Red Cliffs National Conservation Area is a 44,724-acre protected landscape in southwest Utah, north of St. George on the northeastern edge of the Mojave Desert. Established in 2009 and managed by the Bureau of Land Management within the National Landscape Conservation System, it lies in the Virgin River watershed and forms part of the larger Red Cliffs Desert Reserve created in 1996. The area connects desert and mountain environments, preserving red rock terrain and more than 130 miles of non-motorized trails. Its importance rests in both recreation and habitat protection, especially for the desert tortoise and other sensitive species near the rapidly growing St. George area.