Reservation8/10
Canyonlands Murphy Hogback A permit
Campsite permit for Murphy Hogback A on the White Rim Road in Canyonlands....
White Rim Road — White Crack Campsite Permit
Canyonlands National Park · Utah
Booked one camp per night, in order
Campsite permit for White Crack on the White Rim Road in Canyonlands.
70% of the openings our scanner caught on White Crack were gone within 10 minutes.
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White Crack Quick Facts
Permit RequiredYes
Booking MethodReservation
Demand LevelHigh8/10
SeasonYear-round - Year-round
Cost$36 non-refundable reservation fee per permit (includes the $6 Recreation.gov fee) plus $5 per person, per night. Park entrance fee is separate.
Max Group Size15 people
White Crack Permit Facts
- As of September 2026, White Crack in Canyonlands National Park, Utah requires a permit issued via reservation.
- White Crack is a high-demand permit, rating 8/10 on PermitSnag's demand index.
- The permit season for White Crack runs year-round.
- The White Crack route covers 100 miles, rated moderate.
- Cancelled White Crack permits are re-released on the booking system; PermitSnag monitors availability and alerts watchers when dates open.
Key Information
Key Dates
SeasonYear-round - Year-round
Permit Details
TypeOvernight
Booking MethodReservation
Demand Level8/10
LocationColorado Plateau, UT
Pro Tips
- •Set an alarm for 8 a.m. Mountain time on the release date four months before your season opens. That first minute is when spring and fall dates go.
- •White Crack is one of only 20 campsites on a 100-mile road, so a cancellation watch is doing real work here - there is no overflow.
- •Carry every drop of water you plan to drink. There is none on the road and no way to buy any.
- •Budget 4 hours from the visitor center just to reach camp, before you factor in stops.
- •If you are riding it, bring a four-wheel-drive support vehicle for water and gear. NPS recommends it directly.
- •Check current road conditions before you commit - high water on the Green River can close the west side and turn the loop into an out-and-back.
- •Cancel early if your plans change. The $5 per person per night fee is refunded for trips cancelled at least 3 days out, and someone else gets the night.
What to Expect
Route Details
Distance
100 miles
Route Type
Loop
Duration
2-4 days
Difficulty
ModerateHighlights
- •One campsite for the entire White Crack area, with one toilet
- •39 miles and about 4 hours of driving from the Island in the Sky Visitor Center, clockwise
- •A spur road, so no through traffic past camp
- •No potable water, no shade, no campfires and no generators
- •A hard cap of 15 people and 3 vehicles on the site
- •Murphy Hogback, one of the five steep exposed sections NPS names, waiting 6 miles further on
Best Time to Visit
Spring and fall are the seasons the whole road is built around and the seasons NPS says sell out. For White Crack specifically the season matters less than the release moment: one site, one party, and a four-month-ahead window at 8 a.m. Mountain time. If you miss it, watch for cancellations rather than switching seasons.
Hazards & Considerations
- !No potable water anywhere along the road - NPS asks for at least 1 gallon (4 L) per person per day, more if you will be active
- !Long rocky stretches, deep sand and little shade; NPS says to plan on a minimum of 10 to 12 hours of driving or cycling for the loop
- !The steep, exposed sections at Shafer Trail, Lathrop Canyon Road, Murphy Hogback, Hardscrabble Hill and the Mineral Bottom switchbacks demand extreme caution in bad weather
- !High water on the Green River can flood sections of road on the west side and make a complete loop impossible
- !A disabled vehicle out here is expensive: NPS warns of towing fees in excess of $1,000
- !Summer heat on an unshaded sandstone bench, with no water and no quick way out
Weather Forecast
Trailhead (5,000 ft)
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View full NWS forecast →Mountain weather changes rapidly. This forecast is a guide—always be prepared for worse conditions.
How to Get This Permit
1
Create a Recreation.gov account
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Have your payment info ready.
2
Know the release schedule
Permits typically release on a rolling basis. Check the specific release time for your desired dates.
3
Be ready when permits drop
Log in a few minutes early. Have your dates, group size, and payment ready to go.
4
Monitor for cancellations
If your dates are sold out, people cancel all the time. Set up PermitSnag alerts to catch openings instantly.
When to Go
Peak: March through May and September through OctoberShoulder: November through February
Conditions
The busiest season on the road and the reason permits sell out. Warm days, cold nights, and the highest chance of a full loop being drivable.
Crowd Level
ExtremeAdvantages
- +Comfortable daytime temperatures for riding or driving
- +Long enough days for the big mileage between camps
- +Every camp in the loop is usually reachable
Challenges
- !NPS says demand for overnight permits frequently exceeds the number available in spring
- !Green River high water can close west-side sections
- !Cold nights on an exposed bench
Difficulty Assessment
Physical Demand3/5
Fitness and endurance required
Technical Skill3/5
Climbing, scrambling, or specialized skills
Exposure Risk3/5
Steep dropoffs and fall potential
Navigation1/5
Route finding and trail clarity
Commitment2/5
Difficulty of bailing out mid-route
Best For
Drivers with a genuine low-range four-wheel-drive vehicle, and cyclists who have a support vehicle carrying water. NPS highly recommends a four-wheel-drive support vehicle for mountain bike trips.
Recommended Experience
Comfort on steep, exposed, unpaved switchbacks and enough self-recovery skill to deal with a stuck vehicle 40 miles from pavement.
Not Recommended For
Anyone in an all-wheel-drive crossover, anyone bringing a dog, anyone over 8 feet wide or 9.5 feet tall, and anyone hoping to buy water along the way.
About This Permit
White Crack is a single campsite - the whole camping area is one site with one toilet - 39 miles and about 4 hours of driving clockwise from the Island in the Sky Visitor Center. The White Rim Road has 20 individual campsites arranged in 10 camping areas, and this is the one with no neighbours at all.
It sits at roughly the midpoint of the 100-mile loop, which NPS puts at two to three days by four-wheel drive and three to four by mountain bike. That position, plus a capacity of one party per night, is why White Crack is the hardest White Rim night to book and the one most worth putting a cancellation watch on.
High-clearance four-wheel drive with low range is required, campfires are not permitted, pets are not allowed even in vehicles, and there is no potable water along the road. The site takes up to 15 people and 3 vehicles.
Canyonlands releases White Rim permits four months before each season starts, at 8 a.m. Mountain time on Recreation.gov, and NPS says outright that demand for overnight permits frequently exceeds the number available in spring and fall. The fee is a $36 non-refundable reservation charge plus $5 per person per night. Anything still unreserved becomes a walk-up, marked "W" on Recreation.gov and issued in person at a visitor center until 2:30 p.m. Mountain time.
The Experience
Why It Matters
White Crack is one site. Not one of two, not one of four - the entire camping area is a single campsite with a single toilet, sitting at the far southern point of the loop. On a road where 20 campsites serve a 100-mile circuit, this is the scarcest inventory in Canyonlands' backcountry vehicle system, and it is roughly the midpoint of a three-day clockwise circuit, which is exactly where most parties want to be.
The Route
White Crack sits at mile 39 clockwise from the Island in the Sky Visitor Center, about 4 hours of driving, with exactly one campsite and one toilet. It is reached off a spur, which is why it stays quiet even on a full weekend. Clockwise from here the road climbs Murphy Hogback at mile 45, one of the five steep, exposed sections NPS names on the loop, then runs to Candlestick at mile 55 and down to the Green River at Potato Bottom by mile 66.
The Feeling
You leave the main road and drive out a spur to get here, and that spur is the whole point: nobody passes through White Crack on their way to somewhere else. One party, at the end of a road, on a bench above the confluence country. After sunset there is no light anywhere and the sky does what it does over the Colorado Plateau.
Rules & Regulations
- •Each campsite accommodates up to 15 people and 3 vehicles; motorbikes and trailers count as vehicles for that limit
- •Keep all camp activities within the posts that mark the campsite boundaries
- •Campfires are not permitted anywhere along the White Rim Road, and generators are not allowed
- •Pets are not permitted, even inside vehicles
- •Your vehicle must have high-clearance, four-wheel drive with low range
- •ATVs, UTVs and OHVs are not permitted even if street legal; drones and other unmanned aircraft are prohibited
- •All vehicles and bikes must remain on designated roads
- •You may stay a maximum of three consecutive nights at a camping area before having to relocate, and an overnight permit runs up to 14 consecutive nights
- •Climbing, scrambling, walking or standing upon, or rappelling off any arch is prohibited parkwide
- •Recreation.gov books White Crack as a named campsite, not a zone - you are reserving this exact site for the night
Gear Checklist
Required
- All your water. There is none on the road, and 1 gallon per person per day is the NPS floor
- A high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle with low range - this is a requirement, not a recommendation
- Full recovery kit and a spare: shovel, traction boards, air compressor, tire plugs
- A camp stove. Fires are not permitted at any White Rim campsite
- Shade you bring yourself - a tarp or awning; there is almost none on the bench
- Printed maps. Cell service is unreliable below the mesa rim
Plan Your Trip
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Gear Checklist
Required and recommended gear for White Crack
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Key Landmarks
Gooseberry camping area
The previous camps clockwise, two sites and one toilet
White Crack campsite
A single campsite with one toilet at the end of a spur, 4 hours from the Island in the Sky Visitor Center
Murphy Hogback
The next camping area clockwise and one of the five steep, exposed sections NPS names on the road
White Crack FAQ
How do I reserve the White Crack campsite on the White Rim Road?
Through Recreation.gov, on Canyonlands' seasonal release schedule. Permits open four months before the start of the season at 8 a.m. Mountain time: spring dates (March 10 to June 9) on November 10, summer (June 10 to September 9) on February 10, fall (September 10 to December 9) on May 10, and winter (December 10 to March 9) on August 10.
How many people can stay at the White Crack campsite?
Fifteen. NPS states that each White Rim campsite accommodates up to 15 people and 3 vehicles, and motorbikes and trailers count as vehicles against that limit.
Is there water at the White Crack campsite?
No. NPS is explicit that there is no potable water along the White Rim Road, so every drop comes in with you. The park asks for at least 1 gallon (4 L) per person per day, and more if you will be active. For bike trips it highly recommends a four-wheel-drive support vehicle to carry water and equipment.
How far is White Crack from the Island in the Sky Visitor Center?
39 miles travelling clockwise, which NPS estimates at 4 hours of driving. The full White Rim Road loop is 100 miles, and NPS says four-wheel-drive trips usually take two to three days and mountain bike trips three to four.
Can I have a campfire at White Crack?
No. Campfires are not permitted anywhere on the White Rim Road, and generators are not allowed either. Bring a camp stove.
Do I need a day-use permit as well as an overnight permit for the White Rim Road?
No. All vehicles, motorbikes and bicyclists need a day-use permit for single-day trips on the White Rim, but overnight trips do not need an additional day-use permit.
What happens to White Rim campsites that nobody reserves?
They go to walk-up. Any campsite that remains unreserved shows on Recreation.gov as "W" and is issued in person at a visitor center, seven days a week, until 2:30 p.m. Mountain time each day.
👥Community
Trail Conditions
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Questions
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Photography Guide
Golden Hour
First and last light on the White Rim bench, when the low sun rakes across the sandstone and the shadows separate the benches from the canyon below White Crack.
Best Light
Night. This is one of the darkest corners of the Colorado Plateau, and the Milky Way over the bench is the shot people drive out here for.
Beat the Crowds
Only one party can be at White Crack on any given night, so once the day traffic clears the road you have it to yourself.
Classic Shots
- 📍The rim wall above camp catching the first sun while the bench is still in shadow
- 📍Your vehicle small against the bench, for scale
- 📍The Island in the Sky mesa top a thousand feet above, seen from below
- 📍Star trails over the canyon rim from camp
Can't Get a White Crack Permit?
Consider these alternatives if your preferred dates aren't available.
White Rim Road (whole-loop permit)
Same AreaThe parent White Rim Road page, covering the full 100-mile loop and all ten camping areas.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
Useful when any camp will do and you just want the trip - watching one named site is narrower but more precise.
Canyonlands Needles backpacking
Similar ExperienceDesignated backpacking campsites in the Needles District, on the same Recreation.gov permit and the same seasonal release.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
On foot rather than four wheels, and capped at 7 people instead of 15, but the same booking window and often easier to land.
Dead Horse Point Wingate hike-in sites
Easier AlternativeTent sites on the rim at Dead Horse Point State Park, looking down on the same gooseneck of the Colorado River.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
A drive-up state park with water and toilets instead of a backcountry bench, and a different reservation system.
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Where to Stay
Nearby campgrounds to complete your White Crack trip
Very HardIn Demand26 sitesCanyonlands National Park Needles District Campground
Canyonlands National Park
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Very HardIn Demand3 sitesCanyonlands National Park Needles District Group Campsites
Canyonlands National Park
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Very HardIn Demand57 sitesDevils Garden Campground
Arches National Park
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