How to Get to White Pocket, Vermilion Cliffs, Arizona

Didn’t get a permit to The Wave in Arizona? No worries, I got a great alternative for ya. Maybe you’ve heard of it or seen pictures on social media, or maybe not. But in this post I’m going to tell you how to get to White Pocket in the Vermilion Cliffs, Arizona.

White Pocket is incredibly epic. The landscape is otherworldly. I can’t compare it to The Wave since I have yet to visit, but I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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Where is White Pocket

Like The Wave, White Pocket is located in the Vermilion Cliffs Region along the central Arizona and Utah border.

The closest bases for taking a day trip to White Pocket are either Kanab, Utah (2 hours and 11 minutes and 75 miles per Google maps) or Page, Arizona (2 hours and 22 minutes and 91 miles). We were already in Page, Arizona to visit Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell so that was were we were based.

White Pocket is located in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, a large area in Northern Arizona along the border that includes a number of trails and landscape attractions. One of the attractions nearby is “The Wave,” a popular rock formation shaped like a wave. The hike is so highly sought after, you must apply for a permit to visit and it can be very difficult to be chosen in the lottery.

Best Time of Year to Visit White Pocket

The desert of Arizona and Utah can get brutally hot, notably in the summer. I would avoid making this journey in the heat of June-August. The risk of getting stranded because of the challenging road is just too high to risk it in the brutal heat for me. We went at the beginning of May and the weather was hot, but not unbearably so. March or April would have been even better. Another thing to consider with the weather is rain. If it’s rained recently or rain is in the forecast anywhere nearby, use extreme caution. Flash floods can be incredibly dangerous, especially in slot canyons or low rocky areas. It will also make the sandy road to White Pocket impassable in many cases.

*Note: Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time so half the year there is a time difference between it and Utah (unless you’re in Navajo Nation). It can get very confusing. So make sure you note the time differences in order to get your rental Jeep back on time.

Getting to White Pocket, Arizona

We rented a Jeep for the day from Jeepbnb in Page. Of the few Jeep rental places I called, they had the longest rental period for the day for the best price. They also had the option of an extra fee for returning it after 8 pm and we just barely made it back in time at 10 pm. We left their office with the Jeep at around 8 am. Our day was longer than it necessarily needed to be because 1) We accidentally went about 20 minutes past the House Rock Valley Road and had to turn around, 2) I wanted to see White Pocket at golden-hour/sunset, and 3) We also went to Buckskin Gulch and hiked for a few hours first.

Unlike the Wave, which you’ve more likely heard of, White Pocket doesn’t yet require a permit at the time of writing this. What a day trip to White Pocket does require, however, is a 4×4 high clearance vehicle. They are both in the same Vermillion Cliffs area, however The Wave doesn’t require the same vehicle capabilities to reach the trailhead (as long as the weather has been ok).

It’s recommended to download Google offline maps (but don’t rely on this for directions) as well as have a physical map with you of the area since there is a maze of off-road trails and dirt roads that make the area quite confusing.

Take Highway 89A until you see a right turn for House Rock Valley Road (1065) heading north. If you come from Kanab, you’ll also be coming on Highway 89 but from the other direction, so you’ll take a right heading south on House Rock Valley Road. Here, the road turns to a washboard gravel and dirt road. I would definitely not take our Sprinter van down this road. It would’ve rattled it apart and taken significantly longer. But this part of the drive would definitely be doable in a 2 wheel drive. You’ll spend more time on the dirt House Rock Valley Road coming from Kanab than from Page.

Driving the 4×4 Road to White Pocket

From the House Rock Valley Road, you’ll turn east (right coming from Page or left coming from Kanab/Wire Pass Trailhead to Buckskin Gulch/The Wave) onto Pine Tree Road (BLM 1017). There will be a sign about 4×4 required. Your offline map may suggest other roads that turn off House Rock Valley Road and connect. I suggest ignoring Google maps and stay with House Rock Valley Road until you know you’re at 1017. We tried a connector road that our map directed us on and it turned into a very bumpy off road trail that seemed to disappear or branched out into several other trails.

The actual road to White Pocket does split a few times. From 1017, continue for 6.1 miles staying right at about the 3 mile mark, then when you get to 1087 go left towards the northeast. Stay left again when it branches into 1086 in 3.9 miles. At some point you’ll come to what appears to be someone’s house with a windmill. Go past this on your left. When you come to a gate, simply get out and open the gate, drive through, then close it behind you. The sand gets pretty deep and hopefully you’re keeping your speed up. There are also some pretty giant rocks in the road you’ll need to watch out for.

You’ll know you are there when you pass through a few old fence posts and old cattle loading ramp. You’ll see a parking area lined with a fence shortly thereafter to the left. 

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that you have a capable vehicle. A Subaru, Rav4, or AWD is unlikely to be sufficient, although possible. You’ll be on roughly 18 miles of progressively deeper and deeper sand. Consider deflating the pressure in your tires, have a shovel and tracks, extra water and food, and emergency supplies. There is no cell reception out here, you may not pass another vehicle for hours, and vehicle recovery services would be costly. The types of vehicles we saw at White Pocket were Jeeps, an Expedition, a Toyota Tacoma, and 4Runner.

How to Explore White Pocket

We wanted to go to Buckskin Gulch before White Pocket, since I wanted to photograph White Pocket at sunset. And then we ended up having to wait for the sun to go down a bit when we arrived at White Pocket because the afternoon lighting was so harsh and it was so hot and exposed when we arrived around 4:30 pm. So we sat in the Jeep and ate snacks from our cooler we rented from the Jeep rental place. Finally around 6 pm, the sun wasn’t quite so harsh and it had cooled a little. Keep in mind, this was May. The lighting will be different at different times of year. 

From the parking area, White Pocket spreads out in both directions in front of you. There is not a specific “trail” you must follow, aside from a sand one straight out from the parking lot. In fact you can just wander to your heart’s content. To the right are the “brain formations,” as I like to refer to them. The rocks have a brain matter pattern and look incredible from above, especially in drone shots. We didn’t fly the drone as it was pretty windy.

As you explore your way around, you’ll find all kinds of unique rock formations and perspectives to photograph. But none are quite as incredible as the “swirl.” I have no idea if it has an official name, but it looks like an ocean curl or wave. From the parking lot, this area is nearly directly straight out and a little to the left. You’ll know it when you see it. My jaw literally dropped. 

I can’t decide if it looks like frothy hot chocolate frozen in time or marbled meat, but either way, it’s a sight to behold and one to photograph. The lighting here is fantastic just around sunset. 

We actually ran out of time to venture much farther than this but the rest of the area past that looks cool too. We had to hurry to get the rental Jeep back by 10 pm and we also didn’t want to drive the entire sandy 18 miles in the dark. In all, we wandered from around 6-8 pm and could easily have used another hour or two. We probably walked a total of 2 miles over the course of those 2 hours. The sun set while we were driving but we made it back to the House Rock Valley Road before it went completely dark.

Side Trip to Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass Trailhead

Buckskin Gulch via Wire Pass is a great slot canyon hike from the same parking lot as the trail to The Wave. You absolutely can reach this parking lot without a 4×4. Just keep in mind it’s an unpleasant washboarded dusty long road. Buckskin Gulch and the trailhead are actually in Utah. The trailhead is along the same House Rock Valley Road but about 30-40 minutes past the turnoff for White Pocket coming from the south. You can’t miss the big parking lot. There is also a bathroom there.

From here, you follow a hot dusty trail which is actually a river wash for about a mile until the reprieve of the slot canyon emerges. They start off shallow then increasingly get deeper until finally, it’s cool and shady and absolutely amazing. You can continue as long as you’d like in Buckskin Gulch; it’s actually one of the longest slot canyons. Dogs are allowed, although consider the heat and time of day because until you get in the canyon, there is no shade.

A little ways into the slot canyon, you’ll come to the ladder. This wood ladder is not particularly sketchy, but for dogs or small children, it will be nearly impossible so be prepared to carry them or stop the hike here. Griffey is tiny so I carried him down and put him in my backpack when we went back up. Eventually the canyon opens up and you can find petroglyphs on the big rock face on the right. From here the trail forks to the left and right. We followed the left into the canyon for a while and eventually turned around and headed back to the car.

So as you can imagine, 40 minutes each way, plus time to hike Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch added a significant amount of time to our day but it was well worth it. Just bring lots of water, sunscreen, a hat, and avoid the heat of the day.

*Note: According to AllTrails, the ladder is currently removed and the road has been washed out. I would not try to access this until trip reports confirm it is accessible.

What I Would Do Differently Next Time

If I was going to visit White Pocket again, which I hope to eventually, there are a couple things I’d do differently. 

• I’d rent the Jeep for 2 days for a couple reasons.
• I would try to get a permit for the Wave so I could hike that one of the 2 days. Whether or not that would be possible, is up to luck, of course.
• Lastly, I’d camp at White Pocket or sleep in my vehicle. I’m not sure how long that will be allowed, but at the time of writing this, it is. There were a couple people with camps set up under the very limited shade of a couple trees within a few hundred yards of the parking lot. I think it would be epic to see White Pocket for sunset and sunrise the next morning and not have to hurry back at night. 

If you do decide to camp in the area, use existing campsites and follow Leave No Trace Principals. Bury human waste 6 inches deep away from your camp and pack out all trash, including toilet paper!

Where to Stay to Visit White Pocket

Page is a cute town and there is plenty to do in the area. We stayed in Page for about a week because we wanted to visit both Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe bend, Lake Powell, and the Vermilion Cliffs Monument to see Buckskin Gulch and White Pocket. 

If you’re basing yourself in Page, Arizona, don’t expect a quaint and charming town. There are a number of motels like the Comfort Inn but nothing fancy or boutique. The was a good Mexican restaurant I recall getting takeout from called El Tapatio.

Kanab is more quaint and hip in my opinion. But it is smaller. There was less to do in the immediate area of Kanab so it was just less practical to spend as much time there for us. But we went through there to continue on to Zion National Park after we left Page. If you’re based in Kanab, Utah, there are a number of really cute boutique style hotels like Canyons Boutique Hotel, the Kanab Suites, or Canyons Lodge. If you want to do something really unique and memorable, stay and volunteer at Best Friends, an animal sanctuary where you can even have an animal sleepover.

In Kanab, also check out the Willow Canyon Outdoor Gear. They have great coffee and a great selection of gear.

I hope this post will help you plan your visit and better prepare you for how to get to White Pocket, Arizona. It really is one of those places you have to see to believe!

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