Hike Coyote Buttes South
Marble Canyon, Arizona
Details
Distance
3 miles
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Max Berger
Can't get a permit for The Wave...don't sweat it. Coyote Buttes South is like walking around a Salvador Dali painting.
Nestled slightly to the south of the more-popular Coyote Buttes North (which houses The Wave) in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument is Coyote Buttes South. In my opinion, it is a better example of what water, wind, and other natural phenomena can do to the sandstone that populates the northern AZ, souther UT region.
Getting to the parking lot is an adventure on its own. There are two places you can park: Paw Hole, or Cottonwood. For both, you NEED 4 wheel drive AND high clearance. If you don't have these things and you try to come out here, you will, without a doubt, get stuck. This area of the Vermillion Cliffs is aptly called the Sand Hills. They mean exactly that...hills of sand that are impossible to climb without 4x4 and strong tires.
But if you are able to get out here, you will be rewarded. Take some time to explore the teepees, the amphitheater, and the surrounding rock formations. You'll be amazed at the shapes that some of these rocks form.
The best route that I found to see everything was making a giant loop, starting from the Cottonwood Cove parking lot. Head North all the way to the Northern Teepees. Once you check that out, head back down (south) along the (hopefully dry) ravine that goes through the area. Stay along the banks of the right (west) side of the ravine. After about a 15 minute walk back from the Northern Teepees, you'll get an amazing view of the amphitheater straight ahead, and the giant formations to your left. Hang out here for a bit, then head left/east so that you can then climb through the formations and ultimately to the top of the amphitheater and look down onto where you just were.
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