If the moon and Mars had a love child, it would probably look like White Pocket.
Just below the Utah border in Arizona, on a remote square mile of land within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, you will find a geologist's paradise. The product of "soft sediment deformation", the sandstone formations of White Pocket are something out of this world.
Notoriously difficult to access, getting to White Pocket requires a high-clearance 4x4 manned by someone with experience driving in deep sand... or so we thought.
Back in February, my husband and I secured childcare for our two young children and set off, with our dog and friend in tow, to the Marble Canyon area of northern Arizona in our Jeep Cherokee. I had done extensive research and made a packing list for our trek, since it's widely known that many people get stuck on the remote sand roads that lead to White Pocket... not to mention, it was the middle of winter and we planned to camp. So we packed up our gear and hit the road sometime before sunrise on a cold February morning.
I wish I could say the drive there was uneventful but a snowstorm had come through to the north the night before and the I-17 was a nightmare. I remember driving through Flagstaff, near Munds Park, our thermometer said -1 degrees and there was so much snow and salt on the road that I could barely see in front of me. My windshield wiper fluid was frozen but, thankfully, we were able to dump water on the windshield to get some of the dirt off. I think we pulled over three times between the I-17 and the exit for Page? It was a nightmare.
As we left Flagstaff, we left the snow behind us and driving was a breeze the rest of the way up on the 89A. I had never been to the Marble Canyon of Arizona and I was excited. Our friend, Kellie, who was with us had been to the area before and had a general idea of where we were going. We crossed Lee's Ferry and stopped at the Chevron in Marble Canyon to fill up. It was the last gas station before White Pocket and thankfully, we were there when it was open because the pumps didn't have card readers.
Heading on, I'm really glad Kellie was with us because I would have passed the turn-off onto House Rock Road if she hadn't been there to tell me that it was an actual road. There's an old house on the corner and honestly, I just thought it was someone's driveway. It's that unassuming. I asked Kellie like four times if she was sure this was the way... she was.
The road slowly turned white beneath us and we followed tire tracks that looked pretty fresh. You could tell not many people had driven this route. It was beautiful: the red Vermilion cliffs to our left, a hill of white powder on our right, and no other cars in sight.
We turned onto BLM Road 1017 and knew it was the correct road because it had two pullouts- one to the north and one to the south- and it was the only road with tire tracks on it. When the rest of the area looked the same, it was really nice to have that added bonus of navigation, especially since we didn't have cell service.
From there, we followed the tire tracks (and double-checked our route, which basically went left at each fork) until we got to the parking lot of White Pocket.
WAIT...
What about the deep sand? We didn't hit any. That was weird.
We did hit deep sand... but because of the snow and freezing temperatures, it froze and hardened the sand, making it MUCH easier to drive on. Would I have recommended someone with a 2wd to do it? No but I was shocked how easy it was for us.
We only saw three other people the entire time we were exploring and were the only ones camping. It got down to 17 degrees that night and the ground was so frozen that it was hard to even dig a pit for our fire... but was it worth it? I think so. Especially because now that we had been there, we had a better idea what to expect for the next time so that we felt comfortable bringing the kids. The next time we went was drastically different.
If you're worried about the drive in and don't want to see a ton of other people when you're there, your best best is to go during the winter months. You might freeze your ass off but you will be rewarded.
Just below the Utah border in Arizona, on a remote square mile of land within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, you will find a geologist's paradise. The product of "soft sediment deformation", the sandstone formations of White Pocket are something out of this world.
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| Sunrise at White Pocket in February 2018 |
Notoriously difficult to access, getting to White Pocket requires a high-clearance 4x4 manned by someone with experience driving in deep sand... or so we thought.
Back in February, my husband and I secured childcare for our two young children and set off, with our dog and friend in tow, to the Marble Canyon area of northern Arizona in our Jeep Cherokee. I had done extensive research and made a packing list for our trek, since it's widely known that many people get stuck on the remote sand roads that lead to White Pocket... not to mention, it was the middle of winter and we planned to camp. So we packed up our gear and hit the road sometime before sunrise on a cold February morning.
I wish I could say the drive there was uneventful but a snowstorm had come through to the north the night before and the I-17 was a nightmare. I remember driving through Flagstaff, near Munds Park, our thermometer said -1 degrees and there was so much snow and salt on the road that I could barely see in front of me. My windshield wiper fluid was frozen but, thankfully, we were able to dump water on the windshield to get some of the dirt off. I think we pulled over three times between the I-17 and the exit for Page? It was a nightmare.
As we left Flagstaff, we left the snow behind us and driving was a breeze the rest of the way up on the 89A. I had never been to the Marble Canyon of Arizona and I was excited. Our friend, Kellie, who was with us had been to the area before and had a general idea of where we were going. We crossed Lee's Ferry and stopped at the Chevron in Marble Canyon to fill up. It was the last gas station before White Pocket and thankfully, we were there when it was open because the pumps didn't have card readers.
Heading on, I'm really glad Kellie was with us because I would have passed the turn-off onto House Rock Road if she hadn't been there to tell me that it was an actual road. There's an old house on the corner and honestly, I just thought it was someone's driveway. It's that unassuming. I asked Kellie like four times if she was sure this was the way... she was.
The road slowly turned white beneath us and we followed tire tracks that looked pretty fresh. You could tell not many people had driven this route. It was beautiful: the red Vermilion cliffs to our left, a hill of white powder on our right, and no other cars in sight.
 |
| My pup, Lute, having a ball! Well-behaved dogs can be off-leash here Snow and freezing temperatures made driving on the deep sand a breeze. |
From there, we followed the tire tracks (and double-checked our route, which basically went left at each fork) until we got to the parking lot of White Pocket.
WAIT...
What about the deep sand? We didn't hit any. That was weird.
We did hit deep sand... but because of the snow and freezing temperatures, it froze and hardened the sand, making it MUCH easier to drive on. Would I have recommended someone with a 2wd to do it? No but I was shocked how easy it was for us.
 |
| Rock hopping at White Pocket. No other people in sight. |
If you're worried about the drive in and don't want to see a ton of other people when you're there, your best best is to go during the winter months. You might freeze your ass off but you will be rewarded.
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