Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness is a

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

in the US state of

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. It was designated March 30, 2009, as part of the

Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (, ) is a land management law passed in the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009. The bill designates millions of acres in the US as protected a ...

. Located adjacent to the southern edge of the Dixie National Forest, it encompasses and protects a transition zone between the

Colorado Plateau The Colorado Plateau, also known as the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic and desert region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. This province covers an area of ...

to the east and the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

to the west. It is bordered by the Cottonwood Forest Wilderness to the northeast and is itself (along with

Red Mountain Wilderness The Red Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwestern White Pine County and northeastern Nye County, within the White Pine Range in the U.S. state of Nevada. The Wilderness lies within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, administ ...

to its west) a part of the

Red Cliffs National Conservation Area The Red Cliffs National Conservation Area is a National Conservation Area located in southwest Utah, north of St. George at the northeasternmost edge of the Mojave Desert. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Lan ...

Vegetation

Vegetation in Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness includes pockets of

yucca ''Yucca'' is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40–50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flo ...

, cholla, and mesquite, as well as riparian vegetation such as

Fremont cottonwood ''Populus fremontii'', commonly known as Frémont's cottonwood, is a cottonwood (and thus a poplar) native to riparian zones of the Southwestern United States and northern through central Mexico. It is one of three species in ''Populus'' sect. ...

along several intermittent streams. Higher up toward the

Pine Valley Mountains The Pine Valley Mountains are a mountain range in Washington County, Utah, United States, spanning the county north of the city of St. George. The highest point in the range is Signal Peak at . The mountains are part of Dixie National Forest a ...

are

pinyon pine The pinyon or piñon pine group grows in southwestern North America, especially in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. The trees yield edible nuts, which are a staple food of Native Americans, and widely eaten as a snack and as an ingredient in New ...

and

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

. The endangered purple-spined hedgehog cactus ('' Echinocereus engelmannii'' var. ''purpureus'') may occur in the area.

Wildlife

A variety of wildlife is found in Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness, including mule deer, mountain lion,

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

, and kit fox, as well as Gila monster and chuckawalla - both of which are on the State of Utah's list of sensitive species due to shrinking habitat. The federally threatened desert tortoise can also be found in the wilderness. Common bird species include Gambel's quail, mourning dove,

prairie falcon The prairie falcon (''Falco mexicanus'') is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40&nb ...

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

, and the more common red-tailed, Cooper's, and sharp-shinned hawks.

Recreation

There are several miles of hiking and horseback riding trails in Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness. All vehicles including bicycles are prohibited in the wilderness. There are also opportunities for rock climbing and wildlife viewing in the wilderness. Visitors should practice Leave No Trace principles.

References

External links

* {{authority control Wilderness areas of Utah Protected areas of Washington County, Utah Bureau of Land Management areas in Utah Protected areas established in 2009 2009 establishments in Utah

Vegetation

Wildlife

Recreation

See also

References

External links