Wondering Around White Pocket
Place: White Pocket
State: Arizona
Closest Cities: Page, AZ & Kanab, UT
Time of Year: April 2023
How we got there: Road trip, 4×4 Vehicle
Today we walked on another planet! Ok, so it wasn’t actually another planet! It was our own state of Arizona! When people think of Arizona they think of a hot, dry desert landscape with lots of cactus. That’s pretty much true in some places, however there is also so much more! White Pocket has to be the most bizarre landscape we have ever explored! Its like entering a fantasy world and we haven’t even left Arizona!
I am sure you have all heard of The Wave. We have yet to experience it as it is not that easy to get your hands on a permit! White Pocket is the next best thing! No permit is required at the moment but that may change in the near future. Nestled in the Paria Plateau of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, White Pocket is just that, a “pocket” of eroded Navajo sandstone formations. It is relatively inaccessible by the average person so you will not find crowds here. It is a photographer’s dream!
Getting There
We stayed the night in Kanab, UT just on the Utah/ Arizona border. Its a little over an hour from Page, AZ. Either town is a good home base when visiting White Pocket. Just remember that Utah and Arizona may be in different time zones depending on the time of year. If you are booking a tour, you need to be aware of this small detail! We booked our tour through Dreamland Safari Tours leaving from Kanab. It was about $220 per person and worth every penny! The drive is just under 2 hours and mostly off road thick soft sand. You definitely need a 4×4 high clearance vehicle if you are planning to attempt this on your own! We passed several vehicles stuck in the sand on the way! The ride was bumpy and we were grateful to get to sit back and enjoy it instead of maneuvering through the unpaved sandy back roads!
Upon arrival, our guide Maddi supplied us with apples, granola bars and water bottles. We noticed a campground to the right and thought how amazing the sky must look out there at night! I was so eager to get started on our exploration. We dressed in hiking attire complete with our new Hoka hiking shoes and set out! There were no designated trails, just an open playground awaiting us!
Exploring White Pocket
The first formation we came to reminded me of a colorless patchwork quilt spread over a lumpy bed! So unique! The grey stone had great traction so it was easy to climb.
Standing on top of the grey stone, we could see the contrasting colors of the swirling hills, domes and hoodoos. Can you believe we had the whole place to our selves! No photobombers and no crowds!
There had been a recent rainfall and we came across several pools with beautiful reflections of the sandstone above. Love how the white, orange and yellow sandstone swirl together like a soft serve ice cream cone!
We sat down right on the stone to have our picnic lunch brought by our guide Maddi. I was still in awe that this place exists! Years and years of water, wind and erosion created this amazing geological masterpiece and we were right in the middle of it eating our lunch!
These next few spots were my absolute favorite! I just love the lines and swirls that create wonderful illusions! Hanging from a cliff, sliding down a waterslide and surfing a wave!
If you look close enough, some of the windswept formations had exposed dark brown polka dots. On the ground below were thousands of “chocolate chips” that were squeezed out over time as the wind and water swept through.
The last area we explored had many hoodoo like shapes. Tall and spirally with little caves, windows and lookout points. We took our time crawling in and out of the rocks looking for hidden hideouts like the lizards we spotted!
The hike that day was approximately 3 miles total. It was fairly easy as the rock is climbable. The weather in April was perfectly mild . I can just imagine how hot it can get in the summer! We would absolutely recommend this trip and we hope that you too can wonder around White Pocket! Please remember to hike responsibly and leave no trace!
