Utah
White Rim Road
About this off-road route
White Rim runs a full lap of the Island in the Sky mesa on the sandstone bench a thousand feet below the rim and a thousand feet above the Green and Colorado rivers. Most parties drive it counterclockwise over two or three days, dropping in on the Shafer switchbacks and climbing out at Mineral Bottom. The driving is rarely technical. What makes it serious is the commitment: no water, no services, and two steep switchback climbs that are the only ways off the bench.
The 100 mile bench road below Island in the Sky, from the Shafer switchbacks around to Mineral Bottom.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- A hundred miles of continuous canyon-country bench road
- Musselman Arch, a natural span you can walk out onto, sits right beside the road
- The Shafer and Mineral Bottom switchbacks are among the most photographed roads in Utah
- Overnight camps are spaced along the whole loop
Stops
- 1
Shafer Trail Viewpoint
The switchback descent from the Island in the Sky mesa onto the bench.
- 2
Musselman Arch
A flat natural span directly beside the road.
- 3
White Crack Campground
The southern tip of the loop and the most remote camp on it.
- 4
Mineral Bottom
The northern switchbacks, the climb back out to the rim.
When to go
Best time to go
Spring and fall. Summer on the bench regularly runs well over 100F with no shade and no water.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 4h 58m
Before you go
Know before you go
- A day-use permit is required to drive it, and a separate backcountry permit is required to camp. Overnight sites book out months ahead.
- Carry all your own water. There is none on the bench.
- High clearance 4WD is required. The rangers turn back vehicles that do not have it.
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