Beartrap Canyon Wilderness

Beartrap Canyon Wilderness is small but shares a common boundary with designated wilderness in the Kolob Canyons portion of Zion National Park. While its western boundary is contiguous with the park, its northern, southern, and eastern boundaries border private land. The terrain within its boundaries consists of a sandstone finger of a mesa and the upper reach of the Beartrap Canyon. Largely a rugged, steeply sloped area, this Wilderness contains the headwater areas for many tributaries that flow through Bear Trap Canyon, on Kolob Terrace. A very short segment of stream in Bear Trap Canyon is designated as "wild" in the National Wild and Scenic River System. Beartrap Canyon Wilderness is an isolated parcel of land managed by the BLM. Ranging from nearly 6,800 to 7,500 feet in elevation, both the mesa top and canyon bottom sustain Utah juniper, ponderosa, and pinyon pine trees. Despite its small size, because of its proximity to adjacent wilderness and other relatively undisturbed lands, a wide variety of wildlife lives here. Hawks, falcons, and eagles soar above the canyons, while ringtailed cats, mountain lion, and black bear hunt in the uplands and along the canyon bottoms. The dissected remote canyons also offer suitable nesting habitat for the Mexican spotted owl, a threatened species. Summer temperatures often exceed 100°F, with temperatures in excess of 90°F at higher elevations and day and night temperatures differing by over 30°F. Winters are cold and often wet, with temperatures ranging from highs of 50°F to 60°F during the day to well below freezing at night. Beartrap Canyon Wilderness receives between 20 and 24 inches of rainfall each year. There are no maintained trails in the Wilderness.