Planning a trip on the white rim 4x4 trail
This is a typical section of the trail we are driving on. Yes, the road really is that close to the edge!
Key things to know
This is a permit-only trail in Utah. While there are a few walk-up permits are available, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to get permits well in advance!
Moderate to Difficult trail: Need high clearance vehicle with 4Lo
This is a remote, multi-day trip. Bring everything you need as there are no services: water, food and extra gas
No pets, no campfires, camping in designated areas only
Max group size: 15 people, 3 vehicles
Best time to go is spring and fall
What is the white rim road
The White Rim trail is a 4x4 road in Canyonlands National Park (the Island in Sky District) near Moab Utah. The trail follows a hard white sandstone layer that has not eroded (thus called the White Rim) in a “U” shape through canyonlands. The road is a 100 mile track in the remote backcountry with designated campsites along the route. The loop would not take very long if going in straight lines but you are beholden to the forces of erosion following the canyon rim as it does A LOT of ins and outs.
The road is also popular with mountain bikers going on a multi-day ride and are often supported by a vehicle or two. The bikes can honestly go faster than vehicles at many times!
Why you need to experience it
The White Rim trail is a premier multi-day overland trip in the heart of the desert southwest and offers spectacular views in canyonland country. Even though the road is within a National Park, it feels very remote as the park limits the number of permits available. This means you will only see a handful of people each day.
The white rim is seen very clearly from up high
The road is not to be taken lightly as it has a handful of challenging sections that do require the appropriate vehicle. Also the fact that it is so remote ups the overall difficulty level and is not meant for novice drivers. However, with the right vehicle, gear and planning, the trail offers an overland experience of a lifetime!
Trip Planning
When to travel
The White Rim road is technically open year round however there are some recommended times to go than others. The winter months are doable but can be pretty cold for camping. On the flip side, the summer months can be brutally hot! We recommend going in the spring (March-May) or in the fall (Sept- late Oct) but that is also when others have the same idea so getting the permits is harder.
When to get permits
All backcountry overnight permits become available on a seasonal basis, four months before the start of the season on Recreation.gov. Below are the key days for when you need to get a permit
Spring permits (March 10 – June 9) open November 10.
Summer permits (June 10 – September 9) open February 10.
Fall permits (September 10 – December 9) open May 10.
Winter permits (December 10 – March 9) open August 10.
How to get a permit
For your best chance at getting a permit on the dates you want, you will need to have done a little research as to what campsites you want (see below), how many days, starting location and have information about your party ready. It will ask you about group size, and license plates for vehicles. To get a little practice using the system, I would recommend playing around on the recreation.gov permit reservation page beforehand for some random dates so you can see the formatting.
Then on the day permits become available on the day mentioned above, be logged into the rec.gov before 8am (mountain time) and then be refreshing the page. Then once they have released the dates, it is a mad scramble to select the campsites and dates you want before they are gone!
Once you have the dates in your cart, they are yours and the system will continue to ask checkout questions and take payment. This is a place where you can list an alternate group leader. This can be important as it is the only other person you can “transfer’ the permit to if for some reason you are unable to go on the trip.
Permits can be reserved at any time, you don’t have to get them on the four key dates above however most reservations will be gobbled up on that opening morning. You can always keep checking back to see if people cancel, particularly as the trip dates get closer.
For the cost, there is a non-refundable $36 reservation fee for each permit for advanced reservations, then it is $5/person/night.
Screenshot of reservation page
What campsites
There are 7 designated camping areas on the trail. Many of those camp areas have multiple sites (A,B, C etc) that are nicely spaced out from each other. White Crack is the best site on the trail and also hardest to get. When we did it, we camped at Airport A, White Crack and Potato Bottom. Potato Bottom was in the sand and not my favorite. I like to camp on the sandstone rock as it is less dusty!
The campsites have pit toilets nearby but they can be a little funky. Bring your own TP for sure! We also brought our own portable toilet. You do have to pack everything out!
How many days
I think most vehicle-based trips should be 3-4 days. Biking trips could be a little longer and motorcycle trips can be done in a day or two. We did 4 days and it still felt like a lot of driving each day! Doing 20-30 miles took most of the day, giving us time to have a relaxed morning at camp and stopping frequently.
My biggest recommendation is not to rush it. Each turn offers a great new view and the road can get a bit tedious/bumpy so it is nice to take lots of little breaks.
Ways to start the trail
Most people do the trail clockwise and start the Island in the Sky visitor center and then drop down the Shafer trail onto the white Rim. The trail can be run the opposite way just fine however.
For our trip, we actually started from Moab and took Potash Rd south along the Colorado River. This added some more dirt road time and is very scenic and also allowed us to skip the entrance to the park up by the Island the sky visitor center that can be a long line. The downside is that we missed driving the dramatic Shafer Rd switchbacks. But the switchbacks at Mineral Bottom on the west side as you climb back out of the canyon are pretty cool still.
Trail difficulty
As previously mentioned, this 4x4 road is not to be taken lightly. We recommend a high clearance SUV or truck with 4Lo, goot AT tires, a full spare, and some recovery equipment.
We were in 4Lo for over 90 miles of it, mostly bumping along slowly. There are 3-4 places that require a little more attention, mostly on the western half of the loop: Shafer Switchbacks, Murphy hogback area, Hardscrabble area, Upheaval Bottom (when water is high). For those who don’t love heights or driving on cliff edges, there will be some sections you will not like!
The overland vehicles that we rent are more than capable of doing the trail as would similarly built vehicles.
Trail conditions
The dirt road while under the care of the park is very much subject to the elements and only lightly maintained. Floods can wash out the road making it impassable and it might take the park some time to fix so it is important to check the current conditions before heading out there. The river crossing depth at Upheaval Bottom is worth checking on as well. Here are some resources to do help:
Canyonlands Road Conditions Page
Call the ranger office
See past reports on Trails Offroad
Let’s go!
Hopefully this information helps in the planning process and when it is time to get the permit online. Most people have their own vehicle but we are here if you need to rent a 4x4 vehicle for the White Rim.
If you didn’t get a permit, don’t despair too much, we have other great ideas for you in the area that don’t require a permit. Contact us
About Us
Titus Adventures is a one-stop shop overland rental business based out of Denver Colorado. We rent modified Toyota 4x4s equipped with all the overlanding goodies like rooftop tents, awnings, fridges, drawers and more to offer a premium overall experience. Vehicles come with unlimited miles, bedding and camping gear (chairs, tables, cooking kit, etc).
In addition to the vehicles, we are experts in trip planning and are always scouting out new places in the Rocky Mountains on Desert Southwest. We offer custom trip planning as an addition service which offers incredible value if you are newer to overland travel. We can plan a trip for you even if you are not renting one of our vehicles.
We did the White Rim in Oct of 2022 in a Land Cruiser, Jeep Wrangler and Nissan Frontier. I had my family with me (kids were 4 and 7) and was joined by some high school friends of mine.
Helpful resources
Canyonlads White Rim Road Website
General Canyonlands Backcountry Permit Page
Trails Offroad (membership service with annual fee, but can do a 2-week trial)
