White Rim Trail 3/8-3/10/09

[RockyMtnFamily]

This year for Spring Break I made plans to take the kids on a 9 day trip through the backcountry of South Eastern Utah.

Headed West on I-70 we pondered on our options and took some time at the Visitor's Center near Thompson Springs (UT) to ponder our options. Nearing the Moab turnoff we made the decision to turn towards Canyonlands Island In the Sky District. We had not got reservations ahead of time but decided to take our chances. As luck would have it, we were off to a good start as nearly half of the backcountry sites were available for our use. We selected our sites, got our permit and were on the trail in a little over 15 minutes.

Going down the Schaeffer Switchbacks we had been advised that Chains had been required the day before due to snow on the trail. The previous year we had not been able to go this route so early due to ice on the trail. This year fortune was smiling strongly on us and the snow capped peaks of the La Sal Mountains were in sharp contrast with the varying hues of the red rocks that surrounded us.




Taking a right at the turnoff to Potash Road we headed further into the backcountry area towards our campsite for the night. Along the way we turned left at the Colorado River overlook and watched a group of boaters nearly 1000 feet below us on the Colorado River.



Continuing on our way we stopped again for a brief hike to Musselman Arch. It couldn't have been more than 300 feet down the trail and appeared in front of us before we knew it:



We had been told that it was a 4 hour drive from the Ranger Station to our campsite at White Crack campground. Taking the next turnoff to Lathrop Canyon would add approxamately 2 hours to our time. The children voted for this side trip and really wanted to get down to the river and play down there so off we went. The trail is about 4 miles from the turn off to the bottom with the first half mile of the trail being the roughest. There was a Sportsmobile Conversion parked at the top so I wondered how tight the switchbacks would be. Turns out my Full Size Toyota Truck (about 10 inches longer than a Chevy Tahoe) did just fine.

After the first half mile we were down into the canyon weaving in and out of sandy washes until we reached the picnic area at the bottom. There were some great views to be had on the way down to the picnic area:



Shortly after this point we headed out of another wash and through a tight spot that was cut through the Tamarisk Brush and we were there. The littlest adventurer was very happy to be out of the Truck at this point in time:



The two older explorer were happy to be down by the river wetting their toes and playing in the sandy soil:



The view downstream and another view:





With the daylight hours running short we hit the trail again and headed back to the main trail. We passed Airport Campgounds where our trip the prior year was cut short after out tent blew away. This year was to complete the trip successfully and as a bonus we did it in the opposite direction.

Along the way to our camp at White Crack:



We arrived at our campsite for the night after sunset and looked for a spot to set up our tent as it got dark. There were several good spots for smaller tents but it was a bit harder to find a spot for our large dome tent. When we finally found a suitable spot, we were not able to get it set up due to the rock base that was just 1 inch under the surface. On any other night we would have set up without staking the tent down, but the winds were picking up and we did not want to lose another tent on this trail. We unpacked the truck and set up to sleep in the back with the older explorers having the front seats for their beds. Here the two youngest cooks help out with dinner:



More on Day two............

 

[Martinjmpr]

Great write up. We were there two weeks before you and Shafer/White Rim was closed. Was there much snow on the switchbacks?

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

Martinjmpr

Great write up. We were there two weeks before you and Shafer/White Rim was closed. Was there much snow on the switchbacks?

Thanks for the compliment, this is only my second trip report and I hope to do more in a way that makes for an interesting, yet informative read for others.

I enjoyed reading your trip report from that trip and hope to hit some of the trails you did on my next trip out. There was only a small trace of snow on the switchbacks. But then there was Monday night........

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

Day Two

Monday moring we woke up to a spetacular sunrise and stayed in bed long enough to let things warm up outside. After fixing breakfast for the children, we packed up the truck and took a hike to the White Crack Overlook. The trail is only about 300-500 yards depending on how far you go and the views are spectacular:



After our short hike we headed back to the truck and turned back the 1.4 miles to the main trail again. We turned left to head towards Murphy's Hogback and admired many great views that greeted us along the way. It is hard to make a decision of when to take a picture as there are many opportunities to choose from. Once you find the shot you want you continue on another 100 feet or so to discover yet another vantage point for the same scenic shot. This is one of those spectacular areas where it is hard to take a bad picture.

I apologize for not knowing the names of some of these landmarks. Between balancing supervision of four active children at the Visitor's Center and my haste to get on the trail and get to camp before dark, I realized too late that I forgot to get a pamphlet of the areas I was driving through. Here is a photographic prelude of the next section of the trail that we enjoyed:







We wound over some switchbacks that climbed the canyon walls and descended into other valleys halfway to the canyon floor. Our next long climb took us up Murphy's Hogback. There are only two areas where I feel that 4 wheel drive is needed in this backcountry section and Murphy's Hogback was one of those ares. Approaching from the Clockwise direction was a long climb along the narrow road that had a sharp dropooff to the Driver's side. Halfway up was a large boulder that jutted out onto the road forcing me to squeeze closer to the edge. The prior year I had approached from the opposite side and hit a patch of mud and show that caused the rear of my truck to slip towards the edge of the dropoff which resulted in me accelerating my approach speed for the front wheels to grab tierra firme and get me over the top.

Once at the top of Murphy's Hogback the visitor is rewarded with several excellent views. I would love to camp out at this area sometime but am a bit paranoid about my children being within an easy dash of the spectacular dropoffs that surround this area. From these vantage points you can see the trail wind down the side of the canyon and cross the canyon floor:





Halfway down you go under a rock outcropping that makes a perfect frame for Candlestick formation: Across the road from this landmark there is Candlestick campground with more spectacular views and a unforgiving drop off for those flying camping items on windy days:



Continuing on past Candlestick campground the children started asking about the rolling canyons where we had picnicked the year before. We took turns guessing how much further it was for the next hour. At times I would stop the truck at random moments point up at the towering walls above us and proclaim "Hey look a scenic viewpoint, lets wave to the tourists and say hi!' This would be followed with great enthusiasm as they would wave wildly and yell to be heard by those above us (Hey no criticism, I sounded credible at the time!). Finally the children grew tired and we took an early lunch break. Along the way there were several more great landscapes to be seen:

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

Day two continued

Thirty minutes after taking our lunch stop we rounded a corner and saw the sandy wash off to the side where vehicles would pull off to park. Ah, here it was "The Rolling Canyon". The children all clambered out of the truck and the older ones took off to head into the slot canyon. I caught up with them and convinced them to take the easier way as their younger siblings were watching and trying to copy what they were doing.







After a half hour of playing in the slot canyon we headed back to the Truck to head on to our Campsite at Potato Bottom B. The park ranger had advised that there would be strong wind gusts up to 40 mph so we needed to stake down our tent well. As noted earlier, our previous trip had ended early due to us losing another tent to some strong wind gusts. I went home from that trip a bit disappointed in the fact that the "great value" I got online for a 4 season tent had not panned out when the product was no match for advese weather conditions. This trip was to complete what we had set out to do the previous year and I had justified spending more money on a Cabela's Xtreme Weather (XWT) tent to do these backcountry expeditions without worry of whether the equipment was up to task or not.

We continued on our way winding along the canyon rim and climbing and descending the road as it wove up and down the canyon walls. We climbed another canyon wall and there before us was a great view of the Colorado River just a few hundred feet below. After traveling for 45 minutes we were at our campsite for the night. Today was an easy day as we had only traveled four leisurely hours allowing us to get to camp in the early afternoon with plenty of time to explore and set up camp.

After dinner the wind picked up and we got inside the tent. It got pretty gusty at night and then the rain started coming down in sheets. There were times I wondered if our tent was up to task. I had a candle buring to provide some warmth and woke up during the night a bit cold and started the Coleman (white gas) heater bringing it into the tent to keep us warm. I later found out it got down into the 20's (F) that night but we kept plenty warm inside.

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

Day Three

The next morning I warmed up some water for breakfast and we ate insdie while things warmed up outside. I went out to shake off the tent and found that the rain drops had turned to ice crystals on the rain fly. I admired another great sunrise the scenery around our camp:



We broke camp and headed over Hardscrabble Hill. The trail was narrow with steep dropoffs to the side. There was a sharp switchback ahead with a pull out before it to make it easier to navigate. Arriving at the top of Hardscrabble Hill we were rewarded with more outstanding views on the descent to Hardscrabble camp:



Arriving at Hardscrabble camp, I decided to take a quick camp shower while the younger children had a snack. My daughter went off to try to find the river but the Tamasisk brush was too thick to allow this to happen. She was able to get a few pictures for her efforts:



Continuing on we went along another canyon wall and through a sandy wash to a perfectly framed view of the landscape that surrounds Labyrinth campsites:



Continuing on from Labyrinth the road gets smoother and it is possible at times to go a bit faster. The road narrows again as it hugs the bank of the Colorado River and heads out of the park:





Darn, last photo and I finally figured out how to make them a bit larger:



Continuing on past this point the road crosses BLM lands and there is a sign at the bottom of the Mineral Bottom Switchbacks that reads 38 miles to Moab. When we got to the top of the canyon rim we found that it had snowed the night before up here and there was about an inch on the ground in the shady areas.

It took us three and a half hours to get from our campsite to Moab and we inquired about the local weather conditions. Much to our disappointment the weather was going to be in the 30's for the next three days where we had planned on heading and with my daughter coming down with a bad cold since the night before we decided to head for home and continue the next adventure later in the spring.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure and our wish is that you may find yours and post it here for us to share in the experience.

 

[Abel Villesca]

Great report! Thanks for sharing. :sombrero:

 

[FortyMileDesert]

It's a great place - I drove it in 1984 in a two wheel drive Chevy Silverado C2500. I was alone and didn't see another soul for three days. Back then it had not yet been discovered by all of the "off-roading trekkies" (They hadn't yet been created I guess...........

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

It's a great place - I drove it in 1984 in a two wheel drive Chevy Silverado C2500. I was alone and didn't see another soul for three days. Back then it had not yet been discovered by all of the "off-roading trekkies" (They hadn't yet been created I guess...........

We saw about 7 other vehicles last year but only two this year. It was nice to be away from the crowds and have our choice of campsites. I probably could have done it all in 2 wheel drive as the entrei road was dry, but it is nice to have the additional security and 4 low helped me stay off the brakes on the downhill section.

 

[kcowyo]

White Rim Trail + green T100 = all good


Great report and pics. My favorite truck on one of my favorite trails. That's hard to beat. Nice one -


:campfire:
.

 

[Stealth 4x4]

Been away a while and just had a chance to find this thread. Nice trip and a fun report. Heading to Moab in June myself. Thanks for posting.

 

[cactusjk]

Does anyone know the good 2m/70cm repeaters for the White Rim Road?

 

[LexusAllTerrain]

Been away a while and just had a chance to find this thread. Nice trip and a fun report. Heading to Moab in June myself. Thanks for posting.

I will be there too on June 15th on the White Rim trail:victory:

 

[Explorer 1]

Cell service

Interesting enough I had great cell service, traveling from Mineral Point south once I crossed the divide at the White Crack. No idea where the cell tower was.

Thanks,
Fred
Explorer 1 & 2

 

[Martinjmpr]

Interesting enough I had great cell service, traveling from Mineral Point south once I crossed the divide at the White Crack. No idea where the cell tower was.

Thanks,
Fred
Explorer 1 & 2

I had cell service almost the entire time I was there in February, and last March when I was over on the west side in the Maze District as well.

Moab is pretty much ringed by high mountain ranges (La Sal to the East, Henry to the Southwest, Abajo to the Southeast) and I'm guessing most or all of them have cell towers, which is probably while I was able to communicate. Presumably, they also might have 2m/440 repeaters as well.

With the dramatic differences in altitude, it's not hard to get line-of-sight to one or all of the mountain ranges around Moab.

Hell, 10 years ago I was at Hole-in-the-rock and I could get cell service there. At the time we assumed the tower must have been on Navajo Peak as we had clear line of sight to it most of the way.