TRAIL REPORT
Every year cyclist from across the country and around the world head to Southern Utah to experience some of the most unique cycling trails in the world. Many will spend the day riding famous trails like Slickrock and Porqupine Rim while others with a slightly more ambitious desire to ride will find their selves immersed deep within Canyonlands National Park, on the White Rim trail.
The White Rim is known far and wide as one of the most spectacular trails ever and has often been referred to as one of the crown jewels of mountain biking. And depending on how you ride it, the White Rim can often become one of those trails you put on your list of greatest accomplishments.Traditionally, cyclists and their support crews take two to three days to make the 104 mile trip that runs along the rim of the Colorado and the Green river. Doing it this way allows them to spend a little more time seeing the countless sites, venturing up some of the side trails and utilizing the many designated campgrounds along the trail. I can imagine that riding the trail this way would be a wonderful opportunity to really soak it all in and is probably a better idea for those not quite ready to pedal it all out in one day. Permits are required for ant overnight trip in Canyonlands and during peak season the National Parks Service receives more permit requests than copacity will allow so it's best to plan ahead and make a reservation well in advance.
If you're planing on riding the entire loop in a day, good for you. Be prepared though, this isn't an easy 100+ miles of riding. The White Rim Trail is not entirely a trail, but more of a jeep road. But don't let that fool you. There are plenty of sections that will test the skills of even the experienced cyclist. The main factor though, is maintaining proper nutrition and hydration while riding. Most people don't have the capacity to pack extra food and water so don't plan on bumming a cold beverage out on the trail. If possible, it's best to have a support vehicle make the trek with you so that you can stop from time to time to replenish the system. Note, that if you do bring along a support vehicle, make sure it's a 4Wheel drive truck, jeep or SUV of some sort, with a full tank of gas. Getting stuck or running out of fuel while driving the White Rim can cost a pretty penny to to have it towed out.As far as the actual ride, well here's how it went for us. We chose to ride it counter clockwise. We started our ride in the parking lot of Mineral Road just off the Highway 313. Heading towards Mineral Canyon is a easy, well groomed dirt road that, in my opinion is a great way to get warmed up and start the ride. Plus it only gets better the further in you get. About 12 miles down the road is when the ride really starts. Dropping down Mineral Canyon towards the Green River is quite the ride. Not as long or steep as Shafer, but still very fun. Once at the bottom of the canyon you'll fork left and let the White Rim trail take you from there.
Throughout the ride you'll encounter your share of steep rocky climbs, steep rocky descents and a few sandy river bottoms and nearly everything else in between. Regardless of what direction you choose to ride, the climb up Murphy Hogback is notably one of the most significant of the ride. It's not quite the halfway point if you're riding counter clockwise, but the trail after you drop down the other side seems to be a bit faster as you push forward. The problem with riding the White Rim in one day, is that you're time spent site seeing is generally cut a bit short due to the amount of light left in the day. There's always the option of riding with lights though, and is really not a bad idea to have with you just to be safe.Throughout our ride we encountered a few other groups of day trippers and multi-day trippers. One duo was out riding the Rim in a day unsupported. Their plan of attack was also in the counter clockwise direction but they chose to start at the bottom of the Shafer Trail, polishing off the grueling climb in the beginning. Most people that I've talked to say this is generally the best idea so you're not faced with it at the end of the day like we were. For us though, it was a bit different because we had a support vehicle that carried lots of extra water and food so we could rehydrate and refuel when ever we needed. Still, making the climb up Shafer switchbacks wasn't an easy task, but I'd rather do that than ride the twelve miles of the semi-flat/climbing Mineral Road. That's why I prefer the counter clockwise direction.To round out the day of ten hours + of riding (some of us called it a "rolling pic-nic") was one of my favorite mountain bike rides ever. Definitely on my top 10 list and you can count on me returning in the near future and hopefully making it an annual tradition. Fortunately we had great weather and very little wind. From what I've read and heard, the wind can kick up pretty hard out there and make life pretty tough. And we all know that the weather in the desert can at times change in an instant. Make sure before you head out that you're well aware of any possible weather conditions that could sneak up on you and don't be afraid to pack for the unexpected.A big thanks to Mike, Layne and Jeff Caldwell for including me in on this adventure. Hopefully we can do it again sometime soon.Here's a link to downloadable PDF maps of the Canyonlands area: Canyonlands map links