White Pocket Full-Day Tour

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Ryan

February 17, 2026•

Beautiful place unlike any I had seen before. Apparently scientists can’t agree on what caused the rock to form like it did here. You definitely need a 4x4 vehicle to access this area and I would recommend downloading the area offline on Google Maps as service is scarce. There are a few signs showing where to go but make sure not to miss them. No permit is required to go here unlike the coyote buttes which are located nearby.

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Tim

February 13, 2026•

Fantastic and a great alternative to the Wave. We travelled from Kanab on 89A to get there and the drive is up and over the Kiabab plateau and then down into the Vermilion cliffs area. We drove north up the House Rock Valley road and in this segment it was rough as hell and beat the heck out of my truck and everything in it. Once we got to the road into White Pocket we unloaded our ATV and drove that into the site. There were a couple of high clearance four wheel drive vehicles in the lot when we got there. The sand is deep but it’s not bad. Could spend a whole day here but as it was we only had a couple of hours. Could take a million pictures too. Am really glad we went here and will go back the next time we are around.

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Vijay

December 11, 2025•

What a beautiful place. Spent about 3 hours exploring the place. Reached there in a rental Jeep Wrangler. We saw some non 4x4 vehicles (not sedans). I guess at this time of the year in late November it may be ok. We deflated our tires reading all the advice, but again due to the time of the year, I saw nobody really doing that also. But definitely go with a 4WD high clearance vehicle not to take any chance. Certainly a unique landscape like many other places in the blessed states of UT, AZ, NM. Another point to note. Google maps were fine, but at one White Pocket sign which clearly asks us to take a left, Google will tell you to go straight. Better take left as per the sign. We saw people coming back after they went straight.

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Allan

November 13, 2025•

First of all, I'm seeing way too many reviews saying how difficult the drive is. Yes, it is somewhat deep sand, but it's a very straight forward drive. It's not like driving over sand dunes or anything like that. The road is driven many many times every day, so it's very tracked out and easy to navigate for anyone who has done any kind of off-road driving. Having said that, it's not impossible to get stuck, and you definitely need a high clearance 4WD vehicle otherwise you will absolutely get high centered or buried. There are also some mild rocky sections where you do have to pick a line to some extent, so again, some off-road experience is advisable. I also aired down the tires to 18psi which really helped with sand floatation and the bumps. But as far as off-roading goes, this is a very mellow track (I do highly recommend a pre-loaded GPS track for navigation, as it is 14 miles long which takes about an hour from House Rock Rd, and there are several forks and turns. Google Maps will NOT follow the actual road properly!) Now, once arriving at White Pocket, it is one of the most insane out-of-this-world alien-like landscapes I've ever seen in my life! There is a short walk in beach sand which can be tiring (esp on the way back!) but once arriving at the sandstone formations, the footing is solid. The formations speak for themselves in photos, it's almost indescribable. The area is named for the whitish brain-like sandstone formations, but there all kinds of colors here, from reds to pinks to oranges to yellows of all shades. There's really no need to describe the area, just look at the photos, INCREDIBLE! You feel as if you go from one world to another, from the white brain-like sandstone "pillows" to swirly reds and oranges, reminding me of an alien world. There are so many unique formations here, you could spend hours in just one small area, all of which would be their own destination if found separately elsewhere, but here they are packed into a small area. It's relatively easy to see most or all of White Pocket, as it is a fairly concentrated area. There are a lot of good online resources to find various interesting and unique features, but we discovered that almost every single piece of ground here is amazing. This is an absolute must for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, a true bucket list item, I'll never forget our trip here, and I plan to return to uncover every nook and cranny we may have missed. A few additional notes and observations. For now, this area does not require a permit to visit. I'm not sure how much longer that will be the case, as it was much more popular than our previous day's visit to Coyote Buttes South. You do not NEED a guide here, unless you are not comfortable with the drive or don't have access to a capable vehicle. Coyote Buttes South is much more tricky to navigate on foot, and finding various features, but White Pocket is much easier to find your way around and see everything. I was absolutely DISGUSTED at the amount of cow shit. The cows literally must roam around the sandstone pooping, because despite how difficult it can be to walk in places, there was a ridiculous amount of stinky cow feces all over the place, and in the small brackish ponds. Filthy and disgusting, I'm absolutely shocked the BLM hasn't fenced off the area to keep these animals out (there are some fences but clearly not enough). This has to change, some areas were totally ruined by the smell and sight of splattered dung.

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Anthony

October 29, 2025•

This is a must see for anyone visiting the area. It’s also one of the few places Vermillion that doesn’t require an entry fee or permit. The most important thing is to have a 4WD High Clearance vehicle and an experienced sand driver. Even a proper rig can get stuck if you don’t know how to manage your vehicle and the road. We had to rescue a guy that got his wife and dad marooned because he buried himself. This is a good half day visit to poke around and enjoy the other-worldly formations. It’s a sand walk to get there, but once you’re in it’s all solid footing and great views any way you look. You really want to take your time here and get a 360 from many spots. Go down in the gulleys, climb the little hills, visit the lone tree on the grey popcorn. And don’t miss the spectacular swirls low on the back side, relative to the parking lot. Those middle swirls are of course a main feature, but the valley in back was even better, in our opinion. You can also opt to go out to another rock formation/hill with more cool formations, though they are not in the league of the main site. That would also extend your visit by many hours. If you’re looking to camp, you can use one of the two BLM campgrounds, with Stateline being closet, or you can dispersed camp west of Vermillion, which is a similar distance. You need to check BLM maps for a specific location, as the road is border to parcels managed by multiple agencies.