Buck Canyon. The White Rim trail is named for the Premian age White Rim Sandstone that defines the rim of Buck Canyon here. This very hard sandstone layer forms the top of a terrace for much of Canyonlands National Park. This is the top of the Permian age geology. Above this is Triasic age formations. Geology of the White Rim sandstone is 245 million years old. Below the White Rim Sandstone is Organ Rock Shale.

The road you see meandering from left to right around the head of Buck Canyon here is the White Rim Trail. I did not travel this portion.

This road is obviously gravel all the way. It is fairly well maintained.

That is the La Sal mountains is the distance. They are lacoliths.

I have included a lot of pictures of the road. Here it is climbing up from near the Colorado River ( I approached from Moab by Potash Road). This is probably Cedar Mesa Sandstone at this point.

A view along the side of the road at the weathered sandstgone.

Looking back at the La Sal Mountains. Note the anticline in the middle ground. This is the Permian age Cutler Formation.

And another view. The Colorado river is in front of the formation in the middle ground.

This butte is made of Wingate Sandstone. A beautiful picture of the strata in the park.

Another view of this butte.

Interesting bedding in this little cliff beside the road.

Looking down into th Colorado River. There is substantial ice at this point.

Patterns in the desert surface.

This is looking across to the other side (south) of the Colorado River.

Red rock formations. Wingate Sandstone is at the top.

Nice view of the red rock formations. White Rim Sandstone forms the white line at the bottom.

A look across at the La Sal Mountains

The cliffs on the left are part of the Cutler formation and are on top of the Cedar Mesa formation. All are Permian age.

Note the road which is a thin line on the lower right side of the photograph. And that is Whire RIm Sandstone below it.

This is the White Rim Trail after it passes the Shafer Trail turnoff. It is also the road that formed the thin line in the previous photograph.