Coyote Buttes South is one of the most remote and least-visited parts of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, straddling the Utah-Arizona border about 40 miles west of Page, Arizona. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which strictly limits access to 20 visitors per day — a permit is required and must be reserved well in advance.
The south unit offers a different experience from the more famous Coyote Buttes North: less dramatic in its headline formations, but quieter and more raw. The terrain includes sandstone teepees, eroded fins, and open desert flats. Getting there requires real effort, which keeps the crowds away.
The two main areas within the permit zone are Paw Hole, reached first from the Cottonwood Cove trailhead, and the Cottonwood Teepees further in — a field of cone-shaped sandstone pinnacles cross-bedded with swirling layers of red, orange, and cream. There are no marked trails; navigation is by GPS and landmark.
Access is almost entirely by four-wheel-drive vehicle. From House Rock Valley Road, you pass the Wire Pass Trailhead (the entry point for the north unit) and continue south through the Utah-Arizona state line, where a campground and restrooms are located. From there, the road deteriorates steadily. The Lone Tree Reservoir turnoff at mile 16.1 is the last point accessible to standard cars. Beyond that, the track crosses deep sand for several more miles to Poverty Flat Ranch, then continues another short distance to the teepee formations near the permit area.
The north and south units are separately permitted — a pass for one gives no access to the other. If you are primarily after The Wave or similar formations, you want the north unit. But if you want solitude in a genuinely wild landscape and don't mind a demanding drive, the south unit rewards the effort.