If you're planning a White Rim trip...

you may want to change your plans. The recent heavy rains and flooding that accompanied them destroyed entire sections of the Mineral Bottom Rd. and parts of the White Rim Trail. Mineral Bottom is closed indefinitely. This means if you do plan to access the White Rim Trail you'll have to do so from Potash Rd. and then it will be an "out and back". Shafer Trail was also closed due to washouts and rock slides the last time I checked, although it may now be open. It wasn't hit nearly as hard as Mineral Bottom.

Photo of the damage to Mineral Bottom:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24548686@N00/4911750681/in/photostream/

Just need to do a bit of rock stacking and it'll be good to go.

And that road was scary enough before it washed out...

With enough of a head start, I think I can make that.

Todd ~ can I ride "shot gun" with you. I think I can get a good shot on the way down. Not sure I will be able to post it here afterwards though.

Yowser! Glad we got that trip in last spring!

Yikes!

Todd, all you need to do is watch the movie Speed.. you know where the bus jumps the gap in the bridge, but somehow actually lifts off the ground as it takes the jump. Just mimic that and you will do just fine!

One would think if you hired a competent guide in, say, Moab, he could figure a way around this portion of rough sledding. Other than that, "Use the Force, Luke"

Oh, there's a way around it - on foot! One of my buddies, an accomplished off-road motorcycle rider, went up to see if he could find a line through the rubble. His assessment: only Evel Knievel could get through it and even then, it would be in the air.

Wow, that's really unfortunate. I'll be interested to see the NPS response. Are you aware of any other similar instances and how long repairs took if they did them? The scale of the damage to the Mineral Bottom switchbacks looks huge.

Every winter Shafer Trail washes out and the NPS is usually on top of the repairs in the spring. However, since I've been here it's not suffered such significant damage as Mineral Bottom. It will be interesting to see how they respond and how long it takes.

Holy moly! that's a bummer, I guess. Can't think of a better car camping "trek". Glad I did it once before. But maybe now it will be more of a backpacking destination?

RE: NPS response and time to repair... it depends. There is a route within Arches (not Willow Flats, but in that area) that has been closed for I think four years now due severe erosion the last time a lot of heavy rain hit the area. Bret can probably confirm if it's still closed or not. The two times I've been there since, the response is always the same - no definitive date or plan to repair it. And that closure could have easily been repaired (but not stabilized) with a piece of heavy grading equipment or two - nothing compared to what it looks like Mineral Bottom is going to take. Should really make things intresting though, since what was previously a 100 mile loop is now a potential 200 mile out and back.

Edit: a current news article on Mineral says 'several weeks' (which would make sense, it's a much more important access than the Arches one and would be a higher priority), and that Shafer is still open.
http://www.utahoutside.com/2010/08/white-rim-trail-washout-closes-mineral-bottom-switchbacks/
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2010/08/updated-severe-weather-pounds-canyonlands-national-park-strands-rigs-below-white-rim6445

I think I'd like to be Todd's walk ahead spotter. "...little to the left..little to the left...little to the..Oh SNAP! My left, not yours! Sorry dude."

As far as I know, there is no rule against making the trip an "out and back" right? Granted its, fun to do it as a loop, but I don't see why you couldn't enter and exit via the Shafer Trail. I know I saw people travelling both directions while I was on the trail.

Paul: There is no rule and you could certainly do it as an out and back. I wouldn't want to, but that's just me.

Chris: I'm not sure which road you're referencing. The road most commonly closed due to damage is the 4WD trail between Balanced Rock and the Devil's Garden area. It does start (or end) at Willow Flats. There was significant damage to it 4 years ago that closed it for several weeks. But, it is now open. If you're thinking of another road I'd be interested to know which one it is.

That's a bummer for the people at the bottom of Mineral Bottom trail.

Jason: Everyone at the bottom got a free helo ride out of the canyon.

Bret: No, that's probably it. It goes past Eye of the Whale and out to Tower (or the reverse, since they recommend north to south travel only). But that's very interesting if it was only closed for a matter of weeks. I first drove it in June 06, then it was damaged in Oct if I recall right. Then I was back there at the end of Dec 06 and again May of 08, and both times was told it was closed and shown the same pictures of that narrow trench with the NPS truck in the background and xerox of the map with the road highlighted. Maybe I misunderstood or was just given incorrect information. Good to know it's open though.

Hey Chris: Yep, we're talking about the same road. It's definitely open. I've driven it a dozen times this year alone. I love taking guided clients on it because most have never even been in a 4WD, much less out on a real 4WD trail. They always get a kick out of it, especially the first hill climb and the big ledge drop about half way in.

If you come in the winter you may well find the road closed but not for damage. Rather, snow and ice would make it impassable and inside the parks, they don't have much faith in tourists to recognize when conditions aren't exactly optimal for 4 wheeling.

Thanks for the news, Brett, and please keep us updated on the repairs.

Fortunately, because on my son's upcoming wedding, I don't have a Green River canoe trip planned for this fall. Mineral Bottom is the only launch point for the 50 mile trip to Spanish Bottom, and it is the only take-out for the trip through Labyrinth Canyon. The only remaining option is to do the full 100 mile trip through both canyons!

I think the repair will be considered high priority, since it is such a critical access point, but that looks like a costly job, and I'm sure budgets are tight.