Cottonwood Canyon Scenic Back Road

This 46-mile route connects Cannonville with U.S. 89, but passes through quite different terrain and landscapes than Johnson Canyon/Skutumpah Road [1]. One of the most scenic backcountry routes in the monument, the Cottonwood Canyon Road not only offers access to dramatic Grosvenor Arch [2], but it also passes along the Cockscomb, a soaring buckle of rock that divides the Grand Staircase and the Kaiparowits Plateau.

Cottonwood Creek, which this road parallels, is a normally dry streambed that cuts through the angular rock beds of the Cockscomb. Several excellent hikes [3] lead into the canyons and narrows, where the Paria River, Hackberry Canyon, and Cottonwood Creek all meet, about 20 miles south of Cannonville.

Check at the Cannonville or Big Water visitor centers [4] for information about road conditions. Although the road is sometimes passable for cars, several road crossings are susceptible to washouts after rainstorms, and the northern portion is impassable even to four-wheel-drive vehicles when wet because of the extremely unctuous nature of the roadbed. Check conditions before setting out if you plan to go beyond Grosvenor Arch [2].