SUGGESTIONS! For Coyote Buttes area

[abirken]

At akavalun- Thanks so much! Printing out everything you mentioned and placing it in my "research notebook". I love the details you give of where the sunrise looks awesome, etc.....great info!!!

[jdgibney]

I'll second lower antelope and Horseshoe Bend (first day of my wicked quick trip out there in January)
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...ge-Kanab-Vegas
I think someone mentioned that the access from the west to the Wahweap Hoodoos is now closed to traffic, but I can't confirm that.

I can't wait to get back to CBN, and also explore CBS, hopefully within a year or so!

[Richie]

I love the area around Page!

About Campgrounds:
If you look for a campground near the Ranger Station you have to stay at Whitehouse Campground (Primitive Campground). This one is just minutes away from the Paria Contact Station where the lottery takes place. The Stateline Campground you have to choose if you want a campground near the trailhead. For the lottery it's the wrong place.

If you don't have the luck to get a permit my second choice would be trying to get a permit for South Coyote Buttes (Cottonwood Cove) or to head for White Pocket. In my personal opinion both place are almost more beautiful than the Wave. The problem: With no experience how to drive in deep sand it's not a good idea to go there (This is the reason why we booked a guided tour with Steve from Paria Outpost - which is $175 per person).

Wire Pass was already mentioned. A lot of people love it, while I wasn't impressed that much. But this is probably because I'm not so special about canyons. Lower Antelope is much more beautiful when it comes to the color but it's crowded. But you could easily do this one and Horseshoe Bend on one day.

One of my favorites in this area is Yellow Rock. I'm wondering that no one mentioned this.

The hike up:

Yellow Rock:

View in direction of Red Top:

Direction of Castle Rock:

It's an half day hike which is not to difficult. Just take care of your kid on the first part where it's going steep uphill with a lot of loose gravel.

You could even make a whole day trip out of it with visiting Red Top. But this a more difficult hike when it comes to routefinding. You can read a TR here:

http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hike...scalante11.htm

If you just want to go to Yellow Rock you can stop reading where it says "Look for it to lead around the southern base...."

Richie

[blueeyes]

Thanks Richie!

Alison didn't get the permit for tomorrow. So I won't head down until after my kids get out of school Fri. She is a bit frustrated, it is windy and cold. Hopefully she get a permit for Sat. Around 8AM she sent a text telling me she was going to beat up people standing in line. I will take this new info with me. If we don't get a permit for Sat then maybe we will do this hike. She sent another text not to long ago telling me that Buckskin Gulch and Paria Narrows is full of water and weather is a bit of an issue. But worst case scenario we will sit around a campfire drinking beer and laugh our arses off.

Keep throwing suggestions our way. I can take the new info with me when I leave.

[peakbaggers]

To get to the "White House" campground, you turn off 89 the same place as for the Paria station where permits are issued but make a left. It's just a short 2 mile drive down a washboarded road to the camp area. Keeps you real close to the paria station for the permit drawing & you don't have to make that 7 mile drive to Wire Pass over & over again (road can be rather rutted and/or washboarded).
We highly recommend Cottonwood Cove area as a backup plan. Used a T-100 4WD pickup to go in late Sept. No problems. Even had friends with us who made it in with a heavy 4WD pickup and camper. Scenery there offers enough to spend 2-3 days exploring & photography is unlimited in potential. Could also hike over to the eastern teepees which are outside of the North Coyote Buttes permit area and north of Cottonwood by a few miles.

[peakbaggers]

Forgot to add one other thought. There is some very interesting terrain along the upper portion of Buckskin Gulch from Wire Pass north to where Buckskin crosses the road. Easy hiking with lots of interesting crossbedded sandstone formations along the way. The last few hundred yards before Wire Pass slot up a little. Either do a two vehicle setup (use a mtn. bike - only takes about 15-20 minutes to ride between the two starts) or return trip hike. Easy day with plenty of time to explore.

[peakbaggers]

Where exactly is this Yellow Rock area? Off the Round Haouse Valley Road somewhere?

[Richie]

If the weather is an issue Yellow Rock isn't that beautiful because the color are not as beautiful. This is a hike that should be done with a blue sky.

If you're fine with driving in deep sand I would suggest to go to Cottonwood Cove and/or White Pocket. Then comes Yellow Rock, the Lower Antelope (if your fine with the crowds that could be there). Also nice destinations are the Wahweap Hoodoos and Thousand Pockets.

But I wish you all the best that you are able to get permits for Saturday. And if so: Don't forget to explore the area thats located above and to the right (lot of brainrocks). Just leave the Wave on the "upper end" and make a right.

Have fun
Richie

[blueeyes]

Am I fine with driving in deep sand??? Ask Don and his friend Gonzo about that. Think I will keep my Subaru out of the sand this trip.

[Richie]

Where exactly is this Yellow Rock area? Off the Round Haouse Valley Road somewhere?

Do you mean House Rock Valley Road?

No it's near Hackberry Canyon on Cottonwood Canyon Road.

Directions can be found here: http://www.toddshikingguide.com/Hike...scalante11.htm

@blueeyes:

If you go there let me know how you liked it.

[zzyzx]

I hope you've luck to catch a permit.

A other backup option. Drive down the House Rock Valley Rd. Went to Buckskin TH (left), hike down the Buckskin till a wash joins from left. Follow the wash to a dryfall (right). Explore this area to the south. Various sandstone formations, cross beddings and various colorations are to expect. We were there since 2007 a couple of times and has had a lot of fun.
You can stay over night near TH - watch a fire ring.
If you vist 'Yellow Rock` drive upwards the Brigham Plains Rd.(vis-a-vis Yellow Rock TH) to the rim and enjoy the great panorama of Yellow and Castle Rock.

[Richie]

This area that zzyzx mentioned is also very beautiful!

I have some pictures on my website (text is in German), but you can get am impression what to see there:

http://www.beautifulamerica.de/highl...atid=39%3Autah

[homerj]

So the chances of Buckskin still flowing could be a potential then? I guess all we can do is get down there and see what conditions are like. My fear is going all that way (8 hours) to not be able to hike CBN or Buckskin. I do know there is so much more to see but these would be on my preference list since I'm not sure if I'd get back down this way anytime soon. So your camp site looks super awesome! I want to know where it's at.

You can still hike CBN as you turn off of the wire pass trail while is still just a wash. I would think you could hike up/down the buckskin still if it's flowing. It was just a small creek when I was there (2-3 inches deep). I imagine the water would be cold as it's snow melt from up high. Here are some pics of the buckskin at the confluence of wirepass. As you can see there's no problem wading as it's not deep, at least here... I've never been down the buckskin so I could speak for the rest of it. I have heard there are some deep spots up to your chest or so and sometimes swim...

This one is looking down the buckskin


Look up the buckskin

[arindam]

Having just come back from a long trip to the area, I would like to add that permits for the Wave are next to impossible. The couple of days I was there at the contact station, there were about 50 bodies for 10 permits. Permits for the South Coyote Buttes are easily available though. I went with Steve Dodson (Kirk was the guide) of the Paria Outpost. Fabulous scenery, but I wouldn't even dream of driving there myself. It was a full day trip, beginning with SCB and ending with sunset at White Pockets.

Also did a trip to the Edmaier's Secret area with Kirk (hiked down from Long Canyon road, not via Buckskin). An amazing place!

If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer them.

[blueeyes]

Oh we had a great time while we were there. NOT rain/snow and sand as Abirken put it "Its not called the wave....its more like a wash....grrrr......"

I didn't even last 24 hours before packing up a soaked camp and heading home. Arrived Fri at 6PM and left the following day at 3:15PM. Not sure who the hell rates sleeping bags or how that works... mine is suppose to be +15 well I call BS on that one. Glad I took my snow pants or I never would have stayed warm. Even with ALL of my ski gear on I was cold in the sleeping bag. When I got up in the morning there was frost on my camp stove, by 10AM the car said it was 35-degrees. Thankfully the kids stayed warm in their sleeping bags. I can do cold, I can do rain. I can not do kids in the cold rain with sand. I didn't think I would ever find a use for my new three car garage. When we got home I laid out both tents and shoes and anything else that was wet to dry. Sunday morning I spent most of the day cleaning sand off of everything.

As for getting a permit to the Wave. What a f!g joke! BLM makes some money on that one.

Oh and on another side note. I have never attempted driving on a road they say is impassible when wet. I have no desire to get my car stuck. Holy HANNAH!!!! We tried to hike Wire Pass when we drove out the road was dry. It started raining on us just before we reached the small slot canyon. Just a drizzle nothing we thought we should be concerned about so we hiked through the slot canyon to where it opened up again then turned around and came back. Really short. Then found a spot to eat lunch out of the drizzle. The drizzle picked up and then it was kinda of slushy rain. We get back to the car, get all the shoes off the kids, and start driving back out. Okay I have driven in some crappy icy snowy conditions but that was down right nerve racking and NUTS!!!! That road was slicker than snot and we had little if any traction because the tires were covered. Alison did a great job driving us out of there but we crept along. A snail could have beat us out of there.





Hiking Wire Pass before the drizzle starts


Starting in the slot canyon


Kids at the end of small slot canyon where we turned around


Hiking back out


Lunch


Driving back from trailhead




Driving back home


Putting the new three car garage to use!

[ststephen]

Sorry to hear you guys had a sucky trip.

[tanya]

Bo and I did the Wave once, all the way up to Melody Arch and out. We hiked out with literally a foot of snow on top of My head.. Bo's head did not have enough hair to hold all that snow. We had a blast. The drive out was slippery, but totally fun! We ended up staying in Kanab though and was not able to make it home that night. Then Bo got stuck on Highway 389 in the morning for quite a while due to the snow. It was a FANTASTIC trip! I love stuff like that. I think I add somewhere on the Zion site that when we say the road is impassible when wet we do mean it! That clay is simply slippery! We did another trip out there in the snow too and it was fun, it was just not as eventful so lacking the memories.

Wave in the Snow
http://www.zionnational-park.com/ima...m2/index59.htm

Somewhere on this group is the photo Bo took of me almost back to the car with all that snow piled on my head. lol

[zzyzx]

Bad news blueeyes,

It's a pity for you and your family.
Years ago we drove back from the Wire Pass TH as the rain comes up. The road were slickly and we're happy to reach the 89 with our RV. So I can feel with you.
You maybe have luck in a other try.

[zzyzx]

Also did a trip to the Edmaier's Secret area with Kirk (hiked down from Long Canyon road, not via Buckskin). An amazing place!

Hope, you have had a lot of fun.
It's a really amazing place. Steve does now guided tours to this area - great.
We met Steve 2009 in White Pocket and he was never been before at Edmaiers. He had heard only of these place.

[blueeyes]

Bad news blueeyes,

It's a pity for you and your family.
Years ago we drove back from the Wire Pass TH as the rain comes up. The road were slickly and we're happy to reach the 89 with our RV. So I can feel with you.
You maybe have luck in a other try.

No pity here. It was an adventure the kids will never forget! Good character building experience. We broke camp in record time and they were absolute jewels with helping. Hope to try again sometime preferably with out snow or rain or freezing cold temperatures or at least if that is what I have to deal with I will book a hotel room.