Cottonwood Trail starts at the Red Cliffs Recreation Area trailhead off I-15 exit 22, the same trailhead that serves the Three Ponds hike and the Babylon Arch route. The bike-permitted section runs north from the trailhead through a corridor of dirt singletrack and short rocky benches, with red sandstone cliffs rising on both sides. It is the trail that bridges the Red Cliffs hiking network and the Church Rocks bike network for riders who want to stack both.
A trail that runs through the campground
The Red Cliffs Campground sits within the Recreation Area, and the lower section of Cottonwood Trail effectively passes through the campground perimeter before climbing into the cliffs. That makes it a viable ride for visitors staying at the campground who want a morning loop without driving — the trailhead is a few-minute walk from most campsites.
What the cliffs deliver
The trail's defining feature is the red sandstone walls that frame it. The cliffs rise several hundred feet on either side of the trail at the upper end, and the riding feels narrower than it actually is — almost like riding through a corridor cut from the rock. The shaded sections in the morning give relief from sun that exposes most other Washington County trails.
How it pairs with the network
Most riders treat Cottonwood Trail as a connector between Church Rocks (the bike-headline trail off exit 22) and the broader Red Cliffs hiking-and-biking corridor. Stacking Cottonwood, Church Rocks, and the lower Three Ponds piece makes a 10-mile half-day off a single trailhead. The campground at the trailhead lets riders sleep, ride, and recover without changing parking lots.
Where Cottonwood sits in the 435
Cottonwood Trail is the connector that makes the Red Cliffs side of Washington County coherent as a riding destination rather than a series of disconnected trailheads. The trail itself is unremarkable in any single feature, but the role it plays — linking the campground, the bike trails, and the hiking network — is what makes the I-15 exit 22 area one of the most-used multi-recreation stops in the 435.