Few of these visitors realize that the 7,800-acre monument is surrounded by 85,000 acres of BLM wild lands in the upper drainages of White Canyon. On most of its wild lands the BLM has made some gesture of recognition, however faint, for outstanding wilderness values. But when the BLM announced its draft wilderness proposal for Utah in February of 1986, not one acre of the White Canyon complex was recommended for wilderness designation. Wilderness designation for the White Canyon area would protect outstanding backcountry canyoneering opportunities, thousands of acres of important habitat for desert bighorn sheep, and many ancient cultural resource sites, as well as complementing wild lands within Natural Bridges National Monument. Deer, coyote, and desert bighorn sheep roam the rugged landscape.
Raptors comb the air along the canyon rims.
White Canyon has carved a maze of canyons into the Cedar Mesa Sandstone that underlies the plateau. These canyons are among the world's foremost displays of erosional sculpting, and the upper part of White Canyon was included within Natural Bridges National Monument in recognition of this character. The canyons on the BLM lands are more intimate and challenging, though no less deserving of recognition. In places springwater forms deep pools, and occasional rainstorms bring torrents of floodwater raging through boulder gardens and thundering over pouroffs in spectacular waterfalls. Well over 100 miles of narrow, winding canyons in the White Canyon system form a network so labyrinthine that backpacking trips of two and three weeks can scarcely begin to touch its recreation potential.