Just got back form Canyonlands NP in Utah. Myself and two college buddies went out to drive the White Rim Trail. It was certainly one of those trips that I'll remember forever. The scenery was breathtaking, and the drive was fun. One thing I learned on this trip, was that I do not give one damn for exposure. Not a huge fan of the shelf road, especially when one slip up means a violent, tumbling death. White Rim is a 71 mile road, and for the most part, it's just a gorgeous drive through and around canyons. However, there's a few places where the pucker factor exceeds 10. Murphy's Hogback and Hardscrabble Hill were the real " oh s**t " moments for me. Again, not liking exposure, the drive into and out of the canyon were stressful as well, but not like the before mentioned climbs.
Murphy's Hogback is a straight line climb, maybe 25 degree pitch, gaining about 1000 feet in a short run. Oh, and it's just as wide as the Jeep. That made it a slow, deliberate crawl for me. I never even looked out the window. I was zoned in about 10 feet in front my bumper, picking lines and sticking to them. Here's the top, looking down the road -
Hardscrabble Hill was almost the end of my flatlander nerves. Way steep, deathly narrow, rutted out switchbacks, and zero room for error - as it's a long way down. It just kept going, one swtichback only lead to another one. It was the end of my nerves, but I survived. I did learn to regret buying a manual transmission on this trip.
The day ended with a fun, easy river crossing. Then watching Matt get his Land Rover stuck out in the river on purpose.
If you ever get the chance, I'd highly suggest the White Rim Trail. However, if you don't like exposure, you might think twice.
Murphy's Hogback is a straight line climb, maybe 25 degree pitch, gaining about 1000 feet in a short run. Oh, and it's just as wide as the Jeep. That made it a slow, deliberate crawl for me. I never even looked out the window. I was zoned in about 10 feet in front my bumper, picking lines and sticking to them. Here's the top, looking down the road -
Hardscrabble Hill was almost the end of my flatlander nerves. Way steep, deathly narrow, rutted out switchbacks, and zero room for error - as it's a long way down. It just kept going, one swtichback only lead to another one. It was the end of my nerves, but I survived. I did learn to regret buying a manual transmission on this trip.
The day ended with a fun, easy river crossing. Then watching Matt get his Land Rover stuck out in the river on purpose.
If you ever get the chance, I'd highly suggest the White Rim Trail. However, if you don't like exposure, you might think twice.