White Rim Trail in Canyonlands - Question

[AMack6]

Heading down to Moab this week to do a small portion of the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands NP. We're starting on the Shafer Trail and have a reservation for one of the campsites in Gooseberry (~30 miles in). The next day we'll depart out the same way but instead of doing Shafer we will be leaving on Potash Road. While this will be the first off roading / overlanding I've done in any car, I gather that the eastern section of the white rim trail that we'll be doing is pretty mellow. I will happily post some pictures when we return on Sunday but did have a newb off-roading question before we leave:

How much should I air the tires down (if at all) for the White Rim Trail and Potash Road sections? And I assume that there are air compressors at almost every gas station around Moab to refill the tires after leaving the park?

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[Lost_In_The_Woods]

That's a great drive! I've been in that area a couple of times and I gotta admit that I'm a little jealous. Not having a way to air back up, I wouldn't go too low. Assuming the weight of just general camping gear I would run 25 PSI. 25 PSI should soften the ride a little and not build too much heat in the tires on the drive back to Moab.

 

[WK2JT]

I’ve ran 20 for extended periods on road without issue, but legal disclaimer I’m not suggesting you do that. The Jamboree guys run 20 pretty consistently as a compromise so they aren’t constantly airing up and down. But this is with LT tires. If you’re running P tires, not sure I’d go below 25 as mentioned above. I’m sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

As for White Rim, you’re probably safe with the river crossing considering how dry it’s been. Not sure if that’s part of your 30 miles, but worth checking with the ranger station to see if it’s passable.

 

[azmojave]

20 psi is a good compromise. I usually run 15 on trails. I would suggest you get an air compressor before you go. One that clips to the battery terminals is best.

 

[JET_83]

20 psi is a good compromise. I usually run 15 on trails. I would suggest you get an air compressor before you go. One that clips to the battery terminals is best.

It’s airing down that low hard on the tires over time ?

 

[azmojave]

It’s airing down that low hard on the tires over time ?

Probably, but comfort and traction make it worthwhile. Off-roading in general is hard on tires.

 

[AMack6]

I ended up only airing down to 25. I thought some of the slick rock sections were very rough on the east side of the White rim. Next time I would try to go lower for sure. I also didn’t realize how slow of a trek it would be. Took well over 3 hours to go 30 miles to Gooseberry.

 

[azmojave]

I ended up only airing down to 25. I thought some of the slick rock sections were very rough on the east side of the White rim. Next time I would try to go lower for sure. I also didn’t realize how slow of a trek it would be. Took well over 3 hours to go 30 miles to Gooseberry.

Awesome! That’s on my bucket list.
I’m planning a trip to Capital Reef/Escalante right now.

 

[AMack6]

3 weeks ago we had another reservation at the Labyrinth Campsite on the west side of the White Rim Trail. Very different look/feel than Gooseberry, and I would highly recommend for anyone at doing a shorter trip in on the White Rim (DM me for more specific details).

A few things to note on heading in to the west side of the White Rim:

- Our campsite, Labyrinth, required approximately 21 miles of off road driving to get to (Vs. the 30 it took to get to Gooseberry for our other trip). The first 18 miles or so, was on Mineral Bottom Road, which is rated as "Unpaved 2WD" road, and is generally very high speed vs. the White Rim Trail.
- Because of the above, the trip to Labyrinth was way shorter than the trip to Gooseberry... and way less taxing.
- The west side of the trail was also sandier and had a lot less slick rock.
- Unlike the east side of the trail heading to Gooseberry, the west side of the White Rim that runs along the Green River are very narrow with few places pulloffs to allow anyone to pass. There are some sections where you have water on one side, and a rock wall to your left... and if you had to back up to accommodate someone coming the other way, you would be in for a very big (and frustrating challenge)

 

[Orange01z28]

Awesome! That’s on my bucket list.
I’m planning a trip to Capital Reef/Escalante right now.

When you're ready to go let me know, my buddies and I that did this last month are ready to go again

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