Wilhite Trail
in Utah
A primitive trail with steep switchbacks drops 1,600 feet (488 m) into a long, sandy wash. Follow the wash to the White Rim Road. No shade. Roundtrip Distance: 11.4 mi (18.3 km) Time: 6-8 hrs Elevation Change: 1,693 ft (516 m) Difficulty: Strenuous– Mesa Top to White Rim Hike Description: A primitive trail with steep switchbacks drops 1,600 feet (488 m) into a long, sandy wash.
Follow the wash to the White Rim Road. No shade. Bring: Water (at least 1 L per person, per hour), snacks, sturdy footwear, headlamp, map, and be prepared for, sun, rain, heat, or cold. Accessibility: This trail can be rough, uneven, and requires walking up and down a rocky hill and stone steps.
It is not accessible to wheelchairs. In winter, there may be snow or icy conditions; we recommend traction devices for hikers. Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks.
- States
- Utah
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Salt Lake City, UT · 194 mi · ~6 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.4043°, -109.8984°
About Canyonlands National Park
This trail is inside Canyonlands National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/wilhite-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Wilhite Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Whale Rock Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Mesa Arch Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Syncline Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Upheaval Dome Overlooks Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Murphy Point Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Moses and Zeus Towers Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.