As you can see on the sign, this is a seasonalroad that is impassable when wet. … at the turnoff from US 89, 46 miles east of Kanab, Utah. It requires a big commitment, some patience, and a little bit of risk. It’s a place where rocks come in every color imaginable, and all seem to be arranged in chaos.īecause this is part of Utah’s vast, mostly untamed wilderness, you can’t simply turn off of a paved highway and into a parking lot, to experience Cottonwood Canyon. The dirt road leads to the almost dream-like canyon pictured above. Fortunately, my route allowed me an excuse to travel the Cottonwood Canyon Road (BLM Route 400) through the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. That’s not a bad thing, when you’re in an area as spectacular as southern Utah. The first few days of this trip were designed to cover much of the same territory as my 2004 “Arches and Canyons” trip.