White Rim Trail Multi-Day Mountain Bike Adventure With Rim Tours
Photos courtesy of Rim Tours
Escaping into nature has become a top priority for more and more people in the past year. Lucky for all of us, expert guide companies like Rim Tours out of Moab, Utah have been taking people on big outdoor adventures for over three decades.
Co-owner Kirstin Peterson shares how Rim Tours, founded in 1985, was the original mountain bike tour company in Moab.
“Rim Tours really pioneered backcountry mountain bike trips in the area,” she shares. “For a very long time all we did was multi-day camp trips, but in more recent years, we’ve developed a very strong day tour program out of Moab because there are so many great trails here now.”
In the spring and fall seasons, Rim Tours offers a lot of trips in Canyonlands National Park, including the well-known White Rim Trail.
“The White Rim Trail is a really bucket list thing for a lot of people,” Peterson shares. “It’s just a fantastic experience for people because of the beauty and just getting out there enough to really leave the regular world behind.”
Deposited 280 million years ago, the namesake White Rim sandstone lies 1,200 feet below the towering cliffs of the island-like plateau above. The trail contours along this hard layer of sedimentary rock with views of the magnificent canyons 1,000 feet below carved out by the Colorado River to the east and the Green River to the west.
In the spring, Rim Tours offers three and four-day overnights of White Rim from mid-March through mid-May. Peterson says the four-day experience allows for more immersion in the area.
“The four-day is really the one we recommend for folks like a family or people who aren’t super strong riders,” she adds. “The mileage on that will range from 17 to 28 miles a day, rather than closer to 30 miles a day on the three-day trip. It’s truly off-road, so it does take a better part of the day. Shorter days in the saddle leave time to do some side hikes off of the main biking route — there are some really cool things to see along the way.”
The route is on doubletrack four-wheel drive roads and fully supported by a truck that follows the group. There are moderate climbs and descents every day, Peterson says, but it’s not a route that she would describe as technical or exposed.
“Folks that are new to mountain biking are going to be really challenged, but someone who is a pretty expert rider can still have a lot of fun with it,” she says. “It’s also so beautiful and a special experience for a pretty wide range of abilities.”
Peterson says Rim Tours has implemented a tremendous amount of precautions to deal with the new reality that we work with and live in during COVID-19.
“We’ve been very successful at keeping people healthy and allowing them the freedom to explore at their own pace and enjoy it in their own terms,” she explains. “Because there is so much space out there it really allows people to feel a part of the group but maintain the distance that they need to.”
Guests can bring their own bike or rent one from Rim Tours, and same goes for camping equipment. Everything else from food to water to toilets are included in the adventure.
“You really are just leaving the world behind,” Peterson says. "You don’t see a single building or any sign of civilization when you’re out there. All there are are outhouses at the campsites.”
RIM TOURS
A minimum of 10 people is required to book a private group trip, otherwise multiple groups go together. Each trip has a maximum capacity of 13 guests. Learn more at rimtours.com.
RATES:
- 4-Day: $975 plus tax per person
- Bike Rental: $60-$85 per day
- Camp Gear Rental: $65 per person
Originally published in the Spring 2021 issue