The Dark Canyon Wilderness is within the Mant-La Sal National Forest.

The Manti-La Sal National Forest is located in central and southeastern Utah. The forest contains over a million acres in three mountain blocks providing islands of green rising above the desert. Find adventure, romance, and unparalleled scenery.

Spring brings wildflowers to the forest. The blossoms gradually work their way to higher elevations, providing a colorful and protracted show in wet years. Late-season snowfields provide the easiest access of the year to the loose, talus-strewn peaks. In the summer, the position of the plateaus and mountains above the desert provides relief from scorching temperatures below and wildlife stalks the forest. Fall is colorful, with the autumn leaves of golden aspen and bright red maple interspersed with dark evergreens. Rivers and streams are lined with red willows and yellow cottonwoods.

Winter brings solitude, snowfall and winter sports.

• To hike without the bother of motorized vehicles; use the Castle Valley Ridge Trail system which offers some of the most breathtaking scenery on the Wasatch Plateau.
• Equestrian lovers should take advantage of the bridle trails: Hundreds of miles of trails are found in the Manti-La Sal National Forest, from open grassy slopes to deep spruce/fir groves.
• Go snowmobiling: the high country is a snowmobiler's paradise blanketed with deep snow all winter.