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White Rim Trail, Canyonlands NP

8K views 49 replies 28 participants last post by  gregvb 
#1 ·
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.





 
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#4 ·
We did the whole trail one day, took us about 9 hours. There are several places to camp along the way, but they book up fast. We did camp at Panorama Point in the Glen Canyon National Rec area. That was awesome. 45 miles down a dirt road to the Ranger station, then a 12 mile ( almost 3 hour ) trek to the campsite. Amazing views from camp...




 
#6 ·
great photos
no way;
somewhere between 'terminal pucker' and 'seizure gagout' ; .
 
#9 ·
We dropped in at Shaffer Trail, and it had a pucker factor to it, but all in all, it wasn't awful. The road was wide enough on the switchbacks for 2 vehicles to pass if needed, and there were turnouts along the way. Still, it's a long way down. The same goes for the climb out at the other end. Wide enough, and well maintained. However, on the way out, there are the remains of several cars that didn't make it, stuck forever on the cliffs below. Some look like they've been there forever.

Once on the trail, 4WD is a must. When were did it, conditions were dry. It would be a quagmire if it rained. I'd personally sit down there till it dried out. Attempting Murphy's Hogback or Hardscrabble Hill in the rain would be a nightmare. There are several descents that are only manageable in 4L, 1st or 2nd gear. The two nastiest climbs I did in 1st gear, 4L. Slow and steady....

There's a few spots down by the river, up on a ledge that are washed out and rough, and BARELY wide enough for your vehicle. You'll be scraping a mirror on one side, and kicking rocks off the ledge with the other.
 
#13 ·
The reason I asked was after googling and seeing some vehicles in some of the pics. One was a VW van with some off road lights on the front and a few other family type SUVs that I never imagined would have great 4x4 systems in them . It did look like a lot of clay there which could be bad when wet.
 
#12 · (Edited)
It does require a $25 permit that you can buy online, or at the station. They only give out 25 per day, so get yours in advance. There is no official check in / check out procedure. It's actually quite lax. They don't inspect your vehicle or make you sign in or out. Considering the potential for accidents, the oversight is quite lax.

If you're camping, spots fill quick. Book in advance. Doing the trail on one day is fun, but it's a long day. The Ranger told us to plan on 10 hours, we did it in just under 9, and that's including some jackassing around and dilly dallying.

Reservation link - https://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/whiterimroad.htm
 
#14 ·
Here's some videos that I shot....forgive the quality, the camera lens was dust covered, as is everything else I own now....

Dropping into the canyon from Schaffer Trail - https://youtu.be/MzUeXg_JzMQ

More trail video - https://youtu.be/wHsj76pxEuE

Here's a short, steep little climb, with a nice switchback thrown in. You can see Matt's Land Rover going up first, so you get an idea of the angle. The camera never properly conveys the steep...https://youtu.be/BVduvYjp4SQ

Here's just a quick video of the start of Hardscrabble Hill. Had I known what i was getting into, I would have left the camera rolling to get it all. It was quite a trip. https://youtu.be/pG0zAprQf2U
 
#19 ·
Awesome pics, thanks for sharing.
I was planning a trip there next month but timing won't work so it will have to wait until spring :(.
On the plus side, that allows more time for planning and mods :D
 
#24 ·
I heard that area was also heavily mined for uranium in the 1950s. There are mine shafts that should definitely not be explored – as well as springs that may have been contaminated by the uranium. Most dangerous springs or mine shafts are marked with the classic yellow-and-black radioactivity sign. Has anyone seen this on White Rim of Shafer Trails?
 
#29 ·
Great pics!
 
#33 ·
Great pics! Have not been to or wheeled in or around canyonlands. Looks like fun.
We explored around Zion this spring but didn't run across much more than some nice scenic trail rides.
Lol we had 2 guys in almost new Land Cruisers show up at a club event in Little Moab in April. Those guys were crazy. At the end of the day, both had their rear bumpers hanging off and one had his wheel well trim duct taped back on. I guess if you got the money to buy and wheel em, you got the money to fix em.
Anyway now I got the bug to head to Canyonlands if it wasn't already way too hot wheel and camp. Possibly a late fall trip.
Awesome pics and trail report.
 
#35 ·
We just got home yesterday from Moab. We always camp one night on the White Rim. This year we stayed at Murphy C. The trail is not that hard and can be done in most stock 4wd vehicles. There are a lot of beautiful vistas to be seen. You have to plan ahead. The tour operators get a two day headstart on the public when reserving a campsite. I stay up till midnight mountain time exactly four months to the day we want to stay to try to get one of the sites we prefer. The conditions are always subject to change. This year, Upheaval Wash had 24" of water in it and rising when we got there traveling westbound. We didn't want the pickup with us to get water in the diffs so we turned around and trekked back out eastbound. Plan to carry enough fuel to make the trip twice. Even with four extra gallons, my brother was low when we got back. Here are a few pics.
 

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#37 ·
We did the White Rim from west to east in 2014 in our Raptor. If you thought the pucker factor was high in your Jeep, it is really high in a Raptor with a 12 inch wider track. Hardscrabble and Murphy Hogback were challenging, we had to pull in the mirror on the cliff side and had to back up to get around the switchbacks on Hardscrabble, the wife had her eyes closed most of the way up. Great ride! We make two trips to Utah a year and the main reason I traded off the Raptor was its width. All of the trails are jeep trails and I got tired of spending 2 days buffing out the desert pinstripes after I got home. Loved the Raptor and hoping my new, 2 week old Rubicon will be just as good, we will find out in September, see you in Utah. TM
 
#40 ·
Yeah. Go try Black Bear sometime! There's some big drops there too! Just don't drive off the edge and you'll be okay. Here's some pics I took when I did Black Bear last year. It has some pretty tight switchbacks too. Anyways, I've been trying to get out to White Rim for a few years now. I can never seem to book a camp site though. They always book up quick! At least for the dates I'm trying for. I'll probably have to do the whole thing in a day as well.




 
#41 ·
So...in defense of the Land Rover stuck in the river. Matt, intentionally buried it, just for some comic relief. Yes, it worked. We laughed our asses off. When it was all said and done, I love me Jeep even more, but I've certainly seen the weaknesses, or " character " of it, when compared to the Land Rover. That being said, I'm not giving up Roxanne. I love my Wrangler. Plus, I now have a great story about fishing a Land Rover out of the river.

Land Rover rescue....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6jmN3PlROw
 
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