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White Rim Road permit

White Rim itinerary

Every published mile marker on the White Rim route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one — and which permit each stretch needs. To watch dates and set alerts, go to the White Rim Road permit page.

Which permit covers this route

The White Rim. One reservation is an ordered sequence of nights at named sites, issued by reservation.

The permit is issued for a named entry point. Mineral Bottom is the one on this list.

Stops mapped
6
Across the markers
74.6 mi
Published route length
100 mi
Published ascent
7,500 ft

How long it takes: 3-4 days biking, 2-3 days 4WD. That is the figure the permit publishes — this page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.

The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.

Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.

Adding up only the climbs between markers gives 832 ft, which is a floor rather than the total: anything that rises and falls between two markers is invisible to it.

The White Rim route, stop by stop

  1. Mile 4.7

    5,321 ft

    Shafer Trail

    Dramatic 1,500-foot descent into the canyon on switchbacks carved into cliff faces

    5.3 miles · 859 ft down to Musselman Arch

  2. Mile 10.0

    4,462 ft

    Musselman Arch

    A rock fin spanning a drop beside the road. Do not walk out on it - NPS prohibits climbing, scrambling, walking or standing upon any arch in the park

    29.0 miles · 752 ft up to White Crack Campsite

  3. Mile 39.0

    5,214 ft

    White Crack Campsite

    Iconic camp with direct views of Island in the Sky mesa towering above

    6.0 miles · 71 ft up to Murphy Hogback

  4. Mile 45.0

    5,285 ft

    Murphy Hogback

    Steep, technical climb that challenges both bikers and 4WD vehicles

    21.0 miles · 1,353 ft down to Potato Bottom

  5. Mile 66.0

    3,932 ft

    Potato Bottom

    Green River access point with cottonwood shade and historic mining site

    13.3 miles · 9 ft up to Mineral Bottom

  6. Mile 79.3

    3,941 ft

    Mineral Bottom

    Entry point — the permit is issued for this trailhead

    Alternate entry/exit with boat ramp on Green River

Getting a White Rim for the dates you want

Planning the route is the easy half. White Rim dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations — they return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag watches White Rim around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.