White Rim Trail Stargazing Trip

Meet at our Green River, Utah, warehouse at 7:00 p.m. the night before your trip for a pre-trip orientation. Bring your bike and any drinks you’ll want for the trip (Holiday provides seltzer waters, sodas, and Gatorade mix). We’ll hand out rental sleep kits, inspect personal bikes, set up rental bikes, answer questions, and go over last-minute details. If you’re bringing your own bike, please make sure that it’s in good shape. We encourage you to get it serviced by a professional shop prior to the trip. If your bike doesn’t pass our inspection, you’ll be asked to rent a Holiday bike for $205.00/person.

Meet back at our warehouse (7:00 a.m., Mountain Time). We’ll help you organize your gear (we suggest packing a small day bag and a larger overnight bag; the overnight bag will be packed deep in the gear van, but the day bag will be accessible all day). Fill up your water bottles and make any last-minute purchases from our on-site shop (see our packing checklist for items we have at our store).

Business concluded, we’re off! It’s a 90-minute drive into the heart of Canyonlands National Park. At the top of the Shafer Trail, we’ll unload bikes and take a look at the map. Once we’re oriented and situated, start with a fun, fast downhill ride. The trail levels off, and we’ll enjoy lunch while sitting on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the Colorado River.

Visit Musselman Arch, then ride up and over a small pass to our camp at Airport Butte. While your guides prepare dinner, listen to our astronomer begin illustrating the vastness of our universe, then stretch out under the stars as night falls. Enjoy the rare experience of simply watching it get dark. Which planetary object will become visible first?

After coffee and breakfast, start riding with a nice, rolling ride toward the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers. Take a side ride out to White Crack and marvel at the place where ranchers blasted a trail through the White Rim and down toward the river.

After lunch, we’ll start the gradual climb to the top of Murphy’s Hogback. Challenge yourself to ride the final hill up to our campsite, which overlooks the Needles and Maze districts. We’ll be on top of the world, a wonderful venue to gaze at the night sky and learn the stories behind the constellations.

This morning we’ll ride down the other side of Murphy’s and around the edges of Soda Spring Basin. Pause to hike down into Holman Canyon, or take a short walk out to Black Crack and fantastic views of Turk’s Head and the Green River. Camp tonight among the cottonwood trees of Potato Bottom and look for the Andromeda Galaxy through binoculars.

Fuel up for the day with omelets made to order, then ride up Hardscrabble Hill. Have fun on the long descent on the other side and then cruise the flow-y river bottom terrain past Upheaval Dome. We’ll tackle the final climb of the trip: the Mineral Bottom Road. Lunch will be waiting for you at the top! Our passenger van will meet us for the two-hour drive back to Green River. Our expected time of arrival back at our headquarters is 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Please note: this is a sample itinerary. Our White Rim itineraries may vary depending on assigned campsites as well as the interests/abilities of the group, not to mention weather and other unforeseeable elements. Expect to ride 15 to 30 miles per day.