Southeastern Utah Tour, March 23 2026

Just below the shelf on the first switchback

The level section near the top

On Monday, I had the idea that it might be convenient to return to the same campsite after driving the truck down into the canyon. Before leaving the campground, I registered for another night, and left the stub on the post to advertise that I had reserved it.

It was a short drive to get back to the Park. Since I had obtained a permit to drive along the White Rim Trail the previous day, I turned off at the Shafer Trail rather than driving on to the visitor center. I captured a few different views of the road as it follows along the shelf below the canyon rim.

Switchbacks

viewed from the truck 

Shafer Trail Overlook

from below 

Heading south along the White Rim, it was generally easy going. But occasionally, the road would go through a wash and it would be necessary to choose a path carefully. My main concern was providing enough clearance behind the truck so that the bike rack would not drag along the rocks in the center of the track as the rear axle came down into the wash. I did not achieve this goal faultlessly, and noticed at the end of the day that the hitch extender had been bent upward by about 5 degrees.

One of the deep canyons leading down to the Colorado River

I stopped frequently to look out over the Colorado River and enjoy the views along the way. Where the road went through a wash, it was usually quite close to the edge of the White Rim. A short walk offered views down the deep canyon associated with the wash.

An iconic view of the White Rim Road

The narrow gateway

About 10 miles along the White Rim, the road went through a small pass atop a ridge. The grade descending from the pass was quite steep, and it was a challenge to find a good path with a truck. Half a mile further on, I came to a wash that was too narrow for me to drive the truck through -- at least without leaving the rear bumper on the near side of it. So I parked the truck and continued down the road on my bicycle. My goal was to reach the Airport Campsite before turning back.

 

The campsite turned out to be just beyond the next sharp curve, so it was no challenge to reach there. I returned to the camper, racked the bike and started back toward the Potash Road turnoff. 

When I returned to the campground, I found there was someone already occupying my spot. I explained to the person there that I had reserved the spot for another day, but I was still deciding whether I wanted to camp there for the night. 

At that point in time, the campground host came around and wanted to know what was the matter. I explained the situation again and the host confirmed that I had reserved the site (even though the other person had paid for it redundantly). She was given a short lesson on the tag system by the host. I said that we could either share the site or I would drive on, depending on what I decided. Satisfied that we were not going to shoot each other, the host went on about her duties. 

I reviewed the map and decided that I would indeed press on. I told the other person of my intentions and went off down the road. It was my intention to visit the Needles District the following day. So I took a chance on there being a site open at the Windwhistle Campground on the road leading into that section of the Park. There were several sites open when I arrived, so I settled in and had my dinner. After studying the map, I decided that I would drive to the Elephant Hill parking lot and then ride the bike in to the Confluence Overlook trailhead, hiking the last bit from there. (Bikes are not allowed on hiking trails within the park.)