The road starts close to the visitor center and leads down to the White Rim Road as well as Shafer Canyon (Potash Road). High clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles are required - you also should know how to drive such a car. Shafer Trail is literally carved into the canyon walls, you will experience a narrow road with steep grades and some very exposed areas until you reach White Rim Road. Once you have descended from the plateau, you may choose to follow Shafer Trail into Shafer Canyon and then back to civilization or you may follow White Rim Road (take the right road at the intersection).
The 100-mile White Rim Road loops around and below the Island mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. The whole trip usually take two to three days by four-wheel-drive vehicle but you can also just follow the road to get to some great places like Gooseneck Overlook or Musselman Arch. Permits are required for all overnight trips along the White Rim.
Directions
The road starts about one mile North of the Island In The Sky visitor center. If you are coming from the visitor center, turn right and you are on Shafer Trail (also called country road 142).
