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Many hundreds of big horn sheep roam the
mesas. Hawks and eagles soar the
skies. Bobcats, mountain lions, and
coyotes hide in the shadows of the canyons.
All that life, all that activity, in a place once passed over as
“worthless”.
Americans of the 1990s have a much different opinion of
untamed country than did our forefathers 150 years. On the other hand, Canyonlands has changed
very little. Trails once used by outlaws
were converted to roads when prospectors began searching for Uranium. Some of those roads have been paved, most
have been abandoned, allowing erosion to wipe away all traces of their
existence. One exception, a road that
has continued to be too popular to close, is known as the White Rim Trail. It has changed very little since the Uranium
boom and completing its entire one hundred mile loop still requires the use of
a 4Wheel drive vehicle.
There are ten designated camping areas along that one
hundred mile loop. Each one contains a
pit toilet and a place to stake a tent.
It takes about a week to complete the loop on foot. A well-conditioned mountain biker can
complete it in three days. Most 4x4s can
finish it in two short days or one long one.
Since we travel in a group too large for the designated campsites, Pass
Patrol does the loop in one very long day.
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