Dixie National Forest

**Dixie National Forest** is a United States National Forest in Utah with headquarters in Cedar City. It occupies almost two million acres (8,000 km²) and stretches for about Template:Convert across southern Utah. The largest national forest in Utah, it straddles the divide between the Great Basin and the Colorado River. In descending order of forestland area it is located in parts of Garfield, Washington, Iron, Kane, Wayne, and Piute counties. The majority (over 55%) of forest acreage lies in Garfield County.

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## Scouting Activities

* See Also Utah Scouting.
* List of U.S. National Forests
* Leave No Trace: Utah Scouting reminds all forest visitors to practice Leave No Trace principles during every outdoor adventure.
* Recreation : hiking, backpacking, fishing, nature studies and more
* Scoutcraft : camping, cooking, pioneering, orienteering, and more
* Service : For info on the many service project opportunities available at this park - please contact the park ranger directly.

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## Geography

Elevations vary from 2800-feet above sea level near St. George, Utah to 11,322-feet at Blue Bell Knoll on Boulder Mountain. The southern rim of the Great Basin, near the Colorado River, provides spectacular scenery. Colorado River canyons are made up of multi-colored cliffs and steep-walled gorges.

The Forest is divided into four geographic areas. High altitude forests in gently rolling hills characterize the Markagunt, Paunsaugunt, and Aquarius Plateaus. Boulder Mountain, one of the largest high-elevation plateaus in the United States, is dotted with hundreds of small lakes 10,000 to 11,000 feet (3,000 to 3,400 m) above sea level. The forest includes the Pine Valley Mountains north of St. George

The Forest has many climatic extremes. Precipitation ranges from Template:Convert in the lower elevations to more than Template:Convert per year near Brian Head Peak Template:Convert. At the higher elevations, most of the annual precipitation falls as snow. Thunderstorms are common during July and August and produce heavy rains. In some areas, August is the wettest month of the year.

Temperature extremes can be impressive, with summer temperatures exceeding Template:Convert near St. George and winter lows exceeding Template:Convert on the plateau tops.

The vegetation of the Forest grades from sparse, desert-type plants at the lower elevations to stand of low-growing pinyon pine and juniper dominating the mid-elevations. At the higher elevations, aspen and conifers such as pine, spruce, and fir predominate.

The Dixie Forest Reserve was established on September 25, 1905 by the General Land Office. The name was derived from the local description of the warm southern part of Utah as "Dixie". In 1906 the U.S. Forest Service assumed responsibility for the lands, and on March 4, 1907 it became a National Forest. The western part of Sevier National Forest was added on July 1, 1922, and all of Powell National Forest on October 1, 1944.

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### **Navajo Lake**

Formed when an ancient lava flow dammed the eastern side of the valley, Navajo Lake rests on a bed of limestone and drains through underground tunnels. Surrounded by Dixie National Forest, Navajo Lake is the perfect place for dark skies reflected in a forest lake.

Navajo Lake Campground, located on the shores of Navajo Lake, provides a spectacular setting for boating, camping, fishing, hiking, and the chance to stay overnight and watch the stars.

* See Also Southern Utah Astronomy.

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## Visitor centers

There are local ranger district offices and visitor centers in

* Cedar City, with Duck Creek Visitor Center
* Escalante, with Escalante Interagency Visitor Center
* Pine Valley, in St. George, with Pine Valley Heritage Center
* Powell, in Panguitch, with Red Canyon Visitor Center

## Wilderness areas

There are four officially designated wilderness areas within Dixie National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.

* Ashdown Gorge Wilderness
* Box-Death Hollow Wilderness
* Cottonwood Forest Wilderness
* Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness

## See also

* List of U.S. national forests
* St. George, Utah Youth Clubs - Outdoor Adventure clubs
* Panguitch Lake
* Bryce Canyon Natural History Association
* List of Utah Wilderness areas
* Podunk
* Paunsaugunt Plateau
* West Valley Fire
* Utah Scouting

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## References

1. ↑ USDA Forest Service Ranger Districts By State (PDF) 30-31. Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
2. ↑ History of the Dixie National Forest. *Dixie National Forest*. U.S. Forest Service (2010-08-21).
3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `fhs`
4. ↑ SUU Blog - Top 11 places for stargazing in Southern Utah
5. ↑ Dixie National Forest Visitor Centers.

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## External links

* Official website
* Podunk Guard Station

Template:Protected areas of Utah
Template:National Forests of the United States