While the northern section of Coyote Buttes draws the crowds competing for Wave permits, Coyote Buttes South requires its own permit but sees far fewer visitors. The landscape here is equally dramatic: wind-eroded sandstone in shades of red, orange, pink, and cream, with teepee-like formations, small arches, and vast expanses of crossbedded Navajo sandstone. The Cottonwood Teepees formation is the most distinctive feature.
The terrain is genuinely rugged and navigation requires care — there are no maintained trails and the permit does not correspond to a single trail or route. The BLM lottery for Coyote Buttes South runs through the same system as the north (recreation.gov). This side is better suited to hikers comfortable with off-trail desert navigation and with the time to explore rather than follow a specific route to a single destination.