White Rim, Canyonlands National Park

[yellow]

I forgot to ask: were you a good girl and will be invited back?

OF COURSE I was good! I even cooked a meal and made strawberry shortcakes!

A group of my girlfriends and I have been talking about doing that ride for years. We really need to get off our collective a/*es and do this. That's looks beautiful.

I guess it's not that easy to get a permit. The people I went with ended up buying someone else's permit. Just apply and then if you get it you have no choice but to go (or to sell your permit to me ...I have a friend with a Trooper that would love to go ride the White Rim...)

[emily_in_nc]

That looks like SUCH fun mountain biking! My DH and I hiked in the Needles district of Canyonlands last spring and absolutely fell in love with it -- it was our favorite of the 6 national parks we visited on that trip. I'm envious!

Emily

[Trekhawk]

WOW Yellow what a great batch of pics. Im so jealous I love Utah.

[Shiraz]

Love the pictures Yellow. Sounds like a great trip. Amazing country! Nice work on the strawberry short cakes

[han-grrl]

we just got back from Moab...sigh...

[Pedal Wench]

We hiked to Murphy's Hogback a few years ago and enjoyed watching the vehicles try to climb it - can't imagine riding it! Seriously, we talked about riding the whole thing. I'm a beginner mtb'er, but endurance road rider. I know I can do the mileage, but worried about how technical the trail is. How would you rate it? I always thought that if a vehicle could do it, it can't be too technical. What do you think after doing it?

[yellow]

We hiked to Murphy's Hogback a few years ago and enjoyed watching the vehicles try to climb it - can't imagine riding it! Seriously, we talked about riding the whole thing. I'm a beginner mtb'er, but endurance road rider. I know I can do the mileage, but worried about how technical the trail is. How would you rate it? I always thought that if a vehicle could do it, it can't be too technical. What do you think after doing it?

Murphy's was not the toughest climb, though none of us (even the very talented folks that we were with) rode the very last pitch clean (we rode counterclockwise, so we came at it from the west). It's super steep.

It's not a technical ride but a couple of the climbs are stiff. There is some some sand that most people walk through (not a lot) and a few other little technical spots that I walked (I'm not the greatest mountain biker). Water is an issue, and the crazies that do it in 1 day plan on begging water from those doing it at a more leisurely pace (so expect to be asked for water). I'd say 2 days is doable by most in-shape folks, but another day is nice so you can spend some time sight seeing and playing around (we did 3 days). I don't think I would have had as much fun if we'd had to hammer it out in 2 days. Most people ride clockwise, but I'm glad we didn't as that climb up Hardscrabble looked brutal. (Coming down it was spooky at times because it has so steep in a few places that you couldn't see what was beyond the hill or corner.)

You should just do it!