COYOTTE BUTTES

Coyotte Buttes is one of a kind, a photographic gem.  It is located off House Rock Valley Road, South of Utah 89 about 30 miles west of Page, Arizona.  It features spectacular sandstone layering, spiral twists, and colorful domes.  At times it seems like the surface of another planet.  The most famous feature is The Wave, but there are many many other geological twists and turns to tantalize you.   Since the word got out a few years ago, so many people put this on their life lists that the fragile features were being destroyed by careless foot traffic.  Thus there is now a permit system with a limit of 10 groups per day.  Permits may be obtained 7 months in advance on the internet, and for the "good" months of March thru May, and in the fall, they are grabbed up almost as soon as they are made available.  The best month, in my opinion, is October, because the sun is lower and sets further south and so casts late warm light onto Twist Rock, the teepee rocks, and other features found south and above the wave itself.  The best time of day is late afternoon for many of the rock formations, but early afternoon for The Wave.

Before visiting, get a detailed description of how to find The Wave from the BLM station at White House Ruin.    They probably won't tell you anything unless you have a permit, but if you do and are going in the information is helpful.  A few people have gotten permits, hiked for a full day, and failed to actually find the main features, wandering around instead amongst the many more minor hoodoos and domes that abound everywhere in the area.  Boy-oh-Boy that would suck.

North Coyotte Buttes seemed to me to have more action, photographically, than South Coyotte Buttes.  The latter are somewhat interesting and have a number of large conical teepee rocks.  Access to SCB requires a strong 4WD as the road has deep sand (as advertised).  Best times are early morning for the formations around Paw Hole, and early morning or late afternoon for the Cottonwood Teepees.

For permit and other information:   http://paria.az.blm.gov 

For a hand drawn sketch map and discussion see  Kelsey,  "Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau,"  Kelsey Publishing, 1999.