Dixie NF - Escalante

Dixie NF - Escalante https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/dixie/recarea/?recid=24976 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_National_Forest Dixie National Forest is a United States National Forest in Utah with headquarters in Cedar City. It occupies almost two million acres (8,000 km²) and stretches for about 170 miles (270 km) across southern Utah. The largest national forest in Utah, it straddles the divide between the Great Basin and the Colorado River. The Escalante Ranger district is known for its high mountain lakes and large stands of aspen trees. The majority of the district is located on high timbered plateaus with rolling hills and open meadows.

i x i e Nat i on a l For e s t VISITOR GUIDE A Contrast in Color, Climate, & Culture Pine Valley Reser voir yon Red Can A place of diversity, the Dixie National Forest straddles the divide between the Great Basin and the Colorado River in southern Utah. Scenery ranges from desert canyon gorges of amber, rose, and sienna to high mountain forests, plateaus, and alpine lakes. Fast Forest Facts Elevation Range: 3,000’–11,000’ Acres: Nearly 2 million The Name: Southwest Utah was called Utah’s Dixie by early settlers from the southern states sent to the desert to grow cotton and silk; the forest was named after the area. Temperature Range: From mountain lows of -30 degrees to valley highs of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. T What’s Inside History .................................. 2 Scenic Byways, Backways, & Drives ............. 3 Special Places ..................... 4 Our Natural Resources ........ 6 Map ....................................... 8 Campgrounds & Guard Station Rentals ....... 10 Trails .................................... 11 Activities .............................. 12 Know Before You Go............ 14 Contact Information ............ 16 he Dixie National Forest is characterized by contrast. As a part of the world-renowned landscapes of Southern Utah, the forest provides a backdrop and serves as a gateway to surrounding National Parks and Monuments. Nationally recognized highways and trails course through the forest and provide ready access to the distinctive natural highlights of the forest landscape. Come see for yourself! Sego Lily This Visitor Guide provides the information you can use to plan your trip to the Dixie National Forest. G et to Know Us inhabited by the Paleo-Indian Culture who hunted woolly mammoths and megafauna. This culture was followed by another hunter-gatherer group known as the Archaic Culture. They also lived seasonally in the high country and followed game to lower elevations in winter. B.C. ca 2,000 ir c , h p a Pictogr ictographs, petroglyphs, P dwellings, and artifacts—all indicate the presence in the area of horticultural cultures. Identified as the Fremont and Anasazi (Ancestral Puebloean), they occupied the Dixie National Forest area from 5001275 AD. They were farmers, planting corn, beans, and squash near water sources. North Creek granary These cultures used the high country for hunting and gathering of rock, medicinal plants, and other resources. Their stone granaries—still visible tucked into the sandstone cliffs—kept their stores safe from animals. By the early 1300s, groups Ute family, circa 1860-1 88 (courtesy of firstpeople.c 0 om) known as the Paiutes and Utes moved here from the west, living much the same as their predecessors. These were the people who were here when the first Europeans explored the area. In 1776, led by Fathers Dominquez and Escalante, a new route was pioneered known as the Old Spanish Trail. By the mid 1800s trappers, traders, gold hunters, slave traders, and immigrants traveled this road regularly. Today it parallels much of Interstate 15. orested lands in F Southern Utah are vital to the surrounding communities. This point was not lost on President Theodore Roosevelt who reserved 20 million acres of the forest during his first term in office and 80 million during his second. While the forest reserves were originally set aside to provide favorable conditions for water flow to the valleys and a continuous supply of timber, additional lands were added to the reserves in response to concerns The conservation mission of the from local communities Forest Service was best stated by about overgrazing and its first Chief, Gifford Pinchot (1905water quality. In the 1930s, 1910): “To provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people for three different reserves the long run.” were combined to form the Dixie National Forest. uring the D Great Depression of the 1930s, the national forest served as a work area for the Civilian CCC building a restroom on Brian Head Conservation Peak, circa 1935 Corps (CCC), providing young men with jobs building roads, guard stations, and recreation sites. There are still several facilities on the forest that show off the craftmanship of “The Boys.” oday, people value the Dixie National Forest not only T for its resources (minerals, timber, water, and forage) but also for its opportunities for camping, fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing. The Dixie National Forest is located in the “Grand Circle” with several famous neighbors, including Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef National Parks, and Cedar Breaks and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. The dramatic elevation differences mean you can pick the weather you want to recreate in! Virgin River Rim 2 The vast resources of the Dixie National Forest belong to all Americans. These resources must rely on the stewardship of us all if they are to be sustained for our future generations. Gifford Pinchot What is now th