ROUTE № 10 Statewide flagship Dirt Photo slot · img/rides/white-rim.jpg

White Rim Road

A hundred dirt miles on a sandstone shelf a thousand feet above the Colorado.

100-mi loop mi
Dirt
4,400–6,000 ft
Mar–May, Sep–Nov
1 long day or 2
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The route

Island in the Sky → Canyonlands NP

Route line traced from OpenStreetMap — the real GPX drops when we ride it with the GoPro.

Element 01

Shafer switchbacks

The descent off the mesa — 1,500 feet of graded ledges that look impossible from above.

Element 02

Musselman Arch

A stone catwalk you can walk (not ride — park rules and basic self-preservation).

Element 03

Murphy Hogback

The steep, ledgy climb mid-loop that sorts the group photo order.

GoPro run — in the queue

Every route on this guide gets ridden and filmed by the shop. This one hasn't had its camera day yet — it's on the Saturday list, and the footage drops right here when it happens.

Video slot · swap this block when the white-rim footage lands

The dossier

Why this road.

The White Rim circles Canyonlands' Island in the Sky mesa on a bench of white sandstone, with the rivers a thousand feet below and the mesa a thousand feet above. It's a hundred miles of committed backcountry — day-use permits required, zero services, real exposure at spots like the Shafer switchbacks and Murphy Hogback — and it is the single best thing you can do with a dual-sport in the state. Spring and fall only; summer out here is an oven with scenery. Carry more water than feels reasonable, then a little more.

Machines for this ride

Street-legal dual sports and ADV bikes with real tires. Permit first, bravado second.

See the floor

Fuel & logistics

Moab. Nothing on the loop — 100 miles self-supported.

Gates, weather and closures change — check conditions before you ride. Ride your own ride.

Ride it with us

We ride these on Saturdays.

The shop is the trailhead. Text us and we'll tell you when the next ride-out rolls — all machines, all paces, zero judgment about how long it's been.

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