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The White Rim Trail, Canyonlands National Park

15K views 56 replies 26 participants last post by  Old Cruiser 
#1 · (Edited)
I joined this trip late in the planning as the final member of the 6 FJ crew to travel all 93 miles of the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park. With Old Sarge being the trail leader, we set out on a great adventure. During our travels, we stopped as often as possible to enjoy and savor in the surroundings.

For most of us, this was completely new. The views included arches, overlooks, buttes, towers, rivers and of course a white rimmed canyon so named for its white edged rock that surrounds the rim.

The start of the trail has you entering the canyon via the Shafer switchbacks which is very daunting with traffic traveling both directions. Almost every car capable of being driven down the road could make it that far. After that it got dicey and that was great- no more head on traffic.


Thanks to the following forum members, wives and daughter for sharing these moments with me

Old Sarge
I_Fix_U_Up (with daughter)
Primer
blkhwk (with wife- Poison Ivy)
TxFJ85

So sit back and view the White Rim trail from your computer…

-OC (Narrated by Marky Mark :jester::jester::jester:)
 
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#2 · (Edited)
At the Visitors center, we tried to herd Chipmunks… It wasn't successful…



One of the many tippy looking rocks you could stand on for photo ops.



Were on our way





The Shafer Switchbacks




There is nothing to photograph here… LOL



Reflecting



Mushroom rock (our unofficial name for it). First you have to get to it. Some were easy with heights. Others like me were not but we all made strides to get closer to the edge throughout the two day trip





Some just like exercise…



Looking for the right shot



I found it!



So what does the official photographer decide to do for the 1st organized shot? The captain Morgan of course!!



Me with Old Sarge



The switchbacks



Being the photographer meant saying behind to get the shot. Thats OK with me as it gave me a chance to catch other shots as well


More to follow- keep going!
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks to Ray for this shot with my camera



Loved taking shots with my FJ in them to say I was here too LOL





More breath taking views



Playing around at the precipice




Group shot (everyone). Camera on 10 second delay with the tripod being my front hood



From Musselman Arch. This was a natural bridge that extended over the canyon floor a few hundred feet below. It was nauseating for me at first but I got better (Like being turned into a Newt!)



It deceptive from this angle but its out there and the drop off is unreal! I fix U Up with his daughter




OC goofing around



blkhwk and his wife



OC posing



More rig shots




More views



Nice wide shots




To the edge of the world



More coming
 
#4 · (Edited)
Artsy shot of a balancing rock



Our Campsite for the night



Tested out my 400mm f/ 2.8 lens on the canyons… this is what developed…

Primer telling what he really thinks of my moderating…


[URL=http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/SquishyFJ/media/MOAB-%20The%20White%20Rim%20Trail-%202014/CF9U7735_zps28d5c415.jpg.html]

blkhwk and his wife jumping and cheerleading (Poison Ivy was her new forum name we gave her) and Primer doing the robot

[URL=http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/SquishyFJ/media/MOAB-%20The%20White%20Rim%20Trail-%202014/CF9U7736_zpse0badb1f.jpg.html]


Sunset








The next morning we found ourselves seeing more beauty




Another walk to the edge



The view from the edge



blkhwk and Poison Ivy



Pano of the view



Couple of drop downs were exciting



B&W rock textures



Im sure Bandi will make use of this in another thread. blkhwk's wife Poison Ivy on a BFR



Does the crackrock make this butte look big? LOL



Tiny twisted tree in the making (4" high)



More views (trust me these dont do it justice)





3rd group shot- this time I used my tripod



I fix u up's daughter looking over the edge



Poison Ivy

 
#5 · (Edited)
If there is a tree and its twisted or gnarley- I'll take a photo of it. My slogan is "the deader the better"…. So this shot was me trying not to get to close to the surrounding cacti and they were winning.



Primer found this cat. Can you see it drinking from a bowl?



Some of the erosion caused these spectacularly smooth paths through the rocks to explore



Poison Ivy never missed a chance to exercise LOL



Looking through the pathway into the canyon



By this point I_Fix_U_Up and his daughter had to boogie ahead to get to Ouray. We stopped again and I snagged this shot. This is my favorite group shot. It just happened and thats why its so cool.



The erosion showed all the layers in the rock and then the rock cracked.



This Raven followed us through the entire Rim the second day. He liked Goldfish crackers LOL



blkhwk rolling along the rim



Getting flexy on the WRT



A mountain pass that allowed me to shoot each passing rig

Old Sarge and his trailer



TXFJ85



Primer



blkhwk



Artsy shot



Group shot (everyone was acting like they pulled their pistols and where firing from the hip… except Poison Ivy. She had other ideas LOL)



And were off again. One mishap on the trail was Old Sarge's trailer. The AC unit cam lose and required us to fasten it down with straps and travel slower. This ended up working in our favor as it gave us opportunities to see things that might have been otherwise missed





Small plug for a well known event that happened the same week…



More textures



This reminded me of Antelope Canyon only it was almost pure white





Ninja Spider Monkey decided to check out an over hang that was down a very steep incline…barefoot cause and I quote… "I dont trust my Crocs"… LOL



Poison Ivy said it was a long way down… I took her word for it from a much larger place to stand



Old Sarge in the crevasse

 
#6 · (Edited)
Textures of the canyon





From the edge where Poison Ivy was sitting



TXFJ85 wondering what Im taking pictures of as I snapped up my B&W shots. I added drama by making a dutch tilt



He played along and acted like he was falling…LOL



What I was shooting. Looked almost like wood



Up, up and away… Just leave me here to get the shot…. No wait up! LOL



Thats a huge butte (lol)- Actually its Junction Butte



Riding up the Hogback



Why its called the White Rim. The edges were made safe by alerting all those who stumbled across this area that once your in a white zoned area- your next forward step may be a doozie lol



Wait… What is he taking a photo of? I turned and looked...



Holy crap- thats awesome!



Symmetry in nature



Another bad ass tree just waiting to be shot! Looking sexy for the camera. Trees make excellent models



Coming down the Hogback. Candle Stick Tower is off to the right









Wide angle of the same shot from above



Turks Head surrounded by the Green River. This took my full frame camera and 10mm to get the whole thing in one shot!



Young love at Turks Head



Candle Stick Tower (right)



Storm coming in



An archway in the making



Big storm coming



More to follow- keep going!
 
#7 · (Edited)
On the way out of the WRT I noticed the storms off in the distance. Its was magical to see both the tall clouds and the Buttes being washed



Heading out of Moab I found this- Wilson's Arch



Hope you enjoyed the views. I sure did and would recommend the trip to anyone. You can run the whole thing in a stock FJ but will need 4wd on the steep inclines which have soft footing.

Its funny though looking back. Sitting around watching all the lightening storms that night camping and laughing so hard my sides ached the next day. It was great to just hang out with such a fun group of folks and make fun of each other and ourselves, while the realization hits you that your sitting in a canyon thats been formed for longer than we as humans have been in existence. In the end, were just like my boy Blue said- We all dust in the wind…

End Narration by Marky Mark- Cue "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

:jester:
 
#14 ·
Thanks Jess. Its always a privilege to see such beauty and very hard to capture it in a way that convinces the viewer that what they are seeing in a 2D format is so breath taking in actual 3D.

Awesome...Period, no need for me to post any pictures here. Couldn't agree more about hanging out and laughing the night we camped. It was a privilege to go on this trip with everyone. Well maybe one or two of a nice Iceburg FJ on the trail.


Thanks Buddy. I had a blast meeting you and everyone else. Great memories for sure- Hope the photos brought you some smiles :)

G'Day Alex.
Sweet photography. as we have come to expect.... :lol:
looks like a great trip...
Cheers
Baz
:blueblob:
Baz- It was a pleasure meeting you in Ouray at Summit and an honor to have you wheel the CR. Wait till you see those pictures :)

One of my favorite areas. I found the White Rim Trail Switch backs unaware, a good learning experience.

Great pictures and as a bonus it looked like you had fun.
It was awesome- hope my pictures brought back some memories

Just awesome! !! Freaking awesome
Thanks buddy! :smile
 
#10 ·
Awesome...Period, no need for me to post any pictures here. Couldn't agree more about hanging out and laughing the night we camped. It was a privilege to go on this trip with everyone. Well maybe one or two of a nice Iceburg FJ on the trail.


 
#16 ·
You both were awesome to wheel and hang out with. Hope to see ya around sometime in H-Town
 
#17 ·
And don't worry about what Curtis said, we all enjoyed your endless talking that kept going and going and going.... :)

Oh and who could forget primer with his head lamp on while driving in the dark! o_O

And marky yelling for help in the wind storm and primer replying back with "we're all a lil busy!"

Btw. Poison says "Curse you and those chocolate twinkies. They were delicious!"
 
#19 ·
I so wish I could Triple like this post!!! LOL- I dont talk much either… :rofl: :jester:

Good times!

Love the photos! Thanks for sharing. Last year when we were there, my wife would NOT do White Rim Trail. Your captures show the beauty and ease of the trail, which may help me change her mind. I hope your photos do the trick!
Awesome! The only tricky parts were the entrance and exit on the switchbacks. Basically a piece of cake considering Old Sarge did it with a camper in tow. It really is incredible.
 
#18 ·
Love the photos! Thanks for sharing. Last year when we were there, my wife would NOT do White Rim Trail. Your captures show the beauty and ease of the trail, which may help me change her mind. I hope your photos do the trick!
 
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#21 ·
I would agree. There were hidden culverts that snuck up on me and BAM! no more fender plastic… :lol:

I guess I didnt need a windsheild washer bottle anyways :rofl:
 
#22 ·
Dang ! Those are great photos. Looks like a good time was had by all. :rocker:
 
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#23 ·
Thanks Woodsman. I try to capture the essence of each shot. Sometimes I push the sliders in post processing a little further but in the end- a 2D photo; no matter how great, fails in comparison to the real thing.

Now just imagine when I get out to the trails in Moab next year with my camera :)
 
#24 ·
This one is for TxFJ85. But I still see OC dancing...
 
#25 · (Edited)
#26 ·
Followed by ….




Dude my tents gone!!!


Cause tent stakes are for wusses :lol:
 
#27 ·
Awesome shots! I especially liked the 2 sunset shots. Looks like they picked the right man to be trip photographer.Soundks like you had a great trip. I did this with my brother about 15 years ago right after a big thunderstorm came through and filled all the washes with water. Quite a few people got stuck trying to cross.
 
#30 ·
I think we made it out just in time

Very Nice! Many thanks for taking the time to take and post such spectacular pics. Glad you Folks had a fun safe trip.

It was great and thanks



I want to apologize for being so late for adding my 2 cents! First I want to thank this group for coming together. Most folks on this trip didn't know each other before meeting here. I would like to thank Alex for him volunteering to be the official photog for the run! After a directional change and relocating our camping site with the ranger station we were off! Also want to throw out that the ranger staff at Canyonlands NP were outstanding on this trip and were very willing to work with us on relocating out campsite. Another tid bit was that we helped Primer somewhat get over his fear of heights! Also a note of thanks to Dan for helping me secure my A/C unit and everyone else for yelling at me when it came loose! ;)

This did cause us to run slower than expected but, I think everyone enjoyed the stops and the scenery this provided us with. This trip is technically doable in one day, but my personal opinion is that you are foolish to do so. This trip would be 11-12hrs for one day and you would miss so much! If I do it again I plan on doing it for 3 days and camping 2 nights. On this trip you really do need to stop and smell the roses....ok stop and explore some. Some of the pics taken where only found by stopping and getting out of the vehicle and walking around. One area we went to was so that I could walk out on a ledge and we found a few things to take pictures of. Also Poison Ivy was added to my will for my truck and camper if I fell off the ledge! :surprise While I couldn't get Primer out on the ledge he did make good strides in getting over his fear of the edge. :grin

Old Sarge >:D
Here here! :rocker:
 
#29 ·
I want to apologize for being so late for adding my 2 cents! First I want to thank this group for coming together. Most folks on this trip didn't know each other before meeting here. I would like to thank Alex for him volunteering to be the official photog for the run! After a directional change and relocating our camping site with the ranger station we were off! Also want to throw out that the ranger staff at Canyonlands NP were outstanding on this trip and were very willing to work with us on relocating out campsite. Another tid bit was that we helped Primer somewhat get over his fear of heights! Also a note of thanks to Dan for helping me secure my A/C unit and everyone else for yelling at me when it came loose! ;)

This did cause us to run slower than expected but, I think everyone enjoyed the stops and the scenery this provided us with. This trip is technically doable in one day, but my personal opinion is that you are foolish to do so. This trip would be 11-12hrs for one day and you would miss so much! If I do it again I plan on doing it for 3 days and camping 2 nights. On this trip you really do need to stop and smell the roses....ok stop and explore some. Some of the pics taken where only found by stopping and getting out of the vehicle and walking around. One area we went to was so that I could walk out on a ledge and we found a few things to take pictures of. Also Poison Ivy was added to my will for my truck and camper if I fell off the ledge! :surprise While I couldn't get Primer out on the ledge he did make good strides in getting over his fear of the edge. :grin

Old Sarge >:D
 
#31 ·
It's been about 5 years since we 'accidentally' came upon (what my husband termed) White Knuckle Rim road. lol. I had forgotten how beautiful it actually was !! Fantastic photos !!

Old Sarge - we also have a trailer now from Skersfan. Did you hit any obstacles with trailer taking it on this road or was AC just loose ? We'd love to pull our trailer on this trail but don't want to get stuck mid-trail and have to turn around because it won't make it without damage. What's your advice ?

Wish we were closer and could do this trip again sometime soon ..... photos make us ready to go back sooner than later !!
 
#36 ·
The last switch backs were a little white knuckle but otherwise an awesome run.

I cant answer for Old Sarges Trailer but it seemed to just come loose as we were traveling down a section of road. One of the guys noticed the top moving. Secured it with a strap and used a tarp folded up to keep it steady and off we went.

Great photos. My wife and I are considering doing the White Rim trail next year before the Summit. Moab is beautiful and we hope that a group can be gathered in 2015.
Thanks- beautiful landscape- very different than the typical Moab trails

:laugh Yep there you have it folks, a little Mark just makes everything better. :rofl:
Don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more....... :laugh I think our wrt trip turned into a concert more than anything! BTW awesome shots OC!
We had an awesome time. The music just added to the whole experience. Great hanging with you on the WRT and hope to again. Great times :bigthumb:

Thanks again, Brother. Phenomenal.

Thanks buddy! :cheers:
 
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