Since there are 19 photos in my off-road trip write-up (and TDR only allows 10 per post), I will split this into two parts. Also, my upfront apologies for this not being an all Dodge off-road excursion, so be forewarned that there were two Ford F-350 diesels along.
Here is part 1:
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After having run the White Rim Trail in years past in small 4WD vehicles (Scout II, Jeep XJ, Jeep TJ), my wife and I had the opportunity to go on this really great 4x4 trail in our '07 Dodge 3500/Outfitter Apex 8 pop-up truck camper in mid-March. We were joined by Steve & Shin Urban from California in a Ford F350/Outfitter Apex 9.5 and Ben & Tory Matthews from Louisiana in a Ford F350/Outfitter Apex 8.
The White Rim Trail is a 100+ mile long 4x4 trail in the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah near Moab. What in part makes this rugged trail so special are the truly scenic backdrops of red rock cliffs, canyons, and rock formations along with the Colorado and Green rivers, and the La Sal Mountains to the east.
We started out on 3/14 by meeting at Arch View RV campground just outside of the park, and spent the night there. Unfortunately, the Shafer Trail (the usual starting point for the White Rim Trail), was closed due to significant ice in the shaded sections, so we entered the park via the Potash Road near Arches National Park on the morning of 3/15. After joining the White Rim Trail (WRT) just below Shafer Canyon, we got this shot of Steve & Ben traveling along the rim:
We then stopped at Musselman Arch. Here is a shot of Steve & Shin on the top of the Arch:
We were slated to stay the first night at White Crack camp (at the 40 mile point on the WRT). On the way there, we grabbed this photo looking east towards the La Sal Mountains:
We didn’t take any photos while at White Crack camp, but here is a shot looking back at White Crack point to the southeast as we left the next morning:
The second half of the WRT presents the most challenging obstacles for larger vehicles (as compared to the first half). Prior to getting to Murphy Hogback, here are a couple of shots of a short climb up to a shelf trail:
Here is a photo of our trucks & campers lined up on the road leading to Murphy Hogback:
And here is a shot looking southwest from the WRT. The two buttes in the distance are Elaterite (center) and Bagpipe (to the left), and both are beyond the Green River and in the Maze District of Canyonlands NP (which, believe it or not, is an even more isolated section of the park than the WRT in the Island in the Sky District):
The first big challenge is Murphy Hogback. This shot does not do justice to just how steep this shelf road is in places, but here is Ben & Tory coming up the last fairly level section:
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End of part 1 ...
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