Approximate location — plotted from published sources, not a site visit, and not a guarantee of access.
Dark Canyon Wilderness protects the upper reaches of a long canyon system and tributaries such as Woodenshoe and Peavine on the Manti-La Sal National Forest in Bears Ears country. The horseshoe-shaped unit mixes high forest rims with desert canyon bottoms and Ancestral Puebloan sites. Lower Dark Canyon continues onto BLM primitive lands. Backpacking is the primary use, with trailheads on the Elk Ridge road system south of Canyonlands.
Cultural sites and artifacts are protected by federal law (ARPA/NHPA) — stay on established routes, touch and remove nothing, and follow the managing agency's and the affiliated tribe's guidance on access.