Call it off-road envy.

You're driving along a perfectly fine Colorado road when you see a double- track trail that leads into a heavenly aspen grove and disappears behind a granite boulder.

You slow down, wishing you could just point your car off the road and follow that tantalizing path, roll down all the windows and become engulfed by the forest.

But your front-wheel-drive sedan can't handle the dips and holes, and it's too wide to fit on that trail anyway.

For many Coloradans, access to the state's millions of acres of public lands is limited by their highway vehicle or their ability to hike or ride a bike. But a growing number of people have discovered the freedom of exploring on all-terrain vehicles.

Driving off-road is big business in Colorado and is getting bigger every year. The state requires owners to register their off-highway vehicles each year. For the 2007-08 season 130,784 owners - nearly 10,000 more than the previous season - registered with the Colorado Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation.

Last year, park officials estimated that 75 percent of the registered vehicles were ATVs; this year, they didn't break it down.

OHVs include ATVs, dirt bikes, dune buggies, UTVs (newer, two-passenger ATVs) and pocket bikes (miniature off-road motorcycles).

Riding an ATV down that trail you spotted on your drive or along thousands more like it in Colorado "is like being in the ultimate convertible," says Chuck Wells, of Monument.

As the author of two ATV guide books and six four-wheel-drive books, Wells has become an off-road guru to thousands of drivers in the West. He recently published his second ATV guide to Colorado and has begun work on a guide to Arizona.

"Driving an ATV is completely different, even than four-wheeling in a Jeep," Wells says. "You are out in the elements completely."

Wells was a dedicated four-wheeler before he began driving ATVs. He knew that ATV drivers were buying his four-wheel-drive books, but when he began driving the smaller off-road machines, he realized there were some basic differences between driving a Jeep and driving an ATV off-road.

"With a Jeep, when you get to the end of your trail or forest road, you get on the pavement and take off. When you ride an ATV, you've got to come back to where you started - where you left your highway vehicle and your trailer. You have to have a legal place to park and unload, and that changes things."

Usable staging areas required by ATV drivers often aren't apparent on trail maps, Wells says. "And there are some OHV areas such as Texas Creek designed just for ATVs and dirt bikes. Sometimes, that isn't apparent on maps, either."

The state parks department publishes a free OHV program brochure with suggestions to ride, and includes contact information for public land agency offices and a map of public lands.

Wells is meticulous about sending ATV drivers to public land designated for OHV recreation, and he is relentless about educating drivers he meets about the importance of following regulations and safety guidelines such as wearing a helmet.

ATV clubs throughout the state also sponsor safety and ethics programs and trail maintenance projects.

More than 50 OHV clubs are members of the Colorado Off- Highway Vehicle Coalition, a nonprofit group that promotes responsible OHV use and represents owners. The coalition and the state parks department also sponsor Stay the Trail, a program that reinforces responsible OHV use.

Where to go ATVing

Colorado state parks

parks.state.co.us

* State Forest State Park in Walden, with 75 miles of four-wheel-drive trails

* Vega State Park, access to hundreds of miles of OHV (off-highway vehicle) trails in Grand Mesa National Forest

* Mancos State Park near Cortez, access to West Mancos Trail, which connects to many miles of trails.

Public lands

Visit the Where to Go page at staythetrail.org. Among OHV sites they list:

* Texas Creek near Canon City, where many trails are designed exclusively for ATVs and motorcycles.

* Idleglen near Grand Lake, featuring challenging trails.

* Mosquito Pass near Fairplay, the highest pass in Colorado at 13,186 feet.

Other resources

* Recreation.gov, a portal to federal public lands, recreation.gov/recFacilitySearch.do

* For information on OHV regulations in Colorado and the licensing program, go to parks.state.co.us or call 1-303-791-1920.

* For information on Chuck Wells' ATV guidebooks, go to funtreks.com or call 1-877-222-7623.

Rules of the off-road

Follow these guidelines from Stay the Trail when you go ATVing:

* Ride only on routes wider than your vehicle.

* Ride only on routes open to your vehicle; watch for posted signs.

* Ride over obstacles, not around them.

* Always yield to non-motorized users (hikers, bicyclists, horses). Be an ambassador to non-motorized trail users (including wildlife and livestock).

* Remember that louder doesn't mean faster.

* Slow down for your fellow riders. Let the other drivers know your intentions.

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