All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

I’m not really a runner but I’ve hiked 10-15 miles, a lot off trail on rocky desert terrain, in my Lone Peaks and I’m a fan. I like zero drop and I’m not a fan of squishy. I also think Hoka’s look weird but that shouldn’t matter.

 

Haha I haven't been running as much this year! I've been wearing Altras as my daily shoe for the past like year and like them. I wasn't a huge fan of the lone peak because the grip wasn't great on dewy rocks. They turned into my daily walking/light hiking shoe until they died since I was using them to walk our dog a lot. They are solid for dirt though. I really like the Topo Athletic MTN racer and Merrell Agility Peak 5. I wouldn't call either light but they are grippy and comfortable. I ran a mountain 25K with the agility peak and they were great.

Hokas are good if they fit, I find that they don't have enough volume for my foot. Normally I can wear regular width shoes but the hokas just don't fit me well whether regular or wide size.

 

Cool! I read an article about them this week, seems like one of the very few cases where an "invasive" species won't do any foreseeable damage to the ecosystem.

Dude, their bite (they almost never bite) is like a mosquito bite.

But, I get the fear. Plenty of people hate spiders, I think they're pretty cool. I won't let my wife or kiddo kill them, and even the "bad" ones we just relocate.
We had "pet" spider that lived in our basement. She had her own little corner for a few months, then we noticed more webs in corners. She somehow had a little batch of spiderlings. We let two stay, the rest went in the back yard.

 

Nope... It isn't even the bite that bothers me.

I try to leave them alone. I don't go out of my way to squish them or anything but I'm not letting one move in. I mean, maybe if he is paying rent, that could fund the next bike. LOL

Snakes don't bother me, other animals or bugs, ok. Spiders are just a big nope.

 

We used to have so many spiders in our place in Oregon but find them occasionally in our house in Utah. We'd always let them stay "as long as they keep their webs tidy" my wife would say. They do kind of pay rent by keeping the other bugs out.

 

i have maybe 20 running miles on my agility peaks from the last year (not a huge into running anymore), but they are comfortable on the "blue flow" trails i've ran with them. they're mostly my dog walking shoe now. i can't say if they get too hot, but they felt pretty warm the last couple runs i went on.

 

Anyone here ridden White Rim, or more specifically, done it in a day?

We're planning to do it the weekend of 11/1. Our group will consist of my wife (endurance mtb racer),a good buddy (competitive ultramarathoner), and me (advanced intermediate middle-aged dude). I've already warned them that we'll need to stay at my pace but I'm getting a bit worried about if I can actually complete the ride in a day. I was in pretty good shape up until a few weeks ago when I hurt my calf. I haven't worked out at all now in two weeks to let my calf heal. As we're nearing go-time, I'm getting back on the bike for some longer training rides again but wondering if I'm in for some real trouble. I've done plenty of century road rides and all day mountain biking adventures over the years, so I'm not new to big rides but it's been a few years at least. Most of my riding this summer has been a couple hour trail rides primarily focused on as much downhill as possible.

I'm thinking that I'll plan to bring some lightweight bivy gear as insurance but maybe I'm being overly cautious? Anyone have experience with this ride?

 

My wife and I rode White Rim about 5 years ago. With a guided and supported group. We rode it counter-clockwise and hit the dirt around noon, after shuttling in from Moab. We camped 3 nights and rode out a few miles of the rim and then up the Shafer Trail the last morning. So I’d say it was three days of riding and we could have done it in two, but not one. But I was in my early sixties then and I’m only average fitness. Though my wife and I were both always the first of the group of 8 or 10 people to reach the lunch/camp locations even with lots of photo and rest stops. We both did it on 120mm FS bikes and while an HT would be fine I think it would be challenging on a gravel bike, or at least more tiring. A couple of memories:
- The CCW direction had a few steep climbs but they seemed more rideable than doing some of the loose bits we took downhill, which would be climbs if you went the other way. In general, there’s a lot of elevation change. Even along the river sections there’s quite a bit of up and down.
- There’s no water. That would be your biggest load especially if you need to stay overnight. Though you could probably snag some water from another traveller, or even cache some on a motorized pre-run. Even though you see the river for most of the ride it’s not very accessible to pump and filter as I recall. Lots of mud and brush along the banks when you are close to it.
- I know you need permits and camping reservations if you stay overnight.

I’m sure there’s a lot of info online about one day rides … also check the NPS regulations.

 

I have read a bunch of reports online and talked with some friends that have done it (both multi-day and single day).

• We're planning to go clockwise on this route; starting from the top of the mineral bottom switchbacks so that we can get the mineral bottom slog out of the way in the early morning hours. This is to avoid the slog at the end and because there's nothing interesting to look at on that stretch, so preferable when it's dark out.
• I'll be on a titanium hardtail. I love this bike, it's super lightweight, compliant, and I've got a frame bag so I can get most of my weight off my back.
• I heard there's a spot to access the river near hardscrabble hill but I'm not gonna plan on it.
• We're planning on talking to some park rangers the day before. I also figure if I have to emergency bivy, no one is gonna give me a hard-time about permits...

 

I did it a couple years ago as an overnight bikepack. Rode clockwise starting from the park visitor center area. I rode about 70 miles the first day to my campsite, then the next morning rode out Mineral bottom and back up the switchbacks to my truck. I didn't get an early start (mid morning or mid day) the first day and rode for an hour in the dark to get to camp. I'm not fast enough to do it in one day, I pretty consistently average 5mph on big rides so the whole thing would take me 20hrs. YMMV. The ride isn't that hard, it's just a lot of seated pedaling.

You can get down to the Green river at Potato Bottom C to filter water. This is a few miles south of Hardscrabble. There is also a place you can get down to the river to filter before the climb out of Mineral bottom. If you can't get a permit to camp, you can still do it as an overnight by camping at Mineral Bottom outside the park boundary which requires about a 75-80mile day. Set up camp there, drive up to the top and start your ride, ride all the way around to camp, and then ride out to your vehicle the next day.

If you're not sure about being able to finish it might be best to talk someone into driving the route as a support vehicle. Then you can hop in if you need to, and you don't need to worry about water or food or anything else. For a long ride like that I wouldn't want to tell your faster friends they'll have to slow to your pace. Few things make a long ride harder than having to slow down and pace someone who is hurting or slower than you. Better to get the support vehicle and let the faster riders ride their own ride.

I wouldn't camp inside the park if you don't have a permit for that. Rangers do patrol and it makes MTBers look bad if you get busted doing it. And we'd like more access in Nat'l parks, not less.

 

haven't done it in a day. but have done it in 3. it's a blast in 3, not sure about a single day.

I woudl echo the permit problem. you'll get ticketed. we got checked on our 2nd day on the way to our last camp. maybe you can say, "emergency, please don't ticket me" but...who knows. It is a long day though so i woudl be cautious. the climbs aren't so heinous that you'll hate life but the consecutive climb after climb is...tiring. i have jumped into my support vehicle for osme of the uphills on day 3. :/

 

I did the White Rim in 2017 in 2 days. Also went CCW. We started at the Horsethief campground and went down Schafer. All the way around to Candlestick campground the first day. Second day climbed out Mineral Bottom.

The biggest hurdle of day 1 is climbing Murphys. It is long and steep. And loose. And you're getting a little tired by then. It's a *mostly* downhil to candlestick from the top.

Harscrabble is tough but the real time/energy killer is the flat section between Labyrinth and Mineral Bottom. The sand was so deep! Almost knee-deep baby-powder consistency-sand for a few (3-4) miles. This section changes constantly...maybe it'll be after-flood-stage dried mud for you?? This section was the hardest for me. A never-ending struggle when the end was so close.

I honestly don't think I would even attempt it in a day. Not my kind of "fun." Two days was tough, but mostly enjoyable.

PS - We were checked by two different Rangers on Day 1. Hardly saw a soul on Day 2.

 

New bike day! Took advantage of Canyon’s end of season sale and got the Spectral 6. Previous bike was a 26” hardtail so this really rides like a dream.

 

So, am I misremembering or misunderstanding the white rim? Mineral bottom is on the west side and schafer switchbacks are on the east? wouldn't CW mean schafer first, mineral bottom last? :thinking_face: I must be misremembering something.

 

You are correct. The "Top of Mineral Bottom" is actually the top of the little bluff above the river...not the top of the never-ending M.B. road up to the highway.

 

I appreciate all the responses and I’m really just trying to get a sense of the difficulty of this ride to assess if I should be worried if I can finish or not. I know I have the pace and stamina to do this normally, as I've done many suffery adventures in the past where we were on the go for 24 hours or more. The calf injury has me questioning things more right now. I got out for about 25 miles and 3k last night and then an hour on the trainer this morning and mostly feel good.

To be clear, I'm not talking about camping in any sort of planned form; was thinking maybe an emergency tarp and puffy jacket in case I really hit a wall and need to lay down for a few hours. Unfortunately we weren't able to get a support vehicle to join, though that was plan A. If I feel there's a significant chance that I won't finish then I will either pursue a camping permit or bail and drive a support vehicle myself.

I’m also not worried about my relationship with my partners at all. This is my wife and very close friend. We have spent many nights together on the sides of mountains in heinous environments. They both know my current state of fitness and are comfortable pedaling at my pace and/or dropping me if that becomes necessary. I have WFR training and many many nights of backcountry experience (bikepacking, alpine climbing, ski touring, etc.) so I'm comfortable handling myself solo if need be.

 

My only suggestion is this: Start at the top - on the highway or at Schafer. If you wind up in the dark, you're likely to be very close to Mineral Bottom (hopefully). I'd rather ride the Mineral Bottom road in the dark than any part of the White Rim.

Just my thoughts. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

Agreed. And you might be able to hitch a ride out if you're struggling up the hill at the end.

 

Finally took a picture of my bike shop’s crafty toilet flusher.

 

Weather has been pretty perfect in Mt. Laguna lately.