The White Rim Trail is a 100+ mile mountain bike trip that should be done once in a lifetime. Few things are as amazing as this experience. Most do the trip in 3-4 days with a group of 15 people. Some over the top, fit, experienced mountain bikers can accomplish this in a day. That is not recommended nor advised.
Taking four days to mountain bike the White Rim Trail will change your life and inspire you in ways you could never anticipate. It is an experience of a lifetime. This trip can take years to win the lottery for, but if you get it, you will be over the moon. It will take a ton of careful planning to execute this adventure, but worth it!
What Makes It Great
Few adventure are as glorious as a White Rim Trip. It is strictly permitted to keep the place from being overrun and you must have the permit with you at all times. A permit is coveted and can take years to get. There are commercial outfitters whose trips you can sign up for and not have to deal with any of the logistics. If you get a permit, you will want to read every website, blog, article and reference you can find of all the things that went well, and what went wrong on other’s trip. The stories themselves are worth the time… sometimes things just do not go right. It is a magical experience to do a multi-day bike ride through this incredible landscape and it is a uniquely Moab experience.
The mountain biking is advanced in skills and for endurance. Drivers will also need to be proficient as some of the driving is spicy if you are not used to taking your car into the wilds. Campsites are well placed from each other to allow privacy. There are bathrooms available at campsites but no potable water. Everything you bring with you, you leave with. This is an extreme leave no trace experience, as there is so much traffic, you do not want to ruin it for others.
Who is Going to Love It
The White Rim trail is a magical experience IF you are fit, a skilled mountain biker and you are prepared. There is no cell phone service. Rescue of vehicles and people are long expensive experiences. Towing charges will exceed $1000. Your vehicle needs to be adequate. If you are a beginner mountain biker, this may not be your thing. If you do not love camping under the stars with no one around and would rather be in a restaurant with linens after a hot shower, do not do this. Be careful in inclimate weather.
