The White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park is among the most celebrated and sought-after mountain bike rides in Utah. Some friends and I recently rode the trail over four days and three nights and had an incredible journey.
On the second day, the longest stretch lay before us. There was 28 miles to ride, split by the steepest hill on the trail, Murphy’s Hogback. The morning started out clear and sunny, and with the Hogback in mind, we loaded up on a big breakfast before packing up and heading out.
The weather was much better on the second day. It was warm, the sun was out, and there was only a little wind. We rode along the canyon rim, stopping now and then for pictures or to wait for the support vehicles to catch up so we could switch out drivers or grab a bite to eat from the cooler. Up until Murphy’s Hogback, the trail was gentle with rolling hills, fun rocks to jump over, and smooth, packed dirt only sometimes interrupted by a patch of deep sand.
Then there was Murphy’s Hogback. The uphill began with some steep switchbacks to the top of a small cliff band. After expending the energy to reach this point, the real test, the Hogback, rose up. It was steep, with loose rocks, obstacles, and sand that all conspired to spin out a back tire and take away any momentum. We made a contest to see who could go up the furthest without stopping. We all failed around the same spot, bested by the impossible incline, rocks under spinning tires, or a lack of any sort of lung capacity.
After a combination of riding and hiking up the remaining section of the Hogback, we were rewarded with the greatest view of Canyonlands yet. The landscape was a colossal panorama of canyons, rock formations, crimson towers and deep washes all a thousand feet below. After taking far too long soaking up the sights, we bombed down the backside of Murphy’s Hogback to the slick rock of the White Rim.
We had to make good time as the day was once again getting late and we had dozens of miles to go. But there was one more stop we had to make: Black Crack. One of the most fascinating geologic features on the White Rim Trail, Black Crack is actually a fissure that is so deep you can hardly see the bottom. We were lucky enough to keep our eyes open for it as it is hard to spot from the trail. We spent several minutes exploring around the crack, yelling down into its echoing walls and tempting fate by jumping over it.
Once again, we spent too long gawking at the landscape, so we rode as fast as we could to the Candlestick campground where we arrived just before sundown. Exhausted and sunburned after the long day, we nursed our saddle-sore bodies with pasta dinners and beer and stayed up late talking under the stars. Day three was only hours away, but it was supposed to be a shorter, easier day. Little did we know that the weather had other plans for us. . .
If you go: Permits have to be reserved a year in advance to secure the best camping sites in the spring or fall when the temperatures in the desert are mild. The White Rim Trail is 100 miles long (80 if you use shuttle vehicles to cut out the paved road) and is best done in four days. You will need support vehicles to carry food, water and camping gear. There is nothing technical about the ride, but the distance and several steep hills require riders to be in good shape. It gets cold at night, so winter clothing is recommended.