Sarah
Trail Overview:
A hidden jewel – White Rim Road is located in Canyonlands National Park. It is a 100 miles long unpaved four wheel drive road, and it is very popular with overlanders. The distance of this trail can vary depending on if you do the spur roads or not. This trail is normally completed east to west. The east side begins near Shafer Trail and Potash Road. The west side ends at Mineral Bottom Road. There are no amenities on this trail – this includes no water.
Location:
Canyonlands National Park
History:
White Rim Road, also called White Rim Trail is named for the White Rim Sandstone formation below the Island in the Sky mesa of Canyonlands National Park. The road was originally built by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1950s to provide access to uranium deposits in this area. During the 1950s Uranium mining was a large industry in Utah since uranium was used for nuclear weapons production during the cold war. The San Rafael Swell is full of similar roads that were created for mining uranium, but are now used as 4wheel drive roads. Unlike the San Rafael Swell, the mines located along White Rim Road produced very little uranium and all the mines are now abandoned.
The trail itself consists of loose dirt, sandy washes, and sandstone formations. Along the way you’ll drive cliff edges, shelf roads, steep hills, river crossings, and views around every corner. If you plan to complete this drive in a vehicle, the National Park Services requires a high clearance 4 wheel drive vehicle with 4 low.
FUN FACT: This trail can be completed in either direction.
We completed this trail going east to west – starting at Shafer Trail in Island in the Sky. Our goal for the evening was the camp ground called “Shafer”, which is located near the start of White Rim Road. Shafer trail features hairpin turns, steep grades and cliffs with no guardrails. Shafer Trail is considered dangerous since it drops 1500 feet to the canyon bottom. The views from this trail are epic. However, this road is steep and shouldn’t be attempted in inclement weather.
If you are uncomfortable with this road, you probably shouldn’t complete White Rim Road. Shafer Trail is easier than two of the hills on White Rim Trail – Murphy’s Hog Back and Hardscrabble Hill.
Shafer campground is easy to locate and is a great place to start your journey on White Rim. However, like most of the campgrounds on this trail, there is limited shade so plan accordingly.
Trail Detours:
Gooseneck Overlook: This overlook is an easy hike and is total worth it, that is if you like amazing views. This is an easy .6 mile round trip hike that gives an amazing view of the Colorado River. There is no access to the river from the cliff.
Musselman Arch: This is technically a bridge – was called “little bridge” many years ago. The “arch” was renamed after a local resident well-known for exploring the region around the bridge. It’s five feet thick, six feet wide, 187 feet long and 300 feet down! It’s super cool no matter what it’s name is and is an easy walk from the road.
Lathrop Canyon: Depending on river levels, this is a great place to have lunch. When we were driving here, the Colorado River was flooded so we couldn’t make it to the picnic tables. However there are some nice cottonwood trees along the trail to take lunch underneath. This detour is about 4 miles and is the only access to the Colorado River for the entire trail.
White Crack: This is a great little detour and the place we camped the second night. From here you can see into the other areas of the park – the maze and the needles
Fort Bottom Ruin: This is a moderate hike that leads to a nice ruin. We didn’t complete the whole hike due to a member of our travel group being scared of the cliff edge.
Trail Obstacles
There are three major obstacles on this trail. Depending on the time of year, the last major obstacle can be impassible.
Murphy Hogback: This obstacle marks the halfway point in the trail. It is very steep and narrow and if you meet someone going the other way, it is a long way to find enough room to pass. We meet a truck with a trailer and it wasn’t fun. Expect a very steep and rocky climb to the top of the pass. This portion is badly washed out but is passable in 4 Lo with some skill. Once you have completed the climb, you reach Murphy A – a great campsite that is neck in neck with White Crack for those who’ve been to the area. The mesa edge here makes a spectacular place to camp and watch the beautiful sunset. You can also see the Turks Head Butte from the edge of a plateau.
Hardscrabble Hill: This is the hardest part of the trail. With a full sized truck you will be making some tight squeezes. It’s a short distance from Potato Bottom with a loose, technical climb in between. A 4WD support vehicle is much needed. It is steep, narrow, and winding, and allows zero room for error.
Upheaval Canyon Water Crossing: This is the obstacle that we couldn’t make it through. During the time we went the Green River was flooded and running at 18,000cfs. Needless to say it was too high to make the crossing.
What can you do if you can’t make it past these obstacles? Well, you have to turn around since there is only one option for the trail and going off trail is no allowed. Since our last camping spot in Taylor canyon was located after the river crossing, we had to drive all the way back through all the obstacles to complete White Rim Trail. Since the trail is slow, we meet a nice group of people at the Airport campground who let us share their camp for the evening. Surprisingly, this was our favorite camp site for the trip.
Our Tips
- Bring extra water. No potable water is available anywhere along the road and there are few river access points. The Green River is accessible at spots along the western end of the road but Lathrop Canyon is the only access point to the Colorado River.
- If your vehicle is a thirsty type, bring extra gas. We completed this trail – almost 200 miles – since we couldn’t do the river crossing and almost ran out of gas. It sure would have been nice to have a little extra.
- Check the river levels. Even in late June the river can still be flooded and will make completing the trail impossible.
- Plan several days to do this trail. We planned three camping nights so we would have enough time to enjoy the trail. This is an experience you do not want to rush. Enjoy it.
- Take cold weather gear, even into late June. The desert has wide temperature swings and if there are storms, you’ll be wishing you had your jacket. Trust me. Just above freezing is still likely in the summer months depending on the weather.
- Do not travel alone. You are miles away from help if anything were to happen to you or your rig. Even though this trail is popular, you are unlikely to run into anyone for many hours.
Safety: Please remember to plan ahead. There is no cell phone signal on this road and it is remote.
Trail Rating
For most of this trail the drive is pretty easy, but that really depends on how comfortable you are with cliff edges and slick rock. There are some very rough sections of the road that are littered with rocks and small boulders you will need to navigate. The trickiest part of this trail of course are Hardscrabble Hill and Murphy’s Hogback. In these two sections, you will ascend (or descend) a very narrow, steep road. On Hardscrabble Hill, there are a few wider sections to allow another vehicle to pass. However, on Murphy’s Hogback, the road is only wide enough for one vehicle. If you meet another vehicle on this hill, one of you will have to reverse to a wider section of the road.
Final Thoughts?
The White Rim Trail is truly a bucket list experience that everyone should experience in their lifetime. Standing on the sandstone cliffs looking into the awe-inspiring landscape around every corner can really put things into perspective. This trail is a place to test your nerve and resolve with it’s hill climbs and steep drop offs, but it is also a place that offers peace and tranquility. This place is where you find yourself.
