Middle Cottonwood Trail
- 2.2 mi
- round trip
- 564 ft
- climb
- 9,086 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Middle Cottonwood Trail open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Dixie National Forest.
Duck Creek OHV Trail Closure
Agency alert covering Dixie National Forest · Order 0407-26-11 · USFS · Dixie National Forest
Pine Valley Ranger District Area and Trail and Road Closure
Agency alert covering Dixie National Forest · Order 0407-26-01 · USFS · Dixie National Forest
Cedar City Temporary Road Closure Webster Flat Road (Order 0407-25-02)
Agency alert covering Dixie National Forest · Order 0407-25-02 · USFS · Dixie National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Dixie National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Middle Cottonwood Trail is an easy hike of about 2.2 miles on natural-surface trail in the Powell Ranger District of Dixie National Forest in Utah, managed by the Forest Service. It is an out-and-back route that climbs from about 8,500 feet to about 9,086 feet, with a total elevation gain of 564 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Bryce Canyon put July highs around 81°F with lows near 45°F, while winter highs stay in the mid-30s. Bikes are allowed, and the trail sits among several other routes. Rock Creek Trail is about 1.3 miles away, Upper Cottonwood Trail is about 1.4 miles away, and Cottonwood Creek Trail is about 1.7 miles away. For a longer outing, the East Fork Sevier River is about 4.8 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Under Canvas12 mi away
- Henrie's Hitch-N-Post17 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Sep
Best time to visit Middle Cottonwood Trail
Best months: June–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
36° / 6°
6 wet
Feb
38° / 10°
7 wet
Mar
45° / 18°
7 wet
Apr
54° / 24°
6 wet
May
64° / 31°
6 wet
Jun
76° / 37°
4 wet
Jul
81° / 45°
9 wet
Aug
79° / 45°
11 wet
Sep
71° / 37°
7 wet
Oct
59° / 26°
5 wet
Nov
46° / 15°
5 wet
Dec
35° / 6°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bryce Canyon Ap, UT, 15.9 mi away at 7,586 ft. The station sits about 1,500 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Greg Willis from Denver, CO, usa, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Rich Trail
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