Canaan Mountain, the block behind the bench

44,531 acres, designated in 2009 and managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Physically it is roughly an eight by ten mile block of Navajo sandstone standing above the surrounding country, ringed almost the whole way around by cliffs up to about two thousand feet, with a slickrock top eroded into canyons, domes and natural arches. It sits immediately south of Zion National Park and immediately north of the Cottonwood Point Wilderness.

The main access is Water Canyon, reached on Water Canyon Road from the Hildale side, about fifteen to twenty minutes southeast of Apple Valley on SR-59. The lower canyon is a shaded slot with pools and a seasonal waterfall and works as a short outing on its own. Above it the route climbs out onto the plateau, which is a completely different day: exposed slickrock, sparse cairns and no water.

Almost none, and this is the fact that decides trips. Reliable water on the plateau amounts to Sawmill Spring or whatever the potholes are holding after recent rain, and neither is something to plan around. Carry all the water you plan to drink for the whole day, and treat a hot forecast as a reason to change the objective rather than to start earlier. The absence of water is the practical constraint here, not the distance.

No. It is designated wilderness, which prohibits mechanized travel as well as motorized travel, so bicycles are not permitted anywhere on it. That is a legal restriction rather than a management preference. Riders looking for slickrock in this area want Gooseberry Mesa, about six miles of dirt off SR-59, which the Hurricane companion covers trail by trail on this site.

Same rock, entirely different proposition. Zion's southern boundary is immediately north of this wilderness and the Navajo sandstone is the same formation laid down as the same dune field. What differs is everything a national park provides: shuttles, visitor centers, made trails, bridges, rangers, permits and several million visitors a year. Canaan Mountain has no roads, no facilities, no water, no reliable trail on most of it and no entrance fee.

Spring and autumn. The plateau is exposed slickrock at elevation with no shade and no shelter, so the shoulder months give workable temperatures, and spring adds water in potholes that will not be there by September. Summer on top should be treated as off limits for a full day rather than as a challenge, and winter holds ice in the shaded pockets, which on slickrock is a specific hazard because nothing arrests a slide.

It is an ordinary desert canyon with one serious hazard, which is flash flooding. The canyon drains a large slickrock catchment, so water falling anywhere on Canaan Mountain can arrive in the narrows while the sky above the trailhead is clear. Do not enter under a building storm, check the forecast for the whole plateau rather than for the town, and if there is any doubt at all, choose an open walk instead that day.

Yes, in the sheltered folds and pockets of the plateau, surrounded by cream colored slickrock. They are there because the sandstone holds moisture in the right places, and at this latitude and elevation they are a genuine surprise the first time you come over a rise and find them. The contrast between bare rock and mature pine within a few hundred yards is one of the more memorable things about the top of this mountain.

There is no entrance fee, but wilderness regulations apply, including rules on group size and camping, and those are set by the Bureau of Land Management rather than by any town. Check the current rules with the BLM field office before planning an overnight or bringing a group. On a day walk from Water Canyon the practical constraints are water, navigation and weather rather than paperwork.