Cottonwood Wilderness

It's an early morning on the trails with the birds singing, the breeze blowing, and the sun barely up yet. Some of the little bugs that live in the night are still roaming around and havent yet gone back into hiding. Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness is a 11,712-acre wilderness area in the US state of Utah. It was designated March 30, 2009, as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. Located adjacent to the southern edge of the Dixie National Forest, it encompasses and protects a transition zone between the Colorado Plateau to the east and the Mojave Desert to the west. It is bordered by the Cottonwood Forest Wilderness to the northeast and is itself a part of the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. A variety of wildlife is found in Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness, including mule deer, mountain lion, bobcat, and kit fox, as well as gila monster and chuckawalla - both of which are on the State of Utah's list of sensitive species due to shrinking habitat. Vegetation in Cottonwood Canyon Wilderness includes pockets of yucca, cholla, and mesquite, as well as riparian vegetation such as Fremont cottonwood along several intermittent streams.