The city lies within the Potato Valley as designated on the official USGS map. The Escalante River flows from the west passing by the north side of the city and continuing eastward by an area named Big Flat. To the southeast of the city are the Canyons of the Escalante, the eastern part of GSENM, while directly south of the city is the Straight Cliffs formation which runs south-southeast all the way to Lake Powell. The Kaiparowits Plateau, the middle part of GSENM, lies to the south and southwest of the city. To the city's west are the Dixie National Forest and the Escalante Mountains. To the city's north is a small part of GSENM, as well as the Box-Death Hollow Wilderness and the Aquarius Plateau which are parts of the Dixie National Forest.