White Rim Trail


100 miles of spectacular southern Utah scenery. Wind your way down precipitous switchbacks, camp in remote desert locations and pass countless red rock formations. Good luck keeping your eyes on the road. No ATV's permitted on this road, but bring your offroad vehicle.

Route Information

Strong bikers can complete this route in one very long, bouncy day. People in four-wheel drive vehicles can also complete it in a day. Both groups find the route more enjoyable if they complete it in two or more days, camping along the way.

The route starts down the Shafer Switchbacks, a former cattle trail that has been upgraded for vehicles, before it splits; the Shafer Trail goes left and the White Rim Trail continues on to the right. Throughout the journey, there are numerous spur trails and vistas, such as Musselman Arch, Washer Woman Arch and Monster Tower.

The trail follows the White Rim, a water-eroded shelf of light-colored sandstone, for most of the 100 miles. At about mile 66 you'll find the Fort Bottom Hiking Trail. This two-hour (round-trip) hike will take you to a lookout point with an Indian Ruin. After visiting the ruin, continue clockwise on the Rim.

Some of the favored camping spots are White Crack, Murphy Campsite and Potato Bottom Canyon. The entire route is well-marked. Follow signs to Mineral Bottom, go up the switchbacks and continue to Hwy. 313. After reaching Hwy. 313 and the pavement, turn left and head back to Hwy. 191 and Moab.

Finding the Starting Point

Follow Hwy. 191 north from Moab for nine miles; turn west on Hwy. 313, then follow signs to Canyonlands National Park. At .02 miles past the entrance booth, turn left on a large gravel road.

Tips and precautions

Summers are very hot - bring at least one gallon of water per person per day just for drinking. Campsites are very popular from April to October and camp spots must be booked in advance. There are no gas services anywhere in the park, so make sure you have a full tank of gas. The White Rim Trail is relatively easy for most sport utility vehicles unless there have been recent rains. Fees are required: $25 advance reservation fee, and $10 entrance fee. Group sizes are limited to 15 people and three vehicles.

Moab Area Tours & Guides

navigate_before
1 - 17 of 17
navigate_next
Featured
Southwest Adventure Tours is a professional guide service that will help you experience the beauty a...
Featured
Get up close and personal with natures wonders. Let Southern Utah Scenic Tours help you plan a tour ...
The first choice for off-road adventure and family fun in Moab! Offering Moab's #1 Rated Hummer and ...
Off Road 4x4 UTV Adventures in Moab, UT
Helping folks escape the crowds on multi-day Whitewater Rafting & Mountain Biking adventures for mor...
Adventure your way! Zip Line Tours, Hummer Tours, River Rafting and more!
Utah is a land of hidden slot canyons, high adventure and incredible national parks—the kind of plac...
They specialize in the Zion, Moab, and Lake Powell area in Southern Utah but they also travel!
Offering rafting tours on the Colorado and Green Rivers in addition to canoe and kayak rentals. Wit...
Western River Expeditions rafting trips Moab, UT include the Colorado River, Westwater River, Desola...
Skip the Lines at the Parks!
When you're looking for adventure, NAVTEC Expeditions offers the most comprehensive selection of Col...
Discover the incomparable landscapes of Utah’s canyon country with Four Season Guides’ Utah Hiking T...
Get In The Wild Adventures specializes in backpacking, scrambling, canyoneering, and snowshoe classe...
Rated #1 Tour Company in Salt Lake City out of 100+ others on TripAdvisor.
Sheri Griffith River Expeditions has been the premier whitewater rafting outfitter in Moab, Utah sin...
Discover the magic of our mild to wild Moab rafting trip options and feel spoiled as the guides take...
The Moab Adventure Center offers the most convenient way for you to reserve all your daily outdoor a...
navigate_before
1 - 17 of 17
navigate_next

REQUEST INFORMATION

TRAVEL BUREAU INFORMATION

MOAB AREA TRAVEL COUNCIL

25 East Center Street
Moab, UT 84532
435-259-8825

languageVisit Website

Request Information & Brochures

Check 'Yes' to receive travel tips, gear giveaways, insider info and awesome vacation ideas from Utah.com and other travel bureaus. You can change your mind at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us.
Privacy Policy

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors and clients. We strive to uphold the highest industry standards in online privacy and permission marketing. For more information on how we enforce permission email marketing with our clients, please see our Privacy Policy.

I have read and acknowledge the Privacy Policy*
* Indicates a required field.

Moab Weather

Average Temperature

Sun
73.4°F
Low39.5°F

Average Precipitation

Rainy weather icon
1.01"

Average Snowfall

Snowy weather icon
0.0"

Recently Visited

subdirectory_arrow_right