The Rattlesnake Road less Area covers 32,870 acres between long 11°37'30" and long 111°47'30" W. and between lat 34°40' and lat 34°45' N., Coconino and Yavapai Counties, in central Arizona. Sedona and 0ak Creek, the nearest population centers, are located, respectively, at the northwest corner and along the west boundary of the roadless area.

The Rattlesnake Roadless Area includes the deeply embayed Mogollon Rim margin of the Colorado Plateau Province and part of the Werde Walley. The Werde Walley is a deeply dissected lacustrine basin, one of several tectonic basins in the Arizona transition zone that separate the Basin and Range Province from the Colorado Plateau Province. Here the plateau surface falls off abruptly to the Werde Valley, drained by the Werde River, the master stream of the region.

The highest point in the roadless area is 6,834 ft at the basalt cap at the north end of Munds Mountain. The lowest point, about 3,480 ft, is along Dry Beaver Creek, near the southwest corner of the roadless area. The maximum relief, more than 2,000 ft, occurs between the Munds-Lee Mountain divide and the valley floors of bordering Oak Creek and Jacks Canyon. The relief between floor and upper canyon rims along the steep-walled and narrow Woods Canyon ranges from 900 ft to more than 1,400 ft; the east side of the canyon has the highest walls.

Canyon rims in the roadless area are accessible by several four-wheel-drive trails across the plateau surface from points along Schnebly Hill Road and Highway I-17. Access to Jacks Canyon is by road and four-wheel-drive trail to Jacks Canyon Tank, about 4 mi up the canyon from Highway 179. Access to the head of Jacks Canyon is by foot or horse along a well-maintained trail. Access to the bottom of Woods Canyon is by four-wheel-drive vehicle for about 2 mi from Highway 179 and then by pack trail for about 5 mi more.