Both NPS and BLM lands contain pristine areas that have received little, if any livestock or human use, and include grass, shrub, and tree-dominated communities and riparian zones. Deep canyons, canyon walls of alternating erosion-resistant benches and highly erodable slopes , and broad, flat benches that dip at low angles are the dominant features. Annual precipitation ranges from 200 mm to over 750 mm. Winter precipitation may fall as rain or snow, and is produced by frontal storms from the north and west. Closed low-pressure systems are common in the spring and fall, and account for significant amounts of the annual rainfall in most years.
Temperature also varies with topography.
Sedimentary formations range in age from Pennsylvanian to Creataceus. The ingeous rock consists of Tertiary granitic intrusions in the form of igneous mountains. Structurally, the area forms the boundary between the salt anticline and Monument Upwarp subsections of the Paradox Basin section of the Colorado Plateau. The structure is fairly flat-lying, with several areas of intense faulting and folding. The soils in the region range from rocky strata terraces, alluvial fans, glacial moraines and talus slope to eolian deposits and alluvium derived from sedimentary rock.