Dixie National Forest

Dixie National Forest Table of Contents

• Location
• Photographs
• Escalante to Torrey
• Bryce Canyon to Circleville
• Cedar Breaks to Panguitch
• St George to the Nevada border
• Trails of the Dixie National Forest

Location

Map of Dixie National Forest.

Photographs

39 views of the Dixie National Forest.

Escalante - Torrey

The largest section of the Dixie National Forest is in the south central part of Utah, mostly north and west of UT 12 from Tropic, through Escalante and Boulder to Torrey, though a sizeable part extends further east to the boundary of Capitol Reef National Park. This is mountainous terrain, and contained within are the Aquarius Plateau and flat-topped Boulder Mountain, which rises 3,000 feet above the surrounding sedimentary rocks of the Colorado Plateau. The land breaks up to the south in a series of valleys and narrow canyons, especially around Escalante, and some of that region's best scenery is within the forest boundary including the Box-Death Hollow Wilderness, Sand Creek, and upper Boulder Creek, both reached along the unpaved Hells Backbone Road.

The main access into Dixie National Forest is the section of UT 12 north of Boulder, which rises to 9,200 feet, and for several miles the pine trees are replaced by aspen groves between Alpine meadows, as the highway passes various viewpoints, campsites and side tracks, such as FR165 to Kings Pasture Reservoir, start point for the Trail Point Trail, one of several routes to the Boulder Mountain plateau. Another road is UT 24 along the north edge though forest access from here is more limited. The surroundings are rather different in the southwest where the elevation is much lower; here UT 12 approaches from Escalante via a long grassy valley, passes over a small summit then descends through an expanse of eroded ravines and mesas with much exposed rock, later reaching Henrieville.

Bryce Canyon - Circleville

To the west, the next section of Dixie National Forest is nearly contiguous, separated only by a corridor of private land either side of UT 22, which joins UT 12 from the north, just above Bryce Canyon National Park. This includes the west face of the Paunsaugunt Plateau and contains similar, though smaller, eroded outcrops of red and pink sandstone that are seen most spectacularly in the national park a few miles to the east. Red Canyon lies entirely within the national forest while other sites to the south of UT 12 include Tropic Reservoir, popular for fishing, and the volcanic peak of Black Butte.

Cedar Breaks - Panguitch

The third portion of the Dixie National Forest, east of Cedar City, is the easiest to access and receives the most visitors. The huge exposed cliff face of Cedar Breaks National Monument dominates the west edge, and other smaller eroded formations are found to the south. The resort of Brian Head is a few miles north, usually open for skiing between November and March, and offers excellent views all year from its summit, which is reached by a gravel road. From Cedar City, UT 14 climbs up through pretty Cedar Canyon, and after the side road to the national monument passes large areas of lava and several cinder cones, then runs beside to Navajo Lake - used for camping, fishing and boating, this is unusual as it has no surface outlet. Instead its waters drain underground then emerge a few miles south at Cascade Falls at the edge of the Pink Cliffs, a point reached by a 3 mile forest track and 1.1 mile foot trail. From the lake, UT 14 drops 2,000 feet through more wooded land, past Duck Creek Village to Long Valley Junction. In and around the village are several trails and campgrounds, a few small lakes for fishing, and a range of visitor facilities. The other main paved road through the national forest is UT 143 from Panguitch to Cedar Breaks, through rolling, open countryside with ranches and other pockets of settlement, especially around Panguitch Lake.

St George - Nevada border

The westernmost area of the Dixie National Forest is dominated by the Pine Valley Mountains that rise to over 10,000 feet a few miles north of St George. I-15 runs beneath the very steep east face of the mountains while UT 18, the one paved route through the forest, follows the more gently sloping west side; this road passes Snow Canyon soon after St George then crosses empty, slightly desolate land for the next 40 miles, to the junction with UT 56. This land, west of the mountains, is part of the Great Basin Desert and without much of particular interest though one site worth visiting is Old Irontown, to the northeast - remains of a small mining town that produced iron ore between 1882 and 1890, A few brick structures remain, all rather overgrown, plus various scattered mining relics. The east face of the mountains adjoins the edge of the Colorado Plateau, and the lower slopes have much eroded, red and yellow sandstone formations; sites of note include Red Cliffs Recreation Area and the Yant Flat Cliffs, plus the narrow canyons of Bitter Creek and Yankee Doodle Hollow.

Trails of the Dixie National Forest