Introduction
The United States Congress designated the Cottonwood Forest Wilderness (
map) in 2009 and it now has a total of
2,643 acres.
All of this wilderness is located in
Utah and is managed by the Forest Service.
The Cottonwood Forest Wilderness is bordered by
the
Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness to the south.
Description
Zion National Park's world-famous landscape of soaring cliff walls, forested plateaus, and deep, narrow gorges extends well beyond the boundaries of the park onto surrounding BLM and FS lands including the Cottonwood Forest Wilderness. The area is characterized by deep, narrow red rock canyons with intermittent surface water and seasonal flows. There are no designated system trails in the wilderness and travel is limited due to steep terrain. Seeps in the canyon walls provide water for bouquets of maidenhair fern, scarlet monkeyflower, and columbine. Hawks, falcons, and eagles nest along the sandstone walls, while deer, and cougar live in the canyon bottoms.
