Getting There

Overview

The White Rim Road is a 71.2-mile-long (114.6 km) unpaved four-wheel drive road that traverses the top of the White Rim Sandstone formation below the Island in the Sky mesa of Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah. The road was constructed in the 1950s by the Atomic Energy Commission to provide access for individual prospectors intent on mining uranium deposits for use in nuclear weapons production during the Cold War. Large deposits had been found in similar areas within the region; however, the mines along the White Rim Road produced very little uranium and all the mines were abandoned.

The road surface consists of loose dirt, sandy dry washes and sandstone rock formations. Four-wheel drive vehicles and mountain bikes are the most common modes of transport though horseback riding and hiking are also permitted. Typical excursions at a modest pace take two days by four-wheel drive vehicle and three days by mountain bike. 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 near the eastern terminus. Hikers may access the White Rim from the Island in the Sky by hiking down steep trails leading to seven points along the road.

Roads leading to the White Rim Road are Mineral Bottom Road, also called Horsethief Trail, in the park's west side and Shafer Trail in the park's east side. Both roads are junctions off the Island in the Sky park road, which is an extension of Utah State Route 313. A shorter alternate from Moab is Potash Road—Utah State Route 279—in the east side of the park which connects at the junction of White Rim Road with Shafer Trail.

Permits

Since September 2015, permits have been required for both day-use and overnight trips, whether by motor vehicle or bicycle, along the White Rim Road. The demand for permits frequently exceeds the number available in spring and fall months, especially March, April, May, September and October. Visitors are advised to make advance reservations.

A maximum of 100 day-use permits are issued per day, with 50 reserved for motorized vehicles and 50 for bicycles. A total of 25 permits of each type are available as advance reservations, while the other 25 permits are available on the day of a trip. Each vehicle and bicycle in a group requires its own permit, including any stowed bicycles that are expected to be ridden at any point along the road. Group sizes are limited to three motor vehicles and 15 bicycles.

Regulations

A high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle with a low gear range is required by park regulation since July 2014 on many backcountry roads including the White Rim Road. Front or rear-wheel drive only vehicles, as well as automatic all-wheel drive and low-clearance vehicles are not permitted. All drivers should be cautious at all times and be aware that towing fees usually exceed $1000 from the most remote areas. The road is rated moderately difficult for high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles in good weather conditions. The most difficult sections are the switchbacks of the Shafer Trail and Mineral Bottom Road, the Lathrop Canyon Road (an optional spur road), Murphy Hogback, and Hardscrabble Hill.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "White Rim Road", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0