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Dark Canyon SRMA

Dark Canyon begins high on the edge of Elk Ridge (8,800 feet in elevation) and ends at 3,700 feet elevation in the desert environment of upper Lake Powell. The Dark Canyon drainage is primarily administered by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. The Forest Service manages the upper end of the canyon as the 45,000 acre Dark Canyon Wilderness Area and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administers the lower end of the canyon as the 62,000 acre Dark Canyon Primitive Area /Wilderness Study Area (WSA) and as a Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA). The extreme lower end of Dark Canyon is within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, administered by the National Park Service.

The Dark Canyon SRMA/Primitive Area includes the side canyons of Dark Canyon and smaller canyons in the area. Fable Valley is a shallower canyon about eight miles long north of Dark Canyon that is part of this area.

The Primitive Area/WSA also includes areas of the Dark Canyon Plateau between the canyons, which offers a canyon rim oriented visitor experience. North of Fable Valley is a smaller rugged area managed as the Dark Canyon Natural Area, which is a non-WSA area with Wilderness Characteristics.

Dark Canyon is a very rugged area, and many of the trails are very strenuous. Visitors should be well prepared for extreme conditions.

Directions

From the southwest, the Sundance Trailhead is accessed from a road that leaves State Highway 95 east of Hite. This is a graded road which may require up to six inches of clearance depending on road conditions. High clearance is recommended but the trailhead may be accessible by regular passenger cars in dry weather. The Woodenshoe Road accesses the southeastern part of the area. It offers trailhead access into Dark Canyon on Forest Service land. Farther to the west on BLM land are spectacular views into the canyon. This is a graded road which may require up to six inches of clearance depending on road conditions. High clearance is recommended but the road may be accessible by regular passenger cars in dry weather.This road is accessed from a road that leaves State Highway 95 just east of Natural Bridges National Monument. The North Long Point Road accesses the Dark Canyon Plateau in the middle part of the area, and offers trailheads into Fable Valley on BLM land and into Dark Canyon on Forest Service land. This is a graded road which may require up to six inches of clearance depending on road conditions. High clearance is recommended but the road may be accessible by regular passenger cars in dry weather. This road is accessed from the South Cottonwood Road which leaves State Highway 95 west of Blanding or from the North Cottonwood Road which leaves the Needles Road west of Newspaper Rock. The Beef Basin Road offers access to the northern part of the area, including a trailhead into Fable Valley. The Beef Basin Road should be attempted by high clearance vehicles only, and four wheel drive is recommended. This road is accessed from the North Cottonwood Road which leaves the Needles Road west of Newspaper Rock.

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Dark Canyon SRMA

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Nearby Parks

Sundance Trail

Fiddler Butte

Hog Springs Recreation Area