1148 September 29, 2024 White Rim Trail

Our goal was to leave the RV campground by 9am.  We were ready at a little after 7:30am; eager to start this adventure.  We have wanted to do this trip into the canyon since we visited here 5 years ago.  It us a bucket list trip!

We stopped at the Maverick Station to fill the car and an extra gas can with fuel.

And we were off!

As we entered Canyonlands National Park, there was a sign that read:  No food, gas, water, or lodging available.  That’s okay because we brought it all with us!

There were a few morning clouds and a few sprinkles but the forecast was for sunshine and 93 degrees.  There was NO wait to get into the park which was a very good omen.  We made one last stop at the visitor center for the bathroom!

We took the Shafer Trail, a steep and winding decent into the canyon from 5,920 feet of elevation down to 4,480 feet at the bottom.  For thousands of years, this route was used by Native Americans to get from the Lone Mesa to the Colorado River. In the 1900’s ranchers used this path to herd sheep. In the 1950’s the Shafer Trail was used to haul equipment for mining uranium. Since Canyonlands became a national park in 1964, this road is used by backcountry travelers like us!

We made our way down the series of switchbacks and we were on our way.

Today we used:  A Naturalist Guide to the White Rim Trail by David Williams.  It was useful for determining mile markers and alerting us to what was ahead on the trail. 

We stopped to hike the short distance to the Colorado River Overlook.

We stopped again to see Musselman’s Arch.  Can you see the white rim?

Around every bend was unfathomable beauty.  To be down here in the canyon and to be surrounded by all if this exquisite scenery has left us awestruck.  The rock formations are all unique and lovely.

We met a man running this trail!  We were not sure how far he had come but he was headed to the Shafer Trail.  We checked to see if he was okay or if he needed water.  This guy had come prepared and he was running…WOW!!!

A pass through Moenkopi Rock.

Tim spotted a young bighorn sheep.  We suspect that he was a buck because he was alone.  He crossed the road in front of us and climbed onto a hill.  He gave us one last backward glance.  Later, we saw hi =m again.  He was far across the canyon and he appeared to be looking for a way down to the water source. 

Lathrop Hiking Trail goes from White Rim Road for 5 miles to the Island in the Sky.  There is an elevation gain of 1,600 feet.  You would have to be a hearty soul to hike that trail both ways. 

We entered the spur road for Lathrop Canyon.  This was a very steep and rough trail that would have led down to the river.  We elected not to go down because we calculated that it would add at least 3 hours to our day!

We passed two tall towers of rock.  Consulting our guidebook, I saw that they were Monster Tower and Washer Woman Arch.  Can you see her?

At the bottom of Gooseberry Trail, we met an Australian woman who had just hiked the 3 miles form Island in the Sky.  The elevation change was 1,400 feet.  She said that the trail was so steep that it was difficult to follow.  She walked to the edge of the canyon to admire the view and then she was going to hike back up.  She had lots of energy and a great positive attitude.  Tim told her that she was his hero.

Yes. That is the road!

Monument Basin Viewpoint had more spectacular formations.  There is an arch in the canyon.

We took the spur to White Crack Campground.  We had heard that the views from there were amazing and that you could see the Maze Region of the park and the Needles District as well. 

We met lots of mountain bikers on the trail today.  What hard work it is to pedal these sandy, rocky roads, with lots of switchbacks and climbing.  There are rock shelves and obstacles as well.  These are some tough people!

The last hill, Murphy Hogback, before our campsite, was a very challenging hill with lots of loose rock and sand.  After 44 miles on the trail, we had arrived at our camping spot.  We were just talking about how we were going to set up when 2 female mountain bikers dropped their bikes and took shelter in the shade of the rock on our site.    They had also begun their day on the Shafer Trail and they had just finished that same difficult hill that we had climbed with the Jeep.  They were spent!  Their support vehicle arrived with cold drinks and snacks.  We chatted as they recovered.  Their campsite was another 10 miles down the road.  What a sense of adventure.  We have lots of admiration for these folks.

Our campsite is amazing!

We had a terrific day.  The scenery and the ride have exceeded our expectations.  We feel so fortunate to be among the few people who have the privilege to be in this place.  We know people who would love  to be here and see this and have this experience that never will for whatever reason.  We wish that we could share this with everyone we love.  Our words and pictures are the best we can offer. 

We still had dinner and sunset and stars to look forward to!

The ground squirrels and ravens both showed up as soon as I began cooking dinner. 

We watched the erratic flight of the bats, swopping and twirling in search of their evening meal.

I went looking beneath rock ledges for critters.  I found only this lizard.  We did find evidence of some small rodents. 

The sunset was glorious!  I was a pleasant and mild evening.  We were not allowed to have a campfire but we stayed up, watching the stars pop out.