For the past several weeks I’ve been making the 57 mile journey to Kanab from Big Water a couple of times a week. Driving by the Cottonwood Canyon road entrance it is obvious there is major construction work going on. On Thursday, coming back from Kanab, I was behind a large, side dump semi-truck hauling the biggest boulders I have seen in a long time. Being adventurous, I decided to stop at the mouth of the canyon and check it out.
Cottonwood Canyon road is a 48 mile long, sometimes very steep, back country road that leaves Highway 89 outside of Paria and ends up at Cannonville, Utah. Rain can make the road impassable, even to 4-wheel drive vehicles. One of the main attraction on the journey is located about 2/3 up the road toward Cannonville. Grosvenor Arch, a spectacular natural double arch, is one of the most photographed items in the Grand Staircase monument.
For the past two years Cottonwood Canyon road has been in a state of disrepair due to heavy spring flooding. The repair job is costing 1.5 million dollars and is being paid for as a joint venture between 2 federal government agencies and Kane County. The road is scheduled to reopen fully in mid April.
Before you go: Check with the one of the Monument Visitor Centers for road conditions and weather forecasts. The Big Water Visitor Center is staffed year round.
