Cross Country To White Rim Planning

[Ding gus]

Taking my mojave from central florida for a maiden offroad/camp voyage along white rim trail in march.
I rarely plan things out much, more of a play it by ear approach, but I do know that permits and reservations are required at trail/campground and Im counting on 3 nights on the trail itself.

Looking for any advice or guides on any must haves for that trip, anything from repair items, tools, to things that make the most of the trip.
If there's any specific campground/sites/overlooks to hit up too.

Currently have a full height rack with CVT RTT that Im going to drop to a half height rack (to help with the long commute)
Looking at stepping up to 35s/37s (with AEV 2" kit) as there's another event local here in florida that requires 35 min.
I'll be meeting a few other guys out there none of which have prior experience either so we're not planning anything difficult.

Thanks in advance

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[Riverdog]

I did the white rim trail with my wife in her JKUR in 2019. It was beautiful, make sure nobody going is afraid of heights. Parts of that trail are barely wide enough for a jeep. Shafer Canyon road was awesome to come down.

We did it in a 2016 4 door Wrangler Rubicon with 2.5" lift and 35s. There was nothing we couldn't handle. Pack things tightly because it's a bumpy ride and things may shift around. Bring plenty of water, and some type of canopy for shade comes in handy. Having cb's to communicate with your friends will come in handy. We brought a jerry can full of gas, which we didn't need.....but ran into a guy who was lost on a 250 dirt bike...he was out of gas. We filled his tank and helped him finish the trail. We camped at white crack, which should have been beautiful for stargazing....but of course it rained that night so we saw nothing.

There are some sections where the road is narrow and sort of on a cliff edge type , it can help to get out and look ahead to see if anyone's running it the opposite direction. If you come head to head with another vehicle, one of you is backing up etc.......

Check trail conditions online before you start in case there are sections washed out etc....

 

[Ding gus]

Thanks for the info. We are actually planning on starting at schafer canyon, my buddies and I did that on harleys and road bikes all the way to potash road....it wasn't without damage but definitely an experience. Which is what made me want to come back and do a proper trip.

Thats an excellent point about trail conditions. Are there any good apps or trail info sites I should be saving?

 

[Biggy]

Make sure you book your camp sites well in advance.

 

[SoK66]

I did it a few years ago in my former F150 STX 5.0L, which handled it like it was nothing. The truck had a rear locker that I was excited to finally get to use, but Ford has something called "Active Trac", same a Jeeps "Brake Lock Differential" (BLD) that stops a spinning wheel with the ABS functions. I never needed to use the locker. (Actually in my experience the Ford system is more effective than the first gen BLD in the JKs. A newer Jeep's BLD is most likely just as good as the Ford system.)

The F150 was the "swag wagon" for a group of mountain bikers. We did three days on the trail, running the trail counter-clockwise and camping at Labyrinth and Airport campgrounds. There were a couple pucker spots for a big rig that would be less a concern for a JT. The one I remember most was Hardscrabble Hill, which was a tight descent. I just got out once to be sure I was clear and walked it on down. Murphy's Hogback is a steep climb that you'd have no issue with in a Mojave.

My only warning, March weather in the Moab area can be unpredictable. A big snowstorm is quite possible and if you were out on the White Rim you might be there longer than planned. Late April is preferable for clear & dry and not too warm. Take LOTS of water & provisions, plan for cold, take an InReach for emergencies, and gas, though with a JT you should be cool with 22 gallons. Bear in mind you'll have about a 30+ mile drive from the nearest gas station in Moab before you even get to Canyonlands NP. On the trail there are lots of flat sections you can do in 2WD, that will conserve fuel. There are just a feew sections where 4WD LO is needed.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jcsii]

Other than standard tool kit...
App for navigation without cell service: Avensa, Gaia, Onx, etc. and download the maps.
App to ID stars and constellations.
You may not have pit toilets, so wag bags.

What is your route out?

If going the southern route maybe Palo Duro Canyon could be a camping stop. There is also small forest service campground, Echo Amphitheater in NM. That route would take you through Durango.

Valles Caldera is pretty impressive but probably out of your way.
If you had the time the drive up 550 from Durango to Ridgway is impressive.

Forest service has an interactive map that you can use to research.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/mapfinder/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/ivm/

 

[Ding gus]

Thanks for all the recommendations, its helping a lot to get things headed in the right direction. I think I've finally made progress on nailing down the trail itself. I'll be running it "backwards" from most people due to campsite availability. Registration and whatnot was a bit cumbersome on the gov website but figured it out. Theres a rather large event/marathon along potash road the week I'll be out there so had to work around that. Finally got new rack on and mounted the tent/awning this weekend. Decked system installed and working on the interior seat delete for fridge/power/storage.

 

[Andy29847]

You will not need 3 days for the White Rim. Plan for 2 and do something else on the extra day. A trip out to Chicken Corners would be a good idea.

White Rim is an easy trail. You do not need 37" tires for White Rim.

Study the park rules. There are some things like "no pets" and "a pot to poop in" that are different than many other parks.

Reservations are required for the campgrounds.

There are 2 "exciting" sections, Murphy's Hogback and Hard Scrabble Hill. The road is narrow and there is some air off the side, but the sections do not require exceptional skill or experience.

Since you are going in March, be prepared for ANY kind of weather.

My last 2 trips I've been going out and back from each end of the White Rim (as opposed to making the loop). It makes things much simpler since My wife and I travel with pets.

 

[JTdiRtyD]

While we didn't do White Rim, we were just there in Oct and did roughly 500 miles through S Utah, 70% off road.

1) The closer you are to Moab the more people there are. Be prepared for idiot tourists in vehicles that have no business being off-road.
2) Shafer is not nearly as sketchy as people make it out to be, but it is cool. Most traffic is heading down hill, so since you're running the Rim backwards be prepared to meet plenty of other vehicles as you head up (unless you decide to take Potash out towards Moab and skip Shafer, but with the event I suspect you won't).
3) Be prepared for dust getting into everything, especially with an open bed. I even found dust under the carpet in the truck cab.
4) Become plenty familiar with stowing your awning quickly. Winds come out of no where.
5) Top off fuel in Moab before heading for the trail.
7) Stop somewhere nearby the night before you plan to hit the trail. Assuming you'll be coming from the south in to Moab, Valley of the Gods isn't horribly far away and well worth the visit with plenty of spots to camp. It takes an hour or so to do the whole VotG loop, but if you enter off HWY 163 and go counter-clockwise you can turn around at Castle Butte and honestly won't miss much.
8) HWY 128 that follows the Colorado River north out of Moab is well worth the drive as well.

 

[RudeJeepin]

With 4 days/3 nights you should have plenty of time to stop at all the view points you want. I've done it in 1 day on a motorcycle, and we stopped at most spots. But we didn't do any of the side trips.
Long Canyon was fun, we went down. Up might be better for the brakes on your Jeep, but down would show off the view better.
You've done Shafer already, but what about the rest of the group?

Air down some to help with the ride. Take lots of water, extra food just to be safe, oh take more water. Trust me. Coming from a more humid region, you'll be surprised how dry Moab is. Most of the time, you'll have to make your own shade.

If you have time, go into Canyonlands. You'll be able to view alot of the White Rim Trail from above. It just helps give perspective on how huge it is, seeing it from two different levels.

Above all else, have fun and be safe.

 

[Ding gus]

Finally made the trip. Weather and trails were great. Nice and brisk at night.

 

[Ding gus]

 

[Ding gus]

Just over 4000 miles round trip. I'm a firm believer in the less planning the better, so aside from the mandatory permits/camp reservations everything else was played by ear. The jeep took it like a champ even with 38s and 4.10s (Manual) I had no issues. We did venture on some more difficult trails and had the pleasure of flipping some people right side up after they went sideways. I don't think I will change much for next trip aside from maybe culling some of the items I didn't need. CB was an absolute life saver on the freeways and GMRS was great on the trails for spotters. I definitely felt spoiled with the 38s .

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