White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, October 2022

Blog Resurrection ...

I haven't updated this Blog in seven years, and we have been to so many NEW places in these past years that it seems prudent to do so now.

The White Rim Road is a checked Bucket List trip. Campsites and a road permit have to be pre-booked months in advance. We drove this 100 mile long primitive road with friends Paul and Sue who drove their Jeep, and Dolores in her Dodge RAM 4x4. Campsites are also primitive, which means sleeping in a tent, something I haven't done in many, many years. But I was willing to put my comfort aside for this trip of a lifetime.

	This is the Shafer Trail which is one way of accessing the White Rim Road from the Visitor Centre in Canyonlands National Park. We drove in from Moab on the Potash Road, and exited 3 days later on Mineral Bottom Trail. You can choose which direction to drive the road, just know that many sections are single-lane.
	The view from Potash Road heading towards the White Rim Road.
	Near Thelma and Louise Point and below Dead Horse Point State Park, a view of the Green River (which isn't so green here) along the Potash Road.
	It's a long way down. The White Rim Road sits about half way between the Islands in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park which is about 800 feet above and the Green River some 800 feet below. I know this photo is small, but maybe you can see our two vehicles parked in the crescent of the overhang, and some of our group standing there also.
	Setting up camp for our first night at Gooseberry Campground A. We have an amazing view of the snow-capped Manti-Las Sal Mountains at sunset. This first night was freezing, going down to 28F or -2C. And my air mattress deflated in the middle of the night so I ended up sleeping on the slickrock. All part of the experience, right?
	This rock has eroded with what looks like two hammers on either end.
	Storm clouds developed as we were setting up camp on our second night at Candlestick Campground. The sun is setting causing the red rocks to glow against that dark, cloudy backdrop. Spectacular. We did get a light sprinkle in the night, and the winds picked up, and it was still really cold, but we survived, and the scenery made it worthwhile.
	Paul in his Jeep going up the Murphy Hogback. This was on the last day and while the ascent and descent were steep, it was not extremely difficult.  Hardscrabble Hill was more scary with its tight switchbacks and steep dropoffs.
	The road had finally descended to the Green River, and we had this lovely view. We averaged about 11 mph or 18 kph overall during the 3-day drive. Much of it is very bumpy over slickrock, with some sandy stretches.
	More views from the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park showing the White Rim Road (if you can see it on the left between the two eroded canyons).
	The White Rim Road might be slightly more visible in this photo as it comes from the bottom left and skirts the eroded canyons as it continues to the top right.  Photo was also taken from Island in the Sky.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this trip, for me it was tough. Sleeping in a tent in freezing cold weather, bumping along in a pick-up truck all day, rushing to get to our reserved campsite and set up our gear before dark were all part of the adventure. I think we could have used one more day to better explore some of the side roads and hikes along the way. However, I wouldn't do it again, but I am glad I did it.  Bucket List Trip - CHECK!

Canyonlands' Island in the Sky

Snowcapped La Sal Mountains from our trailer spot in Moab, Utah

Before we head into Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district, we stop in Moab to stock up on supplies.  We decide to stay overnight in an actual RV Park - our first of the trip - so we can catch up on some internet work, do laundry, grocery shop, etc.  As we head to the RV Park, the skies become overcast and soon after we get set up it starts raining.  It rains for a couple of hours and while I'm at the laundromat, I look out the window and see that, not only has it stopped raining, but there is SNOW on the tops of the La Sal Mountains about 20 miles away.  It's a beautiful sight to see as the sky is clearing so there are now puffy white clouds and deep blue Utah sky!  It is quite mild down here in the valley, but it must be freezing up on those mountain tops!

Our campsite, ready for the horse trail ride

Outside of Canyonlands National Park, we find a great camping spot on free BLM land where a horse "ride" is being held in a few days.  When we get up on Saturday morning, there are about 20 horses and their families all around us readying for the trek.  They're all gone by the time we return from our daily hike.  Since we are basically alone here on a rocky plateau overlooking a valley, Grady gets his walks again.  The weather has turned very cold even though it's sunny.  Day temps barely reach 60F (16C?) and at night it hovers around freezing, so there shouldn't be any dangerous snakes about late in the day.  He is a good pet to walk, staying with me at all times, sometimes following and sometimes leading and always going back into the trailer when I clap my hands and say "Go" or tell him "In!" at the trailer steps.  He seems more content for having the exercise and activity.

Island in the Sky with La Sal Mtns (not a volcano)

In the National Park, there is lots to do and thankfully most of the trails are shorter than in the Needles District.  This area of the park is very different, looking more like a mini Grand Canyon.  You drive along through a meadow and suddenly, where the road stops, is a cliff 1,400 feet down to the next plateau which stretches away from you for several miles of nothing except small green bushes and reddish-brown sand and rock, and then another drop of perhaps another 1,000 feet to the Green or Colorado River, depending on which side of the park road you're on.  It's a stunning view pocked with buttes or a red-rock monoliths with names like Candlestick Tower, Turk's Head, Cleopatra's Chair and Washer Woman's Arch here and there.  Here's the run-down of our tour:

Upheaval Dome is a 2-mile wide depression in the rock seen from a viewpoint that we hike up to.  There are two theories on how this crater was formed.  One is that it was caused by a meteor whose impact deformed the layers of sediment and rock in the earth.  Another is that an underlying layer of salt left behind by ancient seas flowed up through the rock as it is less dense and forced the rock to heave up into a dome.  In both cases, nature then eroded the upper layers of rock, exposing the twisted layers that are visible today.  Whichever theory is true, the resulting piles of white, red and pink gravel framed by twisted red rock layers are intriguing.

Brad at Upheaval Dome, looking into the crater

Mesa Arch is a beautiful white rock arch on the edge of a cliff.  This is different from viewing the arches in Arches National Park only about 20 miles away - there you are typically standing on the ground or another rock formation from a distance looking up at an arch.  Here, we stand on the rock ledge to which the arch is attached, looking out at the valley and La Sal Mountains.  Because we are inside the arch and so close to it, we feel like we are looking through a picture frame.  Standing at the edge of the cliff (yes, we do that sometimes!) Mesa Arch looks like it is barely attached to the cliff face, there is such a large crack between it and the wall.  People walk out on top of the arch which would take very steely nerves for it's a very long way straight down.

Marilyn at Mesa Arch, framing the view into the canyon

False Kiva is a "secret" cliff dwelling at the end of a trail that is not on the park map.  It is considered a Class 2 archeological site meaning that park staff will tell you about it and how to get to it if you ask, but they will not volunteer the information.  A Class 1 site is open to the public and you will find these on maps.  A Class 3 site is so top secret that no one will tell you anything about it.  We are introduced to False Kiva from a book we purchased called "Photographing the Southwest, Volume 1 - A Guide to the natural landmarks of Southern Utah" by Laurent Martres.  It is an excellent book that tells us how to get to the locations, when it's best to photograph them (morning or afternoon light) and from where.  The beginning of the hike is easy but then, the path descends a rock cliff, makes a sharp u-turn and climbs back up the rocky cliff to the Kiva.  It is a strenuous climb down and then back up this steep switchback, but the view is extraordinarily rewarding.  From here, we are overlooking Holeman Spring Basin with a great view of Candelstick Tower and the White Rim Road about 1,400 feet below us.  The 100-mile long White Rim Road is a 4x4 road which requires a permit and 3-4 days to drive or cycle.  It mostly follows the rim of the lower plateau, above and east of the Green River and at the southern tip of the Island in the Sky District cuts across to wind through the plateau just west of the Colorado River.  Back in the Kiva, which archeologists believe wasn't really a kiva (native ceremonial place) at all but rather a circular dwelling, we wait for the afternoon sun to light up the cliffs and Candlestick Tower in front of us.  Another photographer and his wife arrive and we chat (they are from Alaska!) and we finally take some photos.  Then suddenly, about 10-12 other photographers show up!  Everyone wants to photograph the view in the late afternoon sun, as the photography book recommends.  This lighting provides for a warm glow off the kiva's red rock ceiling.  Brad and I hike it out of there, leaving the others to await sunset and a trek back in the dark, first down the rocky cliff, then across and back up.

Brad & Marilyn at False Kiva, view of Candlestick Tower

The Shafer Trail Road descends by a series of steep switchbacks down to the first plateau about 1,400 below the park road.  It is a nail-biting dirt road set on the edge of the cliff and barely wide enough for one vehicle, however this road used to be traveled by uranium ore dump trucks, so I guess we can do it in a 4x4 pick-up!  Brad makes me incredibly nervous as he's watching the scenery and, in my opinion, not focusing enough on the task at hand.  I, the passenger, never take my eyes off the road.  We are fortunate that no one is coming up the switchbacks at the same time as us, although there are tiny, tiny pull-offs where one vehicle can wait while the other passes; sometimes these are on the inside (against the cliff wall) and sometimes they're on the outside (at the edge of the cliff).  Surprisingly, a new model Mustang is descending in front of us.  Must be a rental or dad's car!  At the bottom, the road straightens out, but is still rough.  The Mustang lets us pass and we don't see him for the rest of the day.  This road becomes the White Rim Road (so named because the rock on which most of the road is built is white caprock) which we can see from the viewpoints along the park road on top.  We stop at Goosenecks Overlook which is a short trail to the cliff's edge where we have a great view of the Colorado River.  In fact, this is the best view we've seen from anywhere in the park!  The La Sal Mountains are in the background with red cliffs in the foreground, the river below edged by willows and cottonwoods, and in the middle the grey-green flat plateau.  Above us and just down river is Dead Horse Point State Park where the end of the movie Thelma and Louise was filmed.  Musselman Arch, another mile or so down the road, is similar to Mesa Arch except that the top of it is at ground level and the arch is below us.  Again, the arch is attached to the cliff wall where we stand so we look out through the arch to the scenery beyond instead of looking up at an arch in the red rock.  We can walk out on top of the arch as it is flat and about 4 feet wide at its narrowest point.  We meet several other people along the road, some like us just checking out the Gooseneck and Arch, but also cyclists who spend 3 or 4 days down here cycling the entire 100-mile White Rim Road.  They travel with at least one vehicle following behind them carrying water and supplies for the journey.  A permit is required.

Switchbacks going down the Shafer Trail Road to White Rim Road - YIKES!

Colorado River with Dead Horse Point above at the Goosenecks

Marilyn on Musselman Arch

Green River, Buck Canyon and Grand View Point Overlooks are all viewpoints of the plateaux and eroded formations in the "Monument Basin".  We can see southeast to the Needles District where we have already explored, southwest to the inaccessible (for us) Maze District, east towards Moab and the La Sal Mountains, west towards the Henry Mountains.  Of course, some views are better in the morning and others in the afternoon, as the changing position of the sun lights up the formations and creates shadows.  The views are incredible, solidifying Canyonlands as a truly unique and special place.

Brad overhanging the cliff at White Rim Overlook

The Monument Basin and White Rim Road - strange erosion at work

Canyonlands' Needles

Our campsite on Lockhart Rd with a view of Six-shooter Peak

After Bluff, we make a fuzzy plan to head north through Moab to I-70, then west for a few miles and back south down Highway 24 to Highway 95 to view Natural Bridge National Monument and the Valley of the Gods.  It's basically a loop from Bluff that will bring us almost full-circle.

Our first stop is Canyonlands National Park, the Needles District.  There are three districts in Canyonlands: the Needles in the southeast which is not as heavily visited because of its distance from the highway and it's one road in and out; the Maze in the southwest which is even less visited because it has only 4-wheel drive roads and hiking trails in it; and Island in the Sky in the north and the most popular district.  These three districts are naturally divided by the Green and the Colorado Rivers which meet within the park and divide it like a pie into the three sections.  One district is not accessible from any of the others, so you have to drive in, have your visit, and drive back out and around to the next district.  However, Canyonlands is a beautiful park.  We were here in 2009 for a one-day visit and managed only to drive the scenic road through the Needles District.  This time, we will hike the trails and spend more time soaking in the spectacular views in at least the Needles and Island in the Sky districts.

Because we are somewhat remote where we camp, we let Grady out of the trailer for walks.  However, one day he chases something out from under the shrub next to our trailer.  I see it out of the corner of my eye and realize it's a small snake!  I grab Grady, who tries to outrun me by circling the tiny plant the snake has coiled up in the middle of, and I hear a rattle!  Yikes!  The stupid cat wants a rattlesnake.  I manage to grab Grady and put him in the trailer.  The snake is only about 8 inches long and as big around as my finger.  We later learn from a park range that it's a Midget Faded Rattlesnake and definitely poisonous; would likely have killed the cat because of Grady's size and the amount of venom injected.  It would only make us sick.

Grady's Midget Faded Rattlesnake

Climbers are popular in Canyonlands because there are so many vertical ridges and mesas.  These are a very dark reddish-brown and usually covered in "varnish" - a dark staining from high concentrations of iron oxide in water runoff.  In this varnished rock, you often can find petroglyphs which are ancient drawings and symbols chiseled into the rock.  Pictographs are wall paintings and can also be seen here.  Like much of the southwest, nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers inhabited these areas from 8,000 BC to 500 BC.  About 2,000 years ago, people began to farm crops and keep livestock.  They are known as the ancestral Puebloan (formerly Anasazi) and Fremont people.  They lived here from about 900 AD to 1,200 AD.  These are the people who built the dwellings and ruins we see on cliff walls.  It is not known why they left; it is thought that persistent drought was the cause. In more recent years, ranchers used this parched, unforgiving land to graze cattle and their evidence is everywhere.  Many horses and cows are still here today.  Some areas also experienced mining booms (and busts).  But everywhere, there is history - cultural and natural.

Marilyn overlooking the Needles

The Needles District is full of rock formations called - surprisingly - needles.  They are formed in the red and white striped sandstone by water and wind erosion.  There are several long hikes here in excess of 8 miles.  Brad and I max out at about a 7 mile hike, especially if there is a big elevation change.  Remember, if you go down into a canyon, you have to come back up; and vice-versa!  After a long chat with the ranger at the Visitors Center, we decide to take two hikes (on different days): Chesler Park Viewpoint (6 miles) and Squaw Canyon/Big Spring Canyon loop (8 miles).

How does a rock balance like that!?!

The Squaw Canyon trail meets Big Spring Canyon trail about 1/2 way around the loop.  Even though this trail is long (7.8 miles), we decide to tough it out!  The hike through the two canyons is pretty, but not spectacular.  However, in the very middle of the hike, to get from one canyon to the other, we have to scale up the "slickrock" (smooth sandstone which is very grippy and easy to scale) and cross the ridge between the two canyons.  The elevation rise to get over this ridge is probably about 400 feet.  We scramble up a dry water run-off (it looks more like a smooth, slow water slide), and the view from the top is magnificent.  We can see "Six Shooter Peak in the far distance, which we also have a great view of from our trailer.  It's a huge triangle of rubble with six spires on top of it at an elevation of over 6,000 feet.  The desert floor is about 5,000 feet.  Here at the top of the ridge, the rock is dark red with stripes of white and orange below.  These stripes represent the numerous times (apparently 30) that ancient seas have covered this landscape and receded, leaving behind mud or sand deposits which compact into stone with their own weight over millions of years.  But now we have to descend.  The description of this trail follows: "The route between the canyons climbs steep grades that are dangerous when wet and may make people with a fear of heights uncomfortable."  Uh - yeah!  Fortunately, it is neither wet, nor are we afraid of heights, but walking on such steeply sloped rock is terrifying, and the drop is far to the canyon below.  No railings, no cables to hold onto - nothing!  But we survive and actually feel exhilarated.  We did it!  Walking through Big Spring Canyon is prettier than Squaw Canyon, but by mile 6 I just want to be back at the parking lot!  The entire hike takes us almost 6 hours, although we stopped along the way for lunch.  AND, right before this hike we took a short 1-mile hike just after sunrise to get the best photos of the Needles.  So it's been a long day and we've tallied almost 9 miles of hiking - beyond my limit!

Taking a break before climbing up near the peak to cross this ridge

This is steeper than it looks and quite scary!  Called "slickrock"

Red rock formations in Chesler Park

Ahh, Chesler Park.  It's "only" a 6-mile round trip hike with fantastic views of the Needles and Elephant Canyon throughout the entire trek.  There are a few spots where we hike through a narrow split between two humongous rocks just barely wide enough for our shoulders.  we look up about 100 feet to the full height of these rock walls.  Wow!  There is also a lot of scrambling up and down water runoffs, some of which are smooth slickrock and others are thin layers of red clay hardened into rock at a 45 degree angle.  To get to the Chesler Park Overlook we have to hike up and between two needle formations through a steep pass where the wind just whistles through.  At the top, we see the expanse of a valley surrounded the red and orange sandstone needles and spires eroded at different levels.  Some are still tall and others have eroded almost to the ground.  Even the sand here is dark pink because the rock is such a dark red colour.  Such beauty and solitude, although we see a lot of people on this hike today.  It is probably a more popular hike because the scenery is so incredible.  There are also several backcountry campsites out here and we see people at them.  All water has to be carried in - I have trouble carrying the weight of enough water for just me for a few hours.  Some of these guys are carrying 60 pounds of gear!  I prefer my tricked-out trailer!

Brad in a crevice along the Chesler Park Overlook trail

Marilyn in a water runoff on the Chesler Park Overlook trail

Our view for our picnic lunch near Chesler Park

Returning from Chesler Park, the trail climbs through a narrow pass

For the Needles District of Canyonlands, I highly recommend the Chesler Park trail from the Elephant Hill parking lot.  Elephant Hill is a-whole-nother ball game.  This 4-wheel drive road requires a permit and a beefed-up, special 4-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle, as well as a driver with lots of technical experience driving in these conditions.  Some sections require you to go up a steep incline by driving forward, then backing up the next section, then forward, then backwards, because full turns are impossible.  No thanks.  But it's supposed to be quite the adventure!

Next, we'll head to the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands to the north.  Tomorrow - stock up on supplies in Moab.