Wandering White Rim
Load up the gear, stuff the fridges, ice the coolers, and air down the tires… We are hitting dirt for a week.
It had been some time since Basil last hit the White Rim trail with a group of buds. He knew he wanted to get back out there but just didn’t know when. And he wanted to do it with fully decked out, full-sized trucks. Well, the time was now. Basil wrangled a few good buddies and planned out a trip to do just that. The dates were set, permits were in hand, and the stoke was high.
A couple fellas hit the road early to enjoy a few extra miles to and from, but the goal for the trip was to spend some time together over a couple nbights through White Rim trail in Canyon Lands National Park.
The first step was to tie in the first couple of trucks on the side of the highway heading out on day one. Headed east, and in search of the first stop, we knew there was a small event just over the border in Arizona and that would make for a great first stop as we moved towards Utah.
A simple camp and a simple dinner outside Quartzite, Arizona for a quick layover with friends.
The crew visited with some other like minded individuals, ate some chow, partook in some beverages, and told stories under the stores. Knowing it was a quick overnight stop with the plan to keep moving on, the fellas hung for a bit with the others camped out, checked out a few rigs at the meet-up, listened to a few group talks and hit the road. After the quick layover at a friendly truck camper rally, the next stop was going to be Prescott. Onward.
The crew took a quick stop on the way to their next destination. Prescott, Arizona has a special place in the heart of a few in the group. So a stop was in order to visit, pay respect, and check out all things Granite Mountain Hotshots. From the State Park, to the memorial, to the store front, and even the cemetery. One of our guys on the trip is on the Board of Directors over at the Eric Marsh Foundation and it just felt like a good stop.
After a few hours visiting some friends in Prescott, restocking the coolers, fueling up the trucks, and filling up our bellies, we carried on towards Sedona for the night. We had a great lunch here that left us really taking our time visiting and enjoying a couple beverages playing catch up. It is always a nice tactic to travel without a hard itinerary so you can adjust as needed when it feels right to do so. This Prescott visit was just that, we wanted to see a couple things, so we did. We wanted to catch up with a couple people so we did. But now it was a race against sunset to find camp in a place we knew might prove difficult with the recent changes to all the go-to options in the area.
Sedona is a wonderful place, but the camping in the area has changed significantly over the recent years with the influx of adventures out there. We did struggle to find a legit spot with our limited timing to figure it out, but we made it work and woke up to a wonderful back drop as expected. The group grabbed a couple breakfast burritos in town and hit the road once again.
The goal now was to make it to Moab, Utah for the night in order to be prepared to wrangle the remainder of the group and prep to drop into the park to start White Rim. We left Sedona restocked and filled up with the end goal of camp by sundown in Utah. We make a couple stops for fun a long the way knowing we had some time to kill but everyone was excited to land at camp and gather the rest of the fellas in the group.
There is something special about Moab. Anyone in the outdoor community understands that. Many of us in the group have spent time there previously so we tossed around some different camping options for our one to two nights needed before dropping in to White Rim. The one thing we had to consider was the fact that is was going to be shoulder season while we were there. So we anticipated town to be pretty empty, shops to have weird hours, and food options to be fairly minimal. All we needed was some place tor fuel, restock some supplies and meet up with the group. With a slow season in town comes a slow season out and about so camping was bound to be wide open.
There were plenty of destinations to stop on see along the way and we chose a few simple ones that were on the way in order to somewhat stay on track with timing and keep our eyes set on the main goal of the trip - White Rim. And you better believe we channeled our inner Forest Gump with a quick stop road side where it just felt good to get out and stretch the legs, if you know what I mean.
With no needs in town, we went looking for a spot too camp for the night while we waited for a couple more trucks to meet us that evening and with the plan to head into town, shop for meals, and top off everything while picking up one more truck before making or way as a full group towards the park.
We had the majority of the group in place by sundown where we caught up, ate dinner, told stories around the campfire and talked about the next few days in Canyon Lands. We still had more meeting up in the morning but we knew the time was getting close and it was a nice evening under the stars in the canyons of Moab to get us prepped for the next few days out on the trail.
At this point we had four Four Wheel Campers on three full size trucks. Three of the campers were flat beds and the odd ball was a slide in on a mid sized pickup. We were all thrilled to see these full size builds bounce their way through Canyon Lands. We joked about some of the tight squeezes we all knew were coming. There was also some concern about the recent weather and the potential for some narrow spots in the road with wash outs and such. But, typically we knew these vehicles would all be fine with their size and capabilities as we only expected one tight spot with the height of the vehicles. We knew we had the proper limitations down though and were confident we all would be just fine.
We closed up shop well after dark and caught some sleep before another big day ahead.
We woke up in the canyons of Moab and had a slow morning knowing we had a full day to wrangle one more buddy and go as a group to shop for meals and any needs for the trail. We had five trucks, five people, and doing 3 days on the trail. We would pop back out on day three and continue on from there.
On to the next!
With the chore and errand day complete and all five trucks in tow we wanted to get a jump on the following day entering the park so we found camp along the route to Canyon Lands to help cut out the wasted time the following morning. The spot we chose was wide open, had no one around, had great weather, good landscape, and a wonderful view of the stars. It made for a great night and the guys hung around for dinner and a fire before hopping into the campers to catch some rest before the next few long days. When you enter the back country like we were for a few days, there is always the unknown that creates a little anxiety and sense of adventure. The what ifs? The do we have everything we need if? Food? Water? Fuel? How far is it again? Weather still look good? It’s all things that when prepped appropriately, take the worry away and set the plan in the just in case scenario. You just have to take the time to handle that part of any trip so you can enjoy the rest of it.
The day was here. We made a quick breakfast, packed up the campers and headed back towards the road to head into the park. We had to hit the Visitor Center first, and then it was time to air down and hit the trail. We verified passes, got a couple gifts from the shop, and set out for the multi-night section of trail. Four friends in four trucks with not one other soul in sight for days.
There are some pretty strict rules when traveling through the park and especially when camping and in a group. So if you get motivated after seeing our trip, please be mindful there are some things you may have to adjust for when setting up your trip. They make it pretty clear and easy though. Not only do you have the option to call, use the website, or google some of these, but they also have a very helpful in person experience at the visitor center before dropping into the park.
The crew bounced their way through various canyons, cliff edges, and around your typical Utah spires for hours all with the goal to hit campsite number 1 which we were so excited for. We took frequent spots with the extra time planned into our route to take photos, grab snacks, poke around, and really just soak it all up. The only time crunch we had in mind is the simple ask of setting up camp by sunset to have our little happy sesh to settle in for the evening.
We made it to camp in time to shoot some photos and experience one of the most insane sunsets I have ever experienced. A true treat!
The first night was unbelievable but it was time to move on to the next stop. Repeat day one of more amazing trail time. Winding through the trail system that had us paralleling amazing views, huge cliff edges, and tall towers and were reminded around every turn how small we really are. I repeat, not another soul in site. It was going perfect and according to plan.
After another amazing trail day it was time to follow the same rules and goals as the night prior… set up camp by sun down and enjoy the mellow evening as a group. We shared drinks, contributed to dinner, watched the moon come up and one by one our pals go down. A special evening.
Day three was meant to finish the trail, get out of the park, and the group would plan. to split in their own directions onto the next leg of their individual trips. Some were going East to get some major truck parts, some were headed east then south for another means of transport, and the rest were head back West and home to their families. But first, more unbelievable trail time.
With only a few slight hiccups, trail fixes, and pitstops, the crew successfully completed the White Rim trail linked in the middle of some other travel. Five different trucks met for one trail experience and tied in miles and miles of time on the dirt roads of Utah and beyond in the simple agreement of chasing adventure. The trip had been planned for quite some time. Some having done the trail before and others, never. The goal was to see it all and make a trip out of getting there and back. That’s what the crew did. Where to next?
