[3] Scenic attractions include Navajo Sandstone walls, Grosvenor Arch, and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
[5] The road is mostly an unpaved, except for nine miles between Cannonville and Kodachrome Basin State Park.
[3] Many sections of the road traverse ancient seabed deposits of mudstone, silt, and shale.
When wet, the clay surface becomes exceptionally slick and even four wheel drive can be rendered useless.
Additionally, many drainages cross the road in various locations, and these may wash out during periodic flash flooding, particularly during summer thunderstorms.
View when entering
Cottonwood Canyon
from the south after passing over higher elevations from
US-89
. The road follows the Paria River for the first several miles then continues to the north along the eroded
East Kaibab Monocline
adjacent to the steeply
dipping
rocks known as the Cockscomb.
The Cockscomb at right runs along Cottonwood Canyon Road
Along the monocline - view south at a terrain transition point where the south portion of the road shifts from the major valley to an adjacent and parallel minor valley
View north at the same location with the colorful rocks of the Cockscomb on the right
