Conquer the White Rim in a Day: A Mountain Biking Adventure for the Slightly Insane

The 100-mile White Rim Road is an unpaved high-clearance road that loops around the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. It has become one of the most popular long distance mountain bike rides in the lower 48...and for good reason! The scenery is stunning, the riding is awesome, and the experience is, well, unforgettable.

On October 3, 2020, the OTC crew and a couple friends set off to ride the White Rim with the goal of riding the entire 100 miles in a day (it turned out to be 103 miles for us…more on that later). Read all about our experience below.

White Rim Route Overview and Pacing

Looking Down the Shafer Switchbacks.

We decided to ride the loop in a clockwise direction and camp at the top of the Mineral Bottom switchbacks the night before since that would allow us to descend the Shafer Trail Switchbacks in the light and climb back up to our camp in the dark at the end of the day. Overall, we were happy with this strategy. 

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Overview of the White Rim Road Loop through Canyonlands National Park, Utah. 

We started around 7 am to wait out the cold a bit. It turns out that an earlier start may have been a good idea since it got hot as balls later in the day, but hindsight is 20/20. Good thing we packed enough water to rejuvenate bad attitudes.

White Rim Elevation Profile.

Here is the breakdown of our times for the route: 

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Pacing Overview of the White Rim Trail.

Distance: 102.61 mi
Elevation Gain: 6,942 ft
Total Time: 15:40:40
Moving Time: 11:34:36
Average Moving Pace: 8.9 mph

Start (Top of Mineral Bottom): 7:00 am
Highway 313: 9:30 am
Murphy’s Hogback: 4:30 pm
Hardscrabble Climb: 8:00 pm
Back to Camp: 10:00pm

Overall we paced ourselves fairly slow, and took long stops for lunch and to filter water at the Green River at mile 80ish. We also missed the “shortcut” to get onto Highway 313 early on in our ride, which added a couple more miles of total riding to our day. Check out the video below for a more in-depth overview of the route.

White Rim Route Conditions

The White Rim was in excellent condition for our ride. Everything was dry, and though there were substantial sections of sand after Murphy’s Hogsback, nothing was bad enough to make us want to throw in the towel. There was no water before the Green River at mile 80, however, and temps did get warm for us…between 80 and 90F for most of the day. We all packed a lot of water (Josh had 10 Liters alone, and filled up another several liters at the Green River). Next time cooler conditions will mean better attitudes.

Lunch Spot on the White Rim.

Gear We Used for WRIAD

Here is a list of the gear we used on the White Rim:

• Mountain bikes and helmets

• Biking shoes (clipless or flats)

• Backpack (under  20L)

• Padded biking shorts

• Food (~200+ calories per hour)

• Water storage (1 gal or 4L/per day minimum, more for single day push and during hot weather)

• Water filter

• Headlamp + batteries

• Bike light

• Emergency rescue device

• Bike repair kit: spare tubes, extra derailleur hanger, patch kit, allen wrenches, chain quick link

• Sunglasses and sunscreen

• Navigation (maps, downloaded on phone)

• Permit for camping

• Appropriate layers (see videos below)

• Bike pump

• First aid kit

• Chain Lube (absolutely mandatory)

Here are two videos that go deeper into the dark arts of gear nerdery:

Final Thoughts

The White Rim In A Day is one of the most well known long-distance mountain bike rides in the United States. It’s absolutely incredible and should be on every serious mountain biker’s tick list. Check out our other posts on how to plan and prepare for the White Rim, as well as our free online course!

Riding below Shafer Switchbacks.

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