North of Walnut Spring the trail sharply descends and ascends 1,000 feet over a 1.8 mile horizontal distance. Equestrians have had problems in this steep area, the south side of which burned severely in 2019. Near the north end of this passage, the trail passes through rocky and narrow Cottonwood Canyon for 3 miles, and tends to suffer from the summer monsoon floods and encroaching brush. The tread has been repaired numerous times, yet continues to change as it crosses from side to side through the canyon. The trail here is passable by hikers using care; however, equestrians should scout the passage before attempting it with stock. Additionally, equestrians caution that the north end of the passage at the Roosevelt Bridge is not equipped for loading or unloading stock. They suggest using one of the access points — Frasier Trailhead located approximately 2 miles south of the Roosevelt Bridge on the west side of Highway 188, the Cemetery parking lot just north of the residential area or the lower parking lot outside the gate at the FS Visitor Center — and completing the ride to the north end of the passage as an out-and-back.