White Rim Road

[dave4242]

Hi all,

Trying to do the White Rim Road in late Feb of 2022

Any advice, favorite spots to stop that are not in the guide books?

Any gotcha's/lessons learned?

Thanks!

[rdenney]

It’s been 30 years since I drove it, so I’m sure it has changed. My only advice is: take a capable vehicle, bring a capable friend, and don’t be in a hurry.

Pack your camera well—the road is not smooth.

Rick “you probably had figured that much out already” Denney

[dave4242]

Hi Rick,
thanks!
:)

[h2oman]

Once the sun goes down it could be pretty cold at that time of year - take a good sleeping bag, ski hat and down coat!

[dave4242]

@h2oman thanks

[Drew Wiley]

The Canyonlands NP official site has a long informational video on the route - what to bring and expect, rules, reservation system, etc. It could still snow that time of year. You really want to be prepared and equipped for anything from really cold to rather hot. Temperature swings can be pretty dramatic not only with altitude changes, but between day and night. Getting stuck in a spot for a few days is always a hypothetical possibility; it's happened to me a several times in that general area. Clay roads can turn into hopelessly slippery soap if it rains. So as always, get an up to date forecast at the Visitor Center before heading in. Wrap your camera and film holders well to keep dust out. Canyonlands is an amazing area.

[xkaes]

You're never alone on the White Rim any time of year, but February is the best time to avoid the ridiculous crowds -- and get a reservation. But it does get cold there, and it can snow. I was in the Sid's Mt. area -- in the San Rafael Reef, north of Canyonlands -- in February once. That's a place no one goes that time of year. It started to snow -- HEAVY. I got out of there just in time -- before the jeep trails turned to foot deep muck. I had enough food to wait for the trails to dry, but I didn't have a week's worth of film! The two feet of snow did make for some dramatic landscapes!

[Drew Wiley]

I'd pack a pair of snowshoes when I went to the SW in the colder months. If I got snowed in a few days, so what. Had plenty of food and fuel, zero degree sleeping bag, so had fun. But I sure learned about what rain or snow can do to slickrock clay the hard way; and that certainly isn't included in my definition of getting "fun stuck".

[dave4242]

thanks everyone, any spots to shoot that aren't on usual guide books? best place to view Zeus and Moses for example?

[xkaes]

One more tip that you might need. If you do run into wet dirt roads, make sure to completely clean out the wheel well when you get home. I once had so much clay stuck underneath my front and rear wheel wells, after an Arizona trip, that the weight basically made the shocks worthless. I probably got about 2 MPG on the long trip back to Colorado. I had to use a chisel to get some of the hardened gunk off!!!

[Drew Wiley]

I go by the light plus road safety issues, and reasonable distance from road dust for shot themselves, when pulling over. But don't forget the easier places too, like right up at Deadhorse Point for sunrise. There's a campground right there if you want a good shooting opportunity before you head off down the White Rim Road. It's been so long for me. None of the roads were graded or paved except that one to Deadhorse. Upheaval Dome was hell to get to. Moab was a tiny town with a Sheriff suspicious of outsiders after the uranium mining era ended, and before the trail biking masses arrived and turned the whole area into Disneyland. Wow, how it all has changed; but still, it's so big that you can easily find solitude of you own. And nearby too is Arches NP of course; and don't forget that little road upriver from Moab toward Cisco, right on the Colorado River. It will take you right past Fisher Towers, the highest sandstone columns in the world.

[dave4242]

thanks

[xkaes]

You are correct about Moab being DisneyWorld, but there are lots of places in Canyonlands where you can escape the crowds -- like the west side of the Colorado River, and the south side near Dark Canyon. Of course the same is true for the Grand Canyon, Capitol Reef, etc. Just get a guide book and find the canyons that aren't in it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165237683310 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/165237683310)

Here's a shot of a waterfall in a small canyon in Zion -- that I had all to myself. Taken with a Fujinon SWD 65mm f5.6 -- NO FILTRATION or manipulation. Agfacolor 100 4x5 in a Toko Nikki II.

222526

[Drew Wiley]

Well, me and my nephew once spent ten days backpacking a particular spectacular canyon system in that area without seeing anyone else the whole time. I won't identify where. It's also informative how the official Canyonlands NP website video specifically mentions, please DO NOT post GPS coordinates if you find something special, so other people can enjoy discovering things for themselves. My feelings exactly. It's about time. Special backcountry places that once saw two or three visitors a month now have reservation permit systems limiting visitation to 50 people per day! That's one of the curses of the web.

[xkaes]

There were 20 years wait times on certain parts of the Grand Canyon even before the WEB -- and there are still places you can "get lost" in the Grand Canyon, mainly because you have to bring your own water! I think the WEB actually helps because people make all these reservations so far in advance that by the reservation date they are either busy with other things, forgot all about it, got divorced, had kids, etc, etc. -- and they never show up. Helps the land. And since the West is such a HUGE place, just go places where people don't go -- Bob Marshall wilderness in Montana, Peloncillo Mts. in Arizona, Bear Ears in Utah............I could go on all day.
How many pictures of Delicate Arch in Utah do we need? Let all the other photographers re-invent that wheel. I'd rather use my film in the Cruces Basin wilderness in New Mexico or Mt. Moriah wilderness in Nevada -- you won't see anybody there -- and no reservation needed!

[Drew Wiley]

Just remember that a lot of those reservations with respect to White Rim itself go to tour agencies. But some of us do know how to find our own space. Just in the past decade I've been to an area within the boundaries of Yosemite NP without seeing anyone else for an entire week of a 12 day trip, same goes for trips into Sequoia NP and King Canyon, and the Wind Rivers in Wyoming, and in each case the terrain was even more stunning than all the postcard locations. 98% of people visit 2% of the area.

[xkaes]

I've never seen any official numbers, but I would not be surprised if the majority of National Park reservations go to companies. I know it's true about rafting reservations ANYWHERE on the Colorado or Green rivers.

[Chauncey Walden]

In 1959, I walked from the parking lot to Delicate Arch and back in June and saw only 2 other folks. How things have changed!

[xkaes]

I drove down Utah Rt. 12 when it was still a dirt road. If I had to confess, I'd admit that it was what convinced me to go large format.

[Willie]

"How many pictures of Delicate Arch in Utah do we need?"

It depends, DuraLog flame lit, sunrise or sunset?

[Drew Wiley]

That wasn't the only Duraflame incident, just the one that got caught. And it didn't help that the location was the official Utah State icon.

[Vaughn]

You are correct about Moab being DisneyWorld...

Here's a shot of a waterfall in a small canyon in Zion -- that I had all to myself...


Zion...the rankings float around a little, but Zion is in the top five National Parks in yearly visitation. Still fairly easy to get away from the crowds in the limited off season. Avoiding Angel's Landing and The Narrows will take care of most of the crowds. But it can be very nuts parking at the mouth of Zion Canyon. Incredible place...

[Chauncey Walden]

Hey xkaes, in 59 not only 12 was dirt but it also connected to Hanksville through what is now Capitol Reef through one of the narrow slot canyon like washes (still a partial dirt road in the park). Fortunately, it didn't rain the day we drove through in a car;-)





9

[xkaes]

There are a couple of ways to get from Route 12 to Hanksville through Capitol Reef. The main road is Route 24 through the north section of the Park -- Tourist Central. The other heads east from Boulder on the south section of the Park.-- the Burr Trail Road, which is now paved most of the way. A few miles north on Bullfrog Road, outside of the Park, there is a dirt road -- probably still is dirt -- that goes through the infrequently-visited Henry Mts. to the metropolis of Hanksville (the only gas for miles around).

[xkaes]

And the Island in the Sky is only ONE of the THREE sections of the Park. The others are larger, and harder to get to because there are fewer roads, but every bit as spectacular -- and have fewer people!

[Steve Sherman]

Kinda funny, the website I was on just before coming to the LF site was about planning a White Rim trip see this link https://www.earthtrekkers.com/white-rim-road-guide/#overview Enjoy, sure to be a rewarding trip.

[John Layton]

Great link Steve...thanks! Jeesh I do miss being out there. Have been looking at used Tacomas, which would fit the bill perfectly!

[Drew Wiley]

Zion itself has three distinct sections with different access roads, plus relatively quiet alternate trails. But one does have to be conscious of access issues once it starts snowing. I've been in T-shirt weather down in the bottom of the Zion main canyon in Autumn, but had to switch to a down coat hiking to the rim. Likewise, Island in the sky is quite a bit of altitude above the River below. Winter and Summer can be just a stone's throw apart in some of those canyon systems, almost literally.

[xkaes]

Great link Steve...thanks! Jeesh I do miss being out there. Have been looking at used Tacomas, which would fit the bill perfectly!

I lot of people end up with rigs that are too big for some "jeep" trails. They assume big and powerful is better, when, in fact, in tight places something short and narrow wins over long and wide. Give me a Samurai over a Land Cruiser in canyon country any day.

[John Layton]

Ha! I remember having a discussion years ago (early '90's) in Chaco Canyon...on the subject of "best rides" for the desert southwest...and there did seem to be a very positive consensus for (wait for it)...a lifted Volkswagen Rabbit with oversized tires!

[xkaes]

The only problem I can think of would be driving it back to Denver from Chaco at highway speed.

[Tin Can]

I was driving the original 1975 Rabbit in both EU and our western desert. 1975 shipped it to Belgium and back

Everybody wanted to race the orange car that had really bad brakes, we redid the brakes every 10K, rotors too small

Hit a rail crossing at speed and blew the front right tire

The car drove straight with no pull, so I just kept driving 200 miles, as the wheel lugs were way too tight, nobody could get them loose until I found a dealer and another brake job

That car had a new type front suspension that let it drive straight with a flat


Ha! I remember having a discussion years ago (early '90's) in Chaco Canyon...on the subject of "best rides" for the desert southwest...and there did seem to be a very positive consensus for (wait for it)...a lifted Volkswagen Rabbit with oversized tires!

[abruzzi]

The only problem I can think of would be driving it back to Denver from Chaco at highway speed.

My brother once transplanted an R32 drive train (VR6 engine, 4motion 4wd) into a VW Caddy (the little rabbit pickup.) I really wish he still had it—that would be fun to take off-road.

[Mortimer]

I think the crown vic is the official sedan of Moab
https://youtu.be/KFwPXEeJ3aI

[xkaes]

Apparently the winner is the Mazda Miata -- you read it right -- at least according to today's New York Times:

They’ve Driven Everything, but the Miata Keeps Them Smiling

Auto industry people have a special affection for Mazda’s petite (and affordable) roadster.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/business/mazda-miatas-driving.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhkSVUZAybfQMMmqBCdnr_Kya4wjzr7LSGJQC0Hw_4UHYmG9AHNea9nLZMV7giseeVgYvUpVeAgiahWJVBsQA2l5ZbelM9de3087NLrAjpzgp6TUfVoqGG6KzjjcbYuz7TmtELdO3L4G_CKiQ1XLwdvoJJmclmvyCZIkv-DSrgpr4E4ifQxBZl6RiMCZD2Kv5TrAhZ5ONaGZ3LM-1V8GrEZCXyIw4nqu_9Xex5SCFnGUHp__W86jdtWM98UN631RAUyRRB2jp88cI-mC3UiYgHadQ&smid=url-share (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/business/mazda-miatas-driving.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhkSVUZAybfQMMmqBCdnr_Kya4wjzr7LSGJQC0Hw_4UHYmG9AHNea9nLZMV7giseeVgYvUpVeAgiahWJVBsQA2l5ZbelM9de3087NLrAjpzgp6TUfVoqGG6KzjjcbYuz7TmtELdO3L4G_CKiQ1XLwdvoJJmclmvyCZIkv-DSrgpr4E4ifQxBZl6RiMCZD2Kv5TrAhZ5ONaGZ3LM-1V8GrEZCXyIw4nqu_9Xex5SCFnGUHp__W86jdtWM98UN631RAUyRRB2jp88cI-mC3UiYgHadQ&smid=url-share)

[Drew Wiley]

Heck, huge turbines were once driven up roads blasted across the faces of cliffs in my neck of the woods so marginal in clearance that you can still see the scrapes of the sides of the rocks from trying to squeeze through, and five hundred to three thousand foot dropoffs on hairpin curves, without any guard rails, yet wheels edged right to the brink. Before that, huge locomotives and rail cars were literally hauled thousands of feet up steep dirt grades by Indian and oxen labor pulling ropes, while others set logs and chockstones behind to prevent the whole things going back down again - taken uphill for sake of early logging enterprises. At least they got paid. Today, we pay instead for the right and equipment to do something crazy ourselves. I wouldn't call that progress! I've seen quite a number of of logging trucks (work) and 4WD rigs ("fun") hopelessly and irretrievably piled up atop one another down in the bottom of deep gorges. There were obviously numerous fatalities too.

What they don't tell you in those sportster commercials is whether or not the vehicle was good for anything afterwards.

[biedron]

dave4242, did you end up getting reservations? I'm also going late February. Keeping my fingers crossed about road conditions. Shafer Trail Road is currently closed, though Potash Road is open.

Bob

[dave4242]

dave4242, did you end up getting reservations? I'm also going late February. Keeping my fingers crossed about road conditions. Shafer Trail Road is currently closed, though Potash Road is open.

Bob

Hey Bob, I ended up not going due to omicron, I didnt want to risk getting exposed while traveling to Canyonlands... I'll try again later in the year...
-David