I recently went on a trip to one of my favorite places in the world- Canyonlands National Park. Specifically the White Rim Trail. I was along for the ride to bike and shoot photos, as Holiday is looking to update their website with "current-looking" bike content. For those that haven't been there, the White Rim is a 100 mile (roughly) loop around the Island in the Sky District of the park. Imagine looking down on Canyonlands from above. The Green and Colorado Rivers form a big 'Y' in the middle of the park, continuing on as the Colorado River after the Confluence (bottom part of the Y). Island in the Sky is the 1/3 of the park at the top of the Y, in between the Green and Colorado. The White Rim roughly follows the edge of this triangle. The White Rim gets its name from the white sandstone layer that lines the majority of the rim, contrasting nicely with the red rock of Canyonlands. Originally put in place in the 1970s by uranium miners, the White Rim Trail is now one of the best multi (or single, if you're ambitious) day bike trips around. The camping is pretty plush as well. Camps are established, with well maintained pit toilets. The road is rugged, but accessible by a high-clearence 4wd vehicle, so you can carry your whole camp setup and trade off driving and biking. The Holiday Expeditions bike van trundles along behind all of the riders, carrying all of the gear, food, water, and other acoutremonts needed for four days. Pretty nice way to camp if I do say.
Four days, 87 miles, 2,000 photos, one brutal windstorm, and countless good memories. I can't wait for the next one. Until next time, Canyonlands...
Often times you're riding right on the rim.
Sunrise on the last morning from Airport Campground.
