. Offices are located statewide and are listed in the phone
book and on the Department of Transportation Web site at
www.azdot.gov.
Title and registration are two different things. A title is proof of
ownership, while registration allows you to operate a vehicle on
public roads. For title purposes, OHVs are classified as off-road
recreational vehicles. A title is required for OHVs.
When you buy an OHV from a licensed dealer in Arizona, the dealer
may submit proper documentation to the MVD, so you receive a
title in the mail. Some dealers do not submit this information, and
you must go to MVD to receive a title. If you buy a used OHV, you
must apply for a transfer of title with the MVD.
The MVD sends each new owner of an OHV an off-road license
plate. This plate only allows for off-road travel and is clearly
marked with the letters RV. The license plate does not mean the
OHV is street legal, nor does it mean the driver can operate the
vehicle on streets or highways.
If the driver of an off-road vehicle is going to drive on Arizona
streets or highways, the vehicle must be registered. An OHV must
be street legal in order to be registered. You must go to an MVD
office to get your OHV registered, but you are not required to bring
the vehicle in for registration. Some OHVs may require additional
equipment or modifications in order to be street legal.
Arizona law requires either an off-road plate or current registration
plate to be securely fastened in a clearly visible position to the
rear of the OHV.
Equipment
Minimum equipment necessary to ride on state trust land:
• Brakes in good working order
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved muffler
and spark arrester
• Working headlights and taillights if riding at night
In order to get an OHV registered in Arizona, it must have
the following equipment:
• At least one brake that can be operated by hand or foot
• Brake light
• Headlight(s)
• Taillight
• Red rear reflector, if not part of the taillight
• License plate
• License plate light
• Horn
• Muffler (in good working order)
• Rearview mirror
• Seat and footrests for the operator
An emissions test may be required if you live in metropolitan
Phoenix or Tucson and some areas of Yavapai County.
Alcohol and drugs
The operation of an OHV requires skill and good judgment.
Drugs and alcohol impair both. Drivers become dangers to
themselves and others when operating a motorized vehicle
under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Laws regarding DUI
apply everywhere in Arizona. OHV drivers can be arrested
while driving under the influence, even on a backcountry
trail. The penalties, including jail and the loss of your driver’s
license, are the same whether you are driving a car on a
state highway or an OHV on a trail.
Respect the Desert Wells Multiuse Area Protect your right to ride:Keep it legal
The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex,
national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have
been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment
practices, they may file a complaint with the Deputy Director, 2221 W. Greenway Rd. Phoenix,
AZ 85023, (602) 789-3290, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130,
Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this
document in an alternative format by contacting the Deputy Director as listed above.
May 2005
Arizona Game and Fish Department
2221 W. Greenway Road
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 942-3000
azgfd.gov
Mesa office
7200 E. University Drive
Mesa, AZ 85207
(480) 981-9400
Arizona State Land Department
1616 W. Adams Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 542-4631
www.land.state.az.us
Arizona Public Lands Information Center
222 N. Central Avenue, Ste. 101
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 417-9300
www.publiclands.org
Rules for OHV use in this area are subject to change.
It is your responsibility to obtain the most current
information on OHV use in the Desert Wells
Multiuse Area.
azgfd.gov
Arizona Game and Fish Department
2221 W. Greenway Road
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 942-3000
Desert Wells Multiuse Area
Pinal County, Arizona
OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE
RECREATION GUIDE
Arizona Game and Fish Department
Areas closed to all motor vehicles
Several parcels in the Desert Wells Multiuse Area are closed
to all motorized vehicles (see map). These closures are in
response to long-term damage to wildlife habitat, dust problems,
chronic littering, and vandalism to private ranching property.
If you observe any acts of vandalism or habitat destruction,
please note a description of persons, vehicles, license plate
numbers, location, time, date, and any other helpful information.
Report this information to the Arizona Game and Fish Department
24-hour hotline at 1-800-VANDALS (1-800-826-3257).
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