South Coyote Buttes

[david_hedley]

The northern Coyote Buttes receive most of the attention, and the

treks to the Wave and the Teepees are the obvious things to do - we

did them last year - but this year we have managed to get a permit

for the southern Coyote Buttes (Paw Hole, to be exact).

 

Can anyone with knowledge of this beautiful wilderness offer advice

as to what to do in the south - it's a bit more elusive than the

north, and we want to make best use of our limited time.

 

Thanks, David

[kuryan_thomas]

Sorry, no advice, but please post your photos when you return! I don't think I've ever seen

images from there.

[xato]

I went a couple of weeks ago. I didn't walk around Paw Hole much.

 

See: http://www.120scan.us/i/P4013564.jpg

 

I went a little bit north to the Cottonwood Cove area. (There's one pretty steep sandy spot in the road--definitely 4WD high clearance.)

 

http://www.120scan.us/i/P4013629.jpg

 

Have fun!

 

Warren

[jdrose]

Interesting area. Very colorful.

 

Keep an eye out for petrified logs that started out as decomposing logs. I found a pertrified log that sported rings of fungi. (Looks just like an old rotting log found lying in a living forest but turned to stone.) Very cool.

 

The last time I was out there I stumbled across some real Nature. There was a photographer doing nude studies. He said was using IR imaging. He posed her so the curves of her body matched with the layers in the stone. He seemed more uncomfortable than the girl so I moved on shortly thereafter.

 

Know the weather. That road, especially in the Chinle, is unusable after a rain.

 

Lastly, you need to have a permit to enter any part of Coyote Buttes. That can be picked up at the White House a few miles east of there or at any of the BLM visitor centers.

[kuryan_thomas]

Great pictures, Warren.

[gary_anthes]

David, Bob Hitchman's newsletter #85 (http://www.photographamerica.com/) is all about South Coyote Buttes. I've never been there but Hitchman's guides are usually excellent.

[lee_rains]

What dates are your permits for, or what time of year are you planning this journey ?

 

I have explored the Northern and Southern Buttes area extensively by both vehicle and on foot, so I could steer you in the right direction for some incredible things to see. More info on things like your vehicle`s off road ability, the equipment you plan on carrying, and your own hiking abilities would help though.

[robert_laliberte]

I went to the Cottonwood Cove section of South Coyote Buttes a month ago in September. Some of the formations are similar to the northern section, which I have been to five times, but some are completely different. Directly west of the very end of the road are an amazing group of wild hoodoos unlike anything anywhere, including the north section. There is a huge area to explore in the souther section, and unlike the north part where you can pretty much see everything in one day, one could spend a lot more time exploring. I plan on going again next year, but I'm going to devote several days to the southern part. One thing I had wanted to see that I didn't was a hoodoo called by some "Dali Rock", by others the "The Three Towers" and by others the "Control Tower." I hope to find it on my next trip - but if anyone knows what I'm talking about - could you tell me more specifically where in Cottonwood Cove it is? Thanks, Bob Laliberte