Ashdown Gorge Wilderness

Protected wilderness area in Utah, United States

37°38′38″N 112°53′20″W / 37.6438664°N 112.8888329°W / 37.6438664; -112.8888329Area7,043 acres (28.5 km²)EstablishedSeptember 18, 1984Governing bodyUnited States Forest Service

The Ashdown Gorge Wilderness is located in eastern Iron County, Utah, United States, within the arid Colorado Plateau region.^[1]

Description

The wilderness is within the Dixie National Forest adjacent to Cedar Breaks National Monument and characterized by extremely steep-walled canyons cut through the west rim of the Markagunt Plateau. Elevations in the wilderness range from 10,500 feet (3,200 m) to 7,500 feet (2,300 m). Rattlesnake Creek and Ashdown Creek flow through the wilderness. The 7,043 acres (28.5 km²) wilderness area was designated by the U.S. Congress in 1984 and is administered is by the United States Forest Service.

Like the more famous Cedar Breaks National Monument, Ashdown Gorge is known for its multicolored rock formations and plateau-top stands of 1,000-year-old bristlecone pines. The Gorge is named after the family of George Ashdown who set up a sawmill there in 1898. Today there are 320 acres (1.3 km²) of private land inholdings mostly surrounded by the wilderness.

In 2006, Iron County officials were considering a proposal to expand Cedar Breaks National Monument to include the Ashdown Gorge Wilderness, the private inholdings and nearby Flanigan Arch. With congressional approval the area would be renamed Cedar Breaks National Park.

References

^ "Ashdown Gorge Wilderness". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 27 November 2008.

Howard, Lynna P. (2005). Utah's Wilderness Areas: The Complete Guide. Westcliffe Publishers. ISBN 1-56579-388-9.
Cunningham, Bill; Polly Burke (1998). Wild Utah: A Guide to 45 Roadless Recreation Areas. Falcon Publishing. ISBN 1-56044-616-1.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashdown Gorge Wilderness.

"Ashdown Gorge Wilderness". Wilderness.net.
"Dixie National Forest". National Forest Service.
"Cedar Breaks National Monument". National Park Service.
"Dixie National Forest". zionnational-park.com.

Protected areas of Utah

Federal

National Parks	Arches Bryce Canyon Canyonlands Capitol Reef Zion
NPS National Monuments	Cedar Breaks Dinosaur Hovenweep Natural Bridges Rainbow Bridge Timpanogos Cave
National Historic Parks	Golden Spike
National Recreation Areas	Flaming Gorge Glen Canyon
National Historic Trails	California Mormon Pioneer Pony Express Old Spanish
National Forests	Ashley Caribou–Targhee Dixie Fishlake Manti–La Sal Sawtooth Uinta–Wasatch–Cache
Forest Service areas	Desert Biosphere Reserve
National Wildlife Refuges	Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge Fish Springs Ouray
National Conservation Areas	Beaver Dam Wash Red Cliffs
BLM National Monuments	Bears Ears Grand Staircase–Escalante Jurassic National Monument
U.S. Wilderness Areas	Ashdown Gorge Beartrap Canyon Beaver Dam Mountains Black Ridge Canyons Blackridge Box-Death Hollow Canaan Mountain Cedar Mountain Cottonwood Canyon Cottonwood Forest Cougar Canyon Dark Canyon Deep Creek Deep Creek North Deseret Peak Doc's Pass Goose Creek High Uintas LaVerkin Creek Lone Peak Mount Naomi Mount Nebo Mount Olympus Mount Timpanogos Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Pine Valley Mountain Red Butte Red Mountains Slaughter Creek Taylor Creek Twin Peaks Wellsville Mountain Zion
Wild and Scenic Rivers	Green River Virgin River

State

State Parks Northern Region	Antelope Island Bear Lake Camp Floyd Deer Creek East Canyon Echo Flight Park Fred Hayes at Starvation Great Salt Lake Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail Hyrum Jordan River OHV Park Jordanelle Lost Creek Red Fleet Rockport Steinaker Utah Field House Utah Lake Wasatch Mountain Willard Bay
State Parks Central Region	Fremont Indian Goblin Valley Green River Huntington Millsite Palisade Scofield Territorial Statehouse Utahraptor Yuba
State Parks Southern Region	Anasazi Coral Pink Sand Dunes Dead Horse Point Edge of the Cedars Escalante Petrified Forest Frontier Homestead Goosenecks Gunlock Kodachrome Basin Otter Creek Piute Quail Creek Sand Hollow Snow Canyon