White Rim Trail

Hi,
My name is Candice and I am new to this forum. I am looking for information on the White Rim Trail in Cayonlands National Park. I am not sure if this forum answers these types of questions, so I apologize if this topic is not relevant to the forum.

My boyfriend and I are travelling to Utah from Saskatchewan, Canada next week. As part of a longer trip we would like to drive the White Rim Trail if possible. Our approximate dates in the Moab area will be around 29th January - 1st of February. We have a 2007 Toyota Tundra with the Toyota Racing Development Off-Road Package, but other than that it is a fairly stock truck. We are both originally from Australia and have good off-reading experience from home. We have completed some of the more difficult 4x4 trails in Australia but have not attempted any in North America as of yet.

I have watched numerous YouTube videos and read many blogs of other people completing this trail. I feel confident with our vehicle and skills that we could complete this trail. However, many of the videos are from the warmer months, there are not many in January. Could anyone give some insight on what the trail conditions are typically like during January? I have also spoken to the National Park Services who have said the Schafer Switchbacks are likely to be closed due to snow cover and that we could use Potash Road to access White Rim a Trail. They also said that we would most likely have free-run on the trail due to the decreased number of visitors at this time of year (so we definitely don't want to get stuck as we are travelling by ourselves)! However, does anyone have any tips/advice on how other sections of the trail will be if there is snow cover, e.g. Murphy's Hogback and Hardscrabble Hill?

I understand that the weather conditions will be completely different between now and then, but I was just interested to hear from some other people that may have driven this trail in the winter months and what their thoughts are.

Thank you you very much,
Candice

As far as your truck goes you should be fine, I drove the trail in my bone stock 2011 F150. Handful of spots I tagged my undercarriage, but I think the tundra's ride a few inches higher. As far as conditions, winter storms can be a serious game changer. I can't offer advice on that, as I have never run the trail in the winter.

Remember this is a permit trail. So call ahead and get that. Deadhorse state park may know more about conditions and such.

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Thank you TRD270 and RogueJeeper.
I think the tundra does have a little more clearance than the F150, so that is nice to hear that you didn't have too many issues.
We will definitely get a permit before going on the trail. We are not exactly sure on the date we will do the White Rim Road based on how much time we spend at other parks in Utah and the weather conditions. After talking to the National Parks Service, it doesn't sound like we will have an issue getting a permit at this time of year. So our plan is to look at the weather forecast when we arrive in Moab and then decide on which days we will do this trail and then get the permit. Thank you for the tip about Dead Horse State Park because the Island in the Sky is closed during this month so I was wondering where would be best to call a couple of days before attempting this drive.

Welcome to RME!

I don't have trail conditions for you, but I would think your truck will be fine for the white rim trail. If you plan to access the top through long canyon you might run into some trouble. The last time I went through there is was pretty hairy.

Just make sure you take plenty of supplies in case you get stuck and gear to get unstuck. A shovel will be helpful.

At that time of the year it's purely a hit and miss situation with the weather. If it snows a lot or rains and saturates the ground just before you go, I would recommend passing on it. If it's dry, or mostly dry, you should be fine. Does your truck have a winch by chance? If not I would recommend taking a comealong and some recovery straps, just for peace of mind. I love that trail.

It's a fairly long trail. Are you going to camp over night or push it in one day?

Yes it is, about 100 miles from the Ranger station to pavement again.

Hi-jacking.. Didn't want to start a new thread.

How tight are the schafer switchbacks? Can a full size, 4 door, long bed be safely driven down and back up??

Yup. Our supercrew F150 with a trailer behind had no trouble.

Kevin B. said:

Yup. Our supercrew F150 with a trailer behind had no trouble.

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Thanks.
My wife was having a panic attack, and needed someone other than me to tell her it would be fine..

jeeper said:

Thanks.
My wife was having a panic attack, and needed someone other than me to tell her it would be fine..

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And she will listen to Kevin?

mesha said:

And she will listen to Kevin?

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I didn't tell her WHO said it would be ok.. just that it would be.

You guys share a Facebook, right? I'll be right back.

Also driven a full size on the switchbacks if you don't trust Kevin

TRD270 said:

Also driven a full size on the switchbacks if you don't trust Kevin

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How about a crew cab longbed Ram 2500? Will it fit


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I had an extended cab F150 with 6.5 bed. I still don't foresee your rig being an issue.

Oh my gosh, I think i'm going to go. i can't take this city crap any longer. I have a limited slip and good tires. i'm so tempted to go.

My wife drove most of it in a full size Suburban pulling a small support trailer for a bike ride we were on. She did have to back up once or twice to make corners on Shafers, but did okay besides that. The climb to Murphy's Hog Back can be a bit treacherous at times.

Bart said:

The climb to Murphy's Hog Back can be a bit treacherous at times.

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This is the one area where I've seen stock vehicles have big problems. Depends on the season and conditions. I would get some recent beta before going.