The White Rim Road is a beautiful 100 mile epic, but not technical road/trail that winds about in the 'Island in the Sky' district of Canyonlands National Park in Utah with a wide variety of riding and beautiful views. There are around 20 campsites and they must be reserved, so get them early. The trail was formed by the Atomic Energy Comission in the 50's in their search for uranium.

The White Rim Trail is entirely in Canyonlands National Park and requires very early campsite registration due to its popularity. Uranium mining roads from the middle of the last century skirt the triangular edges of the Islands in the Sky portion of the park, following the Green River to the confluence then turning and following the Colorado upstream. Some hardcore people start well before sun-up and knock it out in a day, but if you're doing that, you don't need my help! Although the trail is really a jeep road with no singletrack, the beautiful views, isolation, and stunning landscapes make it highly recommended.

Canyonlands National Park near Moab Utah has initiated a temporary day use permit system for the White Rim Road, Shafer Trail, and Potash Road within Canyonlands to improve safety and minimize damage while additional road maintenance and repairs continue along the Green River corridor, Upheaval Bottom, Taylor Wash, Hardscrabble Hill and Murphy Hogback throughout the 2011 spring season.

White Rim Day Use Permits are FREE and REQUIRED for all day use beginning March 1st. This new permit system applies to all vehicle traffic including Mountain Bikes, Motorcycles, 4×4 Vehicles and 4WD Trucks through 31 May 2011. Group size is limited to a maximum of 15 people and 3 motorized vehicles (including motorcycles – must be street legal with a sound limit of 80 decibels).

Free White Rim Day Use Permits may be obtained in advance at the following locations:

• Arches National Park Visitor Center
• Canyonlands National Park Island in the Sky Visitor Center
• National Park Service Southeast Utah Group office at 2282 S. West Resource Blvd, Moab
• Moab Information Center, Center and Main, downtown Moab
• Permits are also available for customers at Jeep rental businesses throughout Moab

http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/whiterimroad.htm

As were many of the roads in Canyonlands, the White Rim Trail was originally made by (or at least significantly improved by) uranium miners in the 50s. There is no singletrack and support vehicles can drive the entire length. We did it with a four-wheel drive Toyota truck and there were only a few stretches that were difficult for the truck. It took us 2.5 days in a larger group with some beginners. If you're coming from farther away, you should combine it with some other stuff around Moab.

The Canyonlands National Park website is well-organized and has lots of info.

As beautiful and stunning as the White Rim trail is, there's no wonder that there are several sets of images of the trail online.
Check out Grace Johnson and Paul Jeurissen's photos from their website. They also have online slide shows from many other places in the world.
Check out Steve Casimiro's photos for a National Geographic article on the White Rim Trail at www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0204/photo.html