Gooseneck · Musselman Arch · Lathrop Canyon
White Rim Road Tours
Nine hours on the bench below the Island in the Sky mesa: NAVTEC drives about 25 miles of the White Rim Road, down Lathrop Canyon to the Colorado, with short optional hikes, a buffet lunch and the Shafer Trail switchbacks to finish.
- 4.9 / 5 219+ Reviews
- 9 hours Duration
- 9 hours Full Day
- 25 miles Of the White Rim Road
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the White Rim Day Covers
NAVTEC's full-day route below Island in the Sky.
Highlights
- About 25 miles of the 100-mile White Rim Road loop
- Gooseneck Overlook, Musselman Arch and Lathrop Canyon down to the river
- Short optional hikes just below the White Rim sandstone
- Buffet lunch, then the Shafer Trail switchbacks back up to the mesa
What's Included
- Ice Water (please bring a personal water bottle)
- Professional guide
- Buffet Style Lunch
- Transport by 4x4 vehicle
Not Included: Gratuities, Signature on required "Acknowledgment of Risk" form, Car/booster seat (required for children 7 & under), Canyonlands National Park
How a White Rim Tour Works
The permit, the vehicle and the driving are the operator's; the day is yours.
Book a Full Day
The tour runs about 9 hours from NAVTEC's office at 321 N. Main St., Moab. Hotel pickup costs $10 per group on the listing; arrange it with NAVTEC directly.
Leave the Permit to the Operator
Every vehicle on the White Rim Road needs a day-use permit, released online from 8 a.m. the day before. Tours hold their own.
Bring a Pass or the Day Fee
Park entry is not included. If nobody in your group has an annual National Parks pass, NAVTEC asks for the day pass, listed at $15 a person.
Wear Shoes for Short Hikes
The optional walks lead just below the White Rim sandstone into side canyons. They need a moderate level of fitness; bring a refillable water bottle.
Photo Gallery
The White Rim from the Road
Photos from the tour listing: the bench, the river bends and the cliffs of the mesa above.
Book Your Experience
Check Dates for the White Rim Day
Dates, times and the live price open on the tour's Viator page.
NAVTEC Expeditions
Canyonlands National Park: White Rim Backcountry Tour
- 4.9/5 from 219 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor
- 9 hours
- From $360 per person (checked October 2026)
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
- Meets at 321 N. Main St., Moab; hotel pickup $10 per group
White Rim: A Day, Half a Day, or the Whole Loop
Two guided 4x4 options and the do-it-yourself loop. Tour prices as listed on Viator in October 2026.
| Feature | THIS PAGE White Rim Full Day | Half-Day Canyonlands 4x4 | Drive the Loop Yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From $360 per person (October 2026), park entry extra | From $240 per person (October 2026), park entry extra | Your own high-clearance 4x4, the $30 vehicle pass and a permit |
| Time | About 9 hours | 4 hours | 2 to 3 days by 4x4; at least 10 to 12 hours of driving for the full loop (NPS) |
| How Much of the White Rim | About 25 miles, down Lathrop Canyon to the river | A short section out to Musselman Arch | All 100 miles, when the Green River is low enough |
| Permit | Held by the operator | Held by the operator | Day-use or overnight permit for every vehicle and bike |
| Lunch | Buffet lunch included | Not included; ice water on board | Bring all your food and water |
| Rating | 4.9 from 219 reviews | 4.9 from 1,132 reviews | Not applicable |
| Check dates | See the half day |
Shorter or Different
Other Ways Onto the White Rim
A half-day taste of the White Rim, a 4x4 morning with an afternoon on the river, and the view from a helicopter.
HALF A DAYCanyonlands National Park Backcountry Adventure
Half a day in a Land Cruiser from Moab: petroglyphs on Potash Road, the White Rim bench out to Musselman Arch, then the Shafer Trail switchbacks up onto the Island in the Sky mesa.
4X4 + RIVERMoab Combo: Colorado River Rafting and Canyonlands 4X4 Tour
Morning by 4x4 through Island in the Sky, the Shafer Trail and part of the White Rim Road; buffet lunch at the river; afternoon rafting the Colorado near Fisher Towers.
FROM THE AIRIsland in the Sky & Canyon Country Heli Tour - 45 minutes
A 45-minute helicopter flight with a window seat for everyone, over Dead Horse Point, Thelma and Louise Point, the Potash ponds and the Island in the Sky district.
The Guide
The White Rim Road, in a Day
The full loop is a multi-day trip. A guided day covers the best-known stretch.
The White Rim is a layer of hard white sandstone that wraps around the Island in the Sky mesa about halfway down, a shelf between the cliffs above and the river canyons below. The road along it is a 100-mile loop (NPS). Driving the whole thing is a multi-day trip: NPS says four-wheel-drive groups usually take two to three days and mountain bikers three to four, and that even a single push needs 10 to 12 hours behind the wheel.
So a “White Rim tour” from Moab means a day on part of it. NAVTEC’s, in the booking box above, is the longest guided day on offer.
What the day covers
The tour leaves Moab by Potash Road, stops at petroglyph panels, and passes below Dead Horse Point on the 4x4 road, an angle on the state park that few visitors see. It then follows about 25 miles of the White Rim to Gooseneck Overlook and Musselman Arch, drops down Lathrop Canyon to the Colorado, and adds short optional hikes into side canyons below the rim. After a buffet lunch it climbs out by the Shafer Trail switchbacks to the top of the mesa. The whole day is about 9 hours.
It costs from $360 a person, rated 4.9 from 219 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor (checked October 2026). Park entry is extra unless you have an annual pass, and the tour runs with at least three travelers.
Check dates for the White Rim day
Why most people do not drive it themselves
The rules are the reason. NPS requires a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle in low range, recommends nothing wider than 8 feet or taller than 9.5 feet, and does not allow ATVs, UTVs or other off-highway vehicles. Every vehicle, motorbike and bicycle on a day trip needs a day-use permit, released online from 8 a.m. Mountain time the day before. Pets, drones and fires are banned. When the Green River runs high, sections of the west side flood and the full loop becomes impossible. None of that matters on a tour; the operator holds the permit and knows that week’s road.
Shorter ways onto the White Rim
Canyonlands National Park: White Rim Backcountry Tour
About 25 miles of the White Rim, Lathrop Canyon down to the river, lunch, and the Shafer Trail climb.
Check dates →Canyonlands National Park Backcountry Adventure
A short section of the White Rim out to Musselman Arch, then up the Shafer Trail. Back in Moab in 4 hours.
See the half day →Moab Combo: Colorado River Rafting and Canyonlands 4X4 Tour
Island in the Sky and part of the White Rim in the morning, rafting the Colorado near Fisher Towers in the afternoon.
See the combo →Prices, ratings and review counts from the Viator listings (checked October 2026). Park entry is extra on all three; treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The half day is the right call for most first visits: it gives you the switchbacks, a stretch of the bench and Musselman Arch for two-thirds the price. The full day earns its extra hours with Lathrop Canyon and the river. For the mesa-top overlooks and the other half-day operators, see the Island in the Sky page.
Guest Reviews
What White Rim Travelers Say
Read the 219 reviews of this tour on Viator
See All ReviewsA Day on the White Rim Without the Permit Hunt
NAVTEC's full-day White Rim 4x4: Gooseneck Overlook, Musselman Arch, Lathrop Canyon to the river, short hikes, lunch, and the Shafer Trail at the end. Park entry is extra. Starting from $360 per person.
Check dates on ViatorCan't Make These Dates?
Browse More Available Options
Find a tour that fits your schedule. Dates and cancellation terms are on each listing.
White Rim Road: Questions
Difficulty, permits and timing, from the park's own rules and the tour listings.
Moderate for an experienced 4x4 driver, but long, remote and exposed. NPS requires a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle in low range and calls the Shafer Trail and Mineral Bottom switchbacks, the two ways down, steep and exposed, needing extreme caution in bad weather. Much of the difficulty is distance, sand, ledges and being far from help. On the guided day the operator drives.
Online, the day before, or in person on the day if your route passes a visitor center. Canyonlands requires a day-use permit for every vehicle, motorbike and bicycle on the White Rim on single-day trips; the permits open on recreation.gov at 8 a.m. Mountain time one day ahead. Overnight trips need an overnight permit instead, and NPS warns that demand exceeds supply in spring and fall. Tours hold their own permits, so you need none on a guided day.
Technically, but NPS advises against counting on it. The park's own figure is a minimum of 10 to 12 hours of driving or cycling for the 100-mile loop, and typical 4x4 trips take two to three days with camping. A guided day covers about 25 miles of the best-known section, including Lathrop Canyon, in about 9 hours.
Two to three days by 4x4, three to four by mountain bike, according to NPS. The loop is about 100 miles. Guided day tours from Moab take 4 hours for a short section (the half-day Island in the Sky 4x4) or about 9 hours for the longer stretch on this page.
Most trips drop onto it by the Shafer Trail from the Island in the Sky mesa, or come in along Potash Road from Moab. The west end is reached by the Mineral Bottom switchbacks. A gate now stands at the Shafer Trail, Potash Road and White Rim Road junction; NPS asks drivers to close and latch it behind them. The guided tours leave from Moab and use Potash Road in and the Shafer Trail out.
Yes, at designated campsites with an overnight permit. Overnight trips on the White Rim need a reservation, and spring and fall fill early. Carry all your water. The day tours on this page return to Moab the same day.
No. NPS does not allow ATVs, UTVs or other off-highway vehicles on the White Rim. Street-legal motorbikes and bicycles, including e-bikes, are permitted with a permit. For a UTV day near Moab, Hell's Revenge in the Sand Flats Recreation Area is the usual choice; the Moab UTV tours page covers it.
Check the park's road-conditions page on the day; this guide cannot track them. Sections of the west side flood when the Green River runs high, and storms can wash out parts of the road. Tours monitor conditions and will offer another date or a full refund if they cannot run.
Still have questions? Email us at info@canyonlands-tours.com