CBS Daily Lottery Gear Checklist
Coyote Buttes South is a day-use permit with no trails and, in the BLM's words, deep sand on most of the route. The gear question is mostly about the road. The BLM says two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive cars cannot reach the access points and that groups get stuck and stranded every year. People who left the car at the Lone Tree reservoir walked 2.5 miles of sandy road each way instead. Once on foot, the packing is about water, sun and a way to find your way back.
What shapes your gear on Coyote Buttes South
- The daily lottery
- The BLM says the old walk-in lottery became the Daily Lottery. While you are inside the geofence area on a mobile device, you can only enter through Recreation.gov in a browser or the app. One site says the application window runs from 6 AM to 6 PM, two days before the permit date, with a $9 per group application fee and a $5 per person permit fee for winners. The Recreation.gov gateway text still describes a walk-in lottery for the following day, so the timing differs by source.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes South, thewave.info and Recreation.gov
- Permit size
- Recreation.gov says 20 permits are allotted each day, 10 through an online calendar and 10 through the lottery, with one permit per person and a limit of six people in a group. The thewave.info page says the daily lottery awards ten people or four groups, whichever comes first.
From Recreation.gov and thewave.info
- Three access points
- Lone Tree is reachable in dry conditions with a two-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle, followed by a 2.5 mile hike to the permit area. Recreation.gov says the routes to Paw Hole and Cottonwood Cove need four-wheel-drive because of extremely sandy conditions. Two Outliers puts Cottonwood Cove 7 miles by road past Paw Hole, and thewave.info gives about 11.5 miles of jeep road to the Cottonwood trailhead from House Rock Valley Road versus 2.5 miles to Pawhole.
From Recreation.gov, Two Outliers and thewave.info
- No trail, mostly sand
- The BLM says the area has no developed trails and no set destinations, and that deep sand covers most of the walking. Two Outliers found a faint path that fades after maybe a mile. Their route from Lone Tree to Cottonwood Cove and back was about 13.5 miles with 1,700 feet of gain over 8 hours.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes South and Two Outliers
- Day use only
- Recreation.gov says overnight camping is prohibited and that all fires are prohibited. Two Outliers lists dispersed sites along BLM 1079 outside the permit area and a free seven-site campground at the state line, about 6 miles north of that road.
From Recreation.gov and Two Outliers
What the agency requires on Coyote Buttes South
A four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle for the access points
The BLM says cars with two-wheel or all-wheel drive cannot get to the access points, and it stresses experience driving in deep sand.
At least one gallon of water per person
The BLM safety page sets the minimum at one gallon (3.75 liters) per person per day, carried and drunk. Recreation.gov adds that there is no water at the access points.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety and Recreation.gov
A map and compass or a GPS
The BLM tells visitors to have a map and compass or GPS and to know how to use them. It also notes that cell service is unreliable.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety
Pack out everything, toilet paper included
Recreation.gov says you must carry out all trash, toilet paper included, and that dogs must be listed on the permit and kept under control.
From Recreation.gov
What hikers carry on Coyote Buttes South
A true four-wheel-drive vehicle with low range
A forum member who drove the road in a 4Runner put it in 4Lo several times on the way to Cottonwood Cove and called it deep sand nearly all the way. Another poster in that thread says all-wheel-drive is not four-wheel-drive and that the roads are long as well as sandy.
From Backcountry Post: Driving to poverty flats (South Coyote Buttes) on AWD and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes South
Tough tires and a spare or two
One poster warns that rocks on even the main road can puncture tires, and that street tires are a worry. He met a driver at Cottonwood Cove who made it in a small two-wheel-drive van with worn street tires and two spares.
From Backcountry Post: Driving to poverty flats (South Coyote Buttes) on AWD and Two Outliers
An offline map, a GPS track and a paper backup
Two Outliers calls offline navigation vital because the path fades and you end up bushwhacking through low shrubs. The thewave.info author says to mark your parking spot with a GPS before walking, since he knew a hiker who got split from his group and spent a cold night out.
From Two Outliers, thewave.info and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety
Sun cover for a shadeless walk
The BLM lists sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and light long sleeves and pants. Two Outliers says there is no shade and that summer temperatures stay above 90 degrees, so they point to spring and fall.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety and Two Outliers
A wide lens or panorama head for the alcoves
The thewave.info author says capturing the Southern Alcove from inside takes a 10mm lens or a panorama head, and that the Yellow Stripe photographs best in the morning. A Paw Hole visitor shot flowers in RAW so he could enlarge them later.
From thewave.info and Backcountry Post: South Coyote Buttes - Paw Hole
Overnight supplies left in the vehicle
The BLM says to keep enough food, water and clothing for a night out and extra supplies in the car. Two Outliers adds that with no cell service, a stuck car may mean no other visitor for hours or days.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety and Two Outliers
Your permit map and a saved drive log
Recreation.gov says a map to the access point is provided with the permit. The thewave.info author publishes drive logs with GPS waypoints for both the Pawhole and Cottonwood roads, including a cattle gate to leave as you found it.
From Recreation.gov and thewave.info
6 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Coyote Buttes South
An all-wheel-drive crossover
Two Outliers phoned the BLM before driving a Subaru Forester and says the staff laughed and described helping stuck Subarus all the time. They parked at Lone Tree and walked.
From Two Outliers and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes South
Driving up the steep sand hill from Pawhole to Cottonwood
The thewave.info author says that road is now one-way, Pawhole toward Cottonwood Cove, and that many people, himself included, got stuck going up. He suggests doing Cottonwood first and driving downhill to Pawhole the next day.
From thewave.info
Walking between trailheads
A forum member says hiking from one area to the next would burn the time and energy you wanted for the rock formations, and that Cottonwood Cove is sandy too. Two Outliers describes the stretch between Paw Hole and Cottonwood as open sagebrush and deep sand with little to see.
From Backcountry Post: Driving to poverty flats (South Coyote Buttes) on AWD and Two Outliers
Underestimating the sand on foot
A Paw Hole visitor says to expect trudging in sand all day, and that he sank to his knees in one loose dune.
Gear questions for Coyote Buttes South
Can I drive an all-wheel-drive car to Coyote Buttes South?
The BLM says cars with two-wheel or all-wheel drive cannot reach the access points, and a forum thread and the Two Outliers trip report agree. A car can reach the Lone Tree reservoir in dry conditions per Recreation.gov, but then you walk 2.5 miles to the permit area.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes South, Recreation.gov, Backcountry Post: Driving to poverty flats (South Coyote Buttes) on AWD and Two Outliers
How far is the walk from Lone Tree to Paw Hole in Coyote Buttes South?
Recreation.gov and Two Outliers both give 2.5 miles, each way. The thewave.info page says 2.3 miles on a sandy, mostly uphill road and calls the walk uninteresting.
From Recreation.gov, Two Outliers and thewave.info
Can I camp inside Coyote Buttes South?
No. Recreation.gov says the permit is for day use only and overnight camping is prohibited. Two Outliers mentions dispersed spots along the access road and a free campground at the state line.
From Recreation.gov and Two Outliers
How much water should I bring to Coyote Buttes South?
The BLM says at least one gallon per person per day. Recreation.gov notes there is no water at any access point.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety and Recreation.gov
Is there a marked trail in Coyote Buttes South?
No. The BLM says there are no designated trails or specific destinations. Two Outliers found a short faint path from the Paw Hole access point that fades after maybe a mile.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes South and Two Outliers
Can I enter the Coyote Buttes South Daily Lottery from home?
Probably not. The BLM says that while you are within the geofence area on a mobile device, the Daily Lottery is entered only through Recreation.gov. thewave.info says a group member must be inside the geofence, roughly the Page and Kanab area, during the application window.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes South and thewave.info
Sources
- Coyote Buttes South · Bureau of Land Management · Agency
- Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety · Bureau of Land Management · Agency
- Coyote Buttes South · Recreation.gov · Agency
- Coyote Buttes South Map · thewave.info · Blog
- Coyote Buttes South: An Epic Alternative to the Wave · Two Outliers, Sarah Vaughan · Blog
- South Coyote Buttes - Paw Hole · Backcountry Post, chandlerwest · Forum thread
- Driving to poverty flats (South Coyote Buttes) on AWD · Backcountry Post · Forum thread