ATV riders are offered the unique opportunity for long-distance travel by permit on:
- Designated state forest trails and roads
- Designated local (township) roads
- Designated PennDOT-administered roads
2025 Riding Season
The NRAT is currently closed.
The Northcentral Regional ATV Trail operated during the 2025 summer riding season, which began on Friday, May 23, 2025, and ended on Sunday, September 28, 2025.
Many miles of the NRAT are local township roads and PennDOT roads, which are governed by those corresponding authorities.
Where ATV/UTV riding is permitted on township roads, ATV/UTV riding is typically allowed outside the NRAT riding season in accordance with township designations. PennDOT roads that are part of the NRAT route closed to ATV/UTV riding on September 29, 2025, with the closure of the NRAT season.
Municipalities and PennDOT post signage along roads where ATV/UTV riding is a permitted activity.
To be sure that riding is allowed on municipal roads, please check with appropriate municipal or state offices before riding.
Thank You for Your Patronage in 2025!
We look forward to having you back in 2026. The NRAT season commences on Friday, May 22, 2026.
2025 Riding Area
The 2025 Northcentral Regional ATV Trail area covers parts of Clinton, Lycoming, Potter, and Tioga counties.
For 2025 riding area details, please see the:
Riders are encouraged to travel the preferred route, but are free to ride any trail or road in the area that is designated open to this use.
Responsibility falls on riders to plan their route and use only designated trails and roads, while avoiding those that are not open to ATV use.
ATV riding opportunities within this area are as follows:
- 400 miles of township roads
- 167 miles of state forest roads and trails
- 33 miles of PennDOT-administered roads
Riding Permit
Riding the Northcentral Regional ATV Trail requires the purchase of a yearly permit.
Please check back for 2026 permit information in April of 2026.
Please do not send applications to the Penn Nursery (Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center) address, as in prior years, as we are making changes to the application process for 2026.
Fees for 2025 riding season were:
- $40.00 for Pennsylvania-registered ATVs
- $60.00 for ATVs registered in another state
Permits are accompanied by a decal which must be visibly displayed upon the machine for which the permit is secured.
How to Obtain Permits
Processing of mail-in applications for the 2025 riding season (and mailing of permits) began on Monday, April 21, 2025 and closed on Monday, September 15, 2025.
Instructions for the mail-in application for 2026 will be available in April of 2026.
The 2025 application form will not be valid to obtain a permit for th 2026 season. Please do not send one in. A new application link will be available in April of 2026.
In-person permit sales are closed for 2025.
Please check back in April 0f 2026 for information on in-person sales.
Mail-in
Processing of mail-in applications for the 2025 riding season began on Monday, April 21, 2025 and ended on Monday, September 15, 2025.
Mail in information for the 2026 riding season will be available in April of 2026. Please check back in April.
Permit Decal Placement
The permit decal (sticker) shall be placed in the uppermost, middle portion of the windshield on UTVs.
For ATVs and UTVs with no windshield, place the decal (sticker) on the right front fender (rider point of view).
Program Evaluation
DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry implemented a comprehensive monitoring program to evaluate the impact of the three-year pilot program (the precursor to the Northcentral Regional ATV Trail) on:
- Local communities
- Ecological values
- Other state forest users and recreational values
- Bureau of Forestry operations, staffing, and law enforcement capacity
- Public safety
- Adjacent public lands and natural resources
The monitoring program also evaluated the effectiveness of the special permit; the adequacy of funding for continued operation of the trail; and the need for additional education, outreach, and trail marketing.
Evaluation Report
DCNR published a Report to the General Assembly on the Northcentral ATV Regional Trail Connector Pilot (PDF) about the pilot project for further evaluation and stakeholder input in December 2023.