COLEMAN ROAD TRIPPER BEACH SHADE FREELocal ranchers pay a monthly fee of two dollars per head in order for their cattle to roam free on public lands.Īs crazy as it may sound, I envied the cattle. It’s not uncommon to see cattle grazing on public lands managed by the BLM (Bureau Of Land Management) and the Forest Service. Less than five miles into our trip, we were greeted by grazing livestock, lush green grass, and dramatic rock formations. With clear road conditions and a favorable weather forecast, the Perfect Stranger, Shadow, and I left the southern terminus of Cottonwood Canyon road. To quote the Monument’s website, “Grand Staircase-Escalante can be a fierce and dangerous land, and its wild character should not be underestimated.” This is not an area to experience car problems or to get bogged in the mud. Cell phone service across the Monument is non-existent. Avoid this drive during the monsoon season and be sure to contact the Big Water Visitor Center for the latest road conditions and weather updates. After a rainstorm, the road’s bentonite clay base transforms itself into a muddy, slick, slip and slide. Impassable When Wet! The sign does not lie or exaggerate. Considered to be an adventurer’s thoroughfare, Cottonwood Canyon traverses an ancient inland sea bed, delivering road-trippers into the inner sanctum of Grand StairCase Escalante National Monument. Redesignated as a scenic byway, this forty-six mile, unpaved road, connects Highway 89 with Utah State Route 12. Twenty-five miles west of Glen Canyon Dam, lies a former power line maintenance road known as Cottonwood Canyon. “It’s a place where one can see how nature shapes human endeavors in the American West and where distance and aridity have been pitted against our dreams and courage.” P resident Bill Clinton
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