The Catlow Valley topography provides a number of wildlife habitats. These include seasonal lakes, marshes, riparian areas, grasslands, sage steppe, dry juniper forests, and rimrock. The valley is predominantly high-desert grassland with gently rolling hills to the north, west, and south of the valley floor. There are wetlands and meadows at the mouth of canyons where runoff from Hart Mountain and Steens Mountain drains into the valley. There are two major drainages from Hart Mountain on the west side of the valley, Rock Creek and Guano Creek. Rock Creek enters the valley from the northwest, and Guano Creek flows in from the southwest. The east side of the valley is bounded by Catlow Rim, a steep and rugged cliff. The rim is cut by canyons that channel runoff into small man-made reservoirs and shallow natural marshes along the edges of the valley floor. The three main drainages on the east side of the valley are Home Creek, Threemile Creek, and Skull Creek. On the east side of the valley, Catlow Rim provides a rimrock habitat. Some of the east slope of Hart Mountain and the west slope of Steens Mountain are lightly covered with western juniper. There are also aspen trees in areas where winter snow tends to accumulate, as well as a ponderosa pine grove in one area on Hart Mountain.