Cedar Mountain
Many Wildlife Opportunities on Cedar Mountain
By Dixie Brunner
The two million acre Dixie National Forest is a stunning jewel of public land. While the forest has four geographic areas stretching 170 miles across southern Utah, the Cedar Mountain area is certainly among its most stunning.
A tourist checks where Cascade Fall empties out of Navajo Lake on Cedar Mountain. Photo by Dennis Brunner.
You don’t have to look far to find wild things here! With high elevations and cool mountain waters, Cedar Mountain is the place to not only get refreshed during on hot summer days, but actually see plenty of wildlife in their mountain habitat.
The Duck Creek area is gaining recognition as a great snowmobiling, mountain biking and hiking destination, with some of the best trails, scenery and terrain found anywhere in America’s southwest.
From Brian Head Peak, towering 11,307 feet above sea level, to the quaint charms of the alpine village of Duck Creek, Cedar Mountain offers a host of scenery and activities for the southern Utah traveler.
Forest visitors can enjoy camping, mountain biking, viewing incredible scenery, hiking, horseback, ATV riding and fishing. You can also picnic, camp, view interpretive exhibits and take pleasure drives throughout the area. Lodging accomodations are available as well.
By taking scenic Highway 14 west from Highway 89, 40 miles north of Kanab, toward Cedar City, the nearly 42 mile trip offers travelers a number of scenic and recreational stops. This drive takes you through aspen, oak and pine-covered forests, past crystal clear, ice-cold streams and lakes to an awe-inspiring and different view of Zion National Park and Kolob Canyon.
Why not visit Mammoth Creek, Cascade Falls or get information at the Duck Creek Visitor Center? Continue on and spend some time at Navajo Lake and Webster’s Flat, or take Hwy 143 to Cedar Breaks and on to Brian Head or Panguitch Lake.
Many artists find Cedar Breaks National Monument even more inspiring than Bryce Canyon National Park, with different degrees of hikes available to take in the sights.
Interpretive activities are available at the log cabin visitor center. Camping is available at six locations on the mountain, with a range of sites and amenities. For more information, call Dixie National Forest at 435-865-3700.
