Coyote Buttes South

Paria Canyon / Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness

Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and Coyote Buttes South are a small part of the 112,500-acre Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and have some of the most visually striking geologic sandstone formations in the world.

Coyote Buttes permit areas are within a backcountry, undeveloped wilderness area and do not contain any developed trails or facilities. To preserve wilderness character and limit damage to the fragile area, the Bureau of Land Management limits visitation to Coyote Buttes through a permit system. You must have a permit to visit Coyote Buttes North and Coyote Buttes South. Note: ALL Permits are NON-REFUNDABLE and NON-TRANSFERABLE.

Visiting Coyote Buttes South

Coyote Buttes South is not The Wave. To visit The Wave, you will need a permit for Coyote Buttes North.

You can enjoy exploring and discovering your own routes in Coyote Buttes South. This remote area offers opportunity for solitude where you will very likely see no one or have only occasional contact with other visitors. Most of your time in this area requires hiking in deep sand. There are no designated hiking trails or specific destinations in Coyote Buttes South. You should be in good physical condition and have good backcountry hiking and navigation skills.

Roads leading to the permit area have deep sand and sharp rock. Two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles are not sufficient for getting to the access points. You must have a four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle. Experience driving in deep sand is also important. Every year, groups get stuck and stranded after attempting the drive without adequate experience or vehicles.

Daily Lottery

In the area and hoping to obtain a permit in the next few days? The legacy walk-in lottery has transitioned to the new Daily Lottery. While within the geofence area on a mobile device this lottery is only available by going to Recreation.gov in your browser or by installing the Recreation.gov app.

Enter Daily Lottery