White Rim Advice

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

What's a reasonable time for someone who rides alot of road/gravel/MTB can do all day in the saddle, etc?

[EWG]

I've done it 3 times, and done both directions. I assumed the way we did it is a given, but given this:


it has to be said. One hudgely important piece of advice is don't do this. Do. a. car. shuttle. There is no reason to ride the pavement or boring part of road before mineral bottom. Either direction is fine, there is plenty of parking near the visitor's center or at the top of Mineral Bottom. Wasting any time/energy to bike the extra 25 miles of boring just strikes me as silly unless it is really important you to bike a full loop. The car shuttle is easy.

WHAT?!?! That's crazy talk! Then it's not 100 miles! This one goes to eleven!

[Danno]

If my goal was to ride 100 miles, you'd be correct.

If my goal was to ride and camp and recreate for 3-4 days in some of the most beautiful terrain there is, then you are, what's that word? Oh, yeah.





I really just wanted an excuse to use that youtube clip.

[jummo]

mrs jummo and I ride the White Rim for our Anniversary every year. Next year will be thirty!
Additionally, I used to work for a mtb tour company and we rode the rim and Kokopelli regularly.

It makes a great one day or two, three or four day. I never tire of the trip and it is always a highlight of my cycling season.

Standing out at the end at White Crack is one of the best places I have ever been.

As to tactical considerations, assuming a start at the Visitor Center, if you are traveling clockwise, danno is correct, finishing with the Mineral Bottom road and then uphill pavement isn't that awesome.

Road conditions vary from year to year. This September, there was a section of Hardscrabble
that caused major problems for people traveling counter clockwise. We encountered two groups who had to turn around. Fortunately we were descending and had no trouble.

There are a few spots where a full size truck can be a handful, but the capacity is hard to beat.
A Taco with a cap and stuff on the roof is the best in my experience. Hitch racks will take hits.
Four low and experience are key in a few sections, but overall it's pretty easy going.

jummo

[detrusor]

Our sprinter 4x4 is raised, dura tracs all around, upgraded suspension and full skid plates w a winch. Is it crazy to consider taking it on the white rim?


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[alpinevibes]

Our sprinter 4x4 is raised, dura tracs all around, upgraded suspension and full skid plates w a winch. Is it crazy to consider taking it on the white rim?


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It’s been done, but it would take some very slow, delicate driving. What wheelbase?

I’ve got a Transit 350 extended with 2” lift and Quigley 4wd at work. I’ve thought about what it would be like in that and I think it would be a massive challenge in a few spots.


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[babybear]

Good call on which wheelbase. I think that could be the make or break

[Danno]

If it's something you would consider taking on a generally mellow but very real 4wd road, then it is likely fine.

That said, as Jummo just mentioned, conditions can vary a lot. And the vehicles can take a beating. And if you're taking it as a sag for a bunch of people, even more beating. I have taken my Sequoia all 3x, and would do it again. Sure it gets beat up, and very likely coated in red dust and mud that takes months to fully come off, but to me all skis are rock skis. But the last time I went, in 2018, it had rained a bunch and the mud was sketchy, Hardscrabble (going down, heading CW) was greasy as fuck and there were some controlled slides (actually, not so controlled slides). And there were some giant and very deep puddles, lakes almost, where I just put it in low, first gear, gunned it and hoped for the best. The nicer your rig is, the more those will freak you out.

Other years, conditions were much easier, though the 4 wheeling at the top of Murphy's heading CCW was much harder the first year I did it. I like 4 wheeling, so all of this was kind of exciting, with the same little bit of fear you have before dropping into a 45+ degree headwall. But if your rig is your baby, meant to be coddled and not ridden hard and put away wet, you might not like it.

[detrusor]

We pretty much drive the piss out of it...it’s a 170

Scares me that it’s damn near 10,000 pounds in a controlled slide thoughts


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[jummo]

I would not attempt this trip in a vehicle without a transfer case (I.e. low range) transmission.
You need to be able to pull steep grades at low speeds and walk over obstacles.

We have seen inappropriate vehicles make the trip, but we have also seen carnage.

jummo

[snowaddict91]

From a quick google search, it looks like a few people have done it in a Sprinter. I haven't drove or rode it (yet), but it sounds like it could definitely be tight in your rig.

[Sirshredalot]

We pretty much drive the piss out of it...it’s a 170

Scares me that it’s damn near 10,000 pounds in a controlled slide thoughts


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That would be impressive. That Sprinter is quite a beast.

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[One (+) Sentence]

I'm looking to ride the White Rim next spring over 3-4 days -- anyone have any advice to prep for it?

Try to secure White Crack as one of your campsites.

[MakersTeleMark]

It's 2020, there is youtube.





I wouldn't blink taking a subaru on it. And, yes, I've been there.

[detrusor]

From watching those we’ve driven way sketchier roads. I don’t think I get under the overhang though


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[Danno]

From watching those we’ve driven way sketchier roads. I don’t think I get under the overhang though


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those videos make it look more mellow than it is. and as noted above, conditions are different year to year. If we had taken a Subaru in the last time I was there (which again, is against the rules, you are required to have a 4wd with low gear), the Subie would have been left down there. Unless it was a James Bond amphibian model.

[EWG]

If my goal was to ride 100 miles, you'd be correct.

If my goal was to ride and camp and recreate for 3-4 days in some of the most beautiful terrain there is, then you are, what's that word? Oh, yeah.





I really just wanted an excuse to use that youtube clip.

But ... but this one goes to 11...

[CovertM]

If someone were to do this totally unsupported/solo......how would you do it? Do the entire loop ahead of time as a drive in the truck and stash water/dehydrated food every 25 miles?

What bikes are people running? A 29er long travel MTB ok with very fast rolling tires and running the suspension very stiff for the long smoother sections?

What's a reasonable time for someone who rides alot of road/gravel/MTB can do all day in the saddle, etc?

I did it a few years ago (Just looked, May of 2012) when in fairly good MTBing shape and did it clockwise (Park at top of Mineral Bottom, ride Mineral Road to Shafer entrance, drop down, ride loop, climb out mineral bottom). Took 8hours moving time, funny story: The guy I did it with had gotten food poisoning the night before but said he was fine the next morning, dropped into Shafer and he immediately turned white as a ghost. My Garmin had 11+hours of Elapsed time from me waiting for this guy to catch up, his girlfriend met him at the bottom of Mineral Climb and he quickly hopped in for the ride out, took some discipline on my part to not get in that truck.

As for water, his GF hiked down Gooseberry (I think thats what it is called) and met us with a water re-supply. That was fairly early in the loop so didn't really need water but started light and topped off there for the rest. I think if you had support someone could also hike down and stash water at Murphy's. Even if you didn't have support hiking down one of these points and stashing water would be way faster than driving the whole loop.

I'm sure it's a beautiful ride, but doing it in a day took away any chance of really soaking in the environment. It's pretty much a head down slog on two track all day. I've been meaning to get back and do it again on a multi day trip with a fun group to really enjoy it.

As for bike, I did it on a Steel HT 29er with 110mm up front. Don't ask why.

[Danno]

Looks like they changed the permit system for this upcoming year. Anyone got the lowdown on the new system?

[Danno]

So I did some researching. Looks like they will be releasing in 3 month blocks, all at the same time/date, 8am MT. The previous system was annoying AF because you had to stay up till midnight on 3 consecutive nights (if you needed 3 nights of camping) but if you did that, it was pretty easy to get reservations. This seems like it will be easy to get locked out of anything.

[EWG]

So I did some researching. Looks like they will be releasing in 3 month blocks, all at the same time/date, 8am MT. The previous system was annoying AF because you had to stay up till midnight on 3 consecutive nights (if you needed 3 nights of camping) but if you did that, it was pretty easy to get reservations. This seems like it will be easy to get locked out of anything.

This is a good PSA. Thanks. When does the next 3 month block come out?

[Danno]

This is a good PSA. Thanks. When does the next 3 month block come out?

I don't know for sure, all I know is that the Fall dates (what I am interested in) come out May 10.

[grskier]

I don't know for sure, all I know is that the Fall dates (what I am interested in) come out May 10.

Thanks for doing the research. We were thinking about a fall trip with the kids.

[Danno]

Thanks for doing the research. We were thinking about a fall trip with the kids.

have you done one with your kids before? We've been planning on (or talking about would be more accurate) the next one being a kiddo trip, but that is new territory for us. Kiddo will be 10, decent biker but not hardcore and kind of a wimp when it comes to endurance, so surely would need a lot of car time. Thinking one family per car, maybe, but that makes it hard to get adult biking time.

[Canada1]

I’ve ridden Moab a lot with kids. For me, camping with outings to Klondike or big Mesa, etc., are more fun than white pine. My kids would be pissed at me if I made them go ride a Jeep/ gravel road with occasional sand..