What South Coyote Buttes actually is
South Coyote Buttes is a separate permit area from North Coyote Buttes, which contains The Wave. The two are frequently confused — they share a name, a national monument, and a general character, but they're accessed differently and look different on the ground.
South Coyote Buttes covers a larger, more spread-out landscape. The sandstone here is predominantly white and cream — the Navajo formation at a different weathering stage than the more orange-red stone at The Wave. There are swirling patterns and unusual formations throughout, but they're distributed across terrain you have to explore, rather than concentrated at a single photogenic location.
That's both the appeal and the honest limitation. South Coyote Buttes rewards curiosity and patience. It doesn't deliver a single "got it" moment the way The Wave does.
Getting a permit: the process
South Coyote Buttes does not have an advance lottery. Unlike The Wave, which offers both a 4-months-out advance system and a day-before walk-in, South Coyote Buttes is walk-in only.
Apply online at recreation.gov starting at midnight the night before your desired date. You can also apply in person the morning of at the BLM Kanab Visitor Center (745 US-89 North, Kanab, UT 84741, opens at 7:30am). Ten permits are available per day.
The acceptance rate here is significantly better than The Wave. On many off-peak weekdays, everyone who applies gets a permit. Even during busy spring and fall periods, odds are typically 50% or better. If you're in Kanab for several days and flexible, getting a South Coyote Buttes permit is a realistic expectation.
South Coyote Buttes vs. The Wave vs. White Pocket
These three destinations are often lumped together in Kanab travel guides as "the formations you need permits for." The comparison is useful but the destinations are genuinely different.
| Factor | South Coyote Buttes | The Wave | White Pocket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permit | Yes — walk-in only | Yes — advance + walk-in | No |
| Permit odds | Good to excellent | Very difficult | N/A |
| Color palette | White, cream, pale | Orange, red, pink | White, red, pink — varied |
| Area type | Spread out, exploratory | Single focal formation | Concentrated, varied |
| Vehicle | High clearance rec. | High clearance rec. | 4WD required (sand) |
| From Kanab | ~45–55 mi | ~45 mi | ~70 mi |
| Crowds | Low | Very controlled (20/day) | Moderate |
What to expect on the ground
There are no marked trails at South Coyote Buttes. The BLM provides a map with your permit, but navigation here requires more spatial awareness than The Wave — the landscape is more uniform in some areas, making it easier to get turned around.
Download an offline map before you leave. Bring a compass or GPS. The terrain is not technically difficult, but it's easy to wander for longer than planned without realizing how far you've gone from your vehicle.
The white sandstone gets extremely hot in direct sun. Summer visits are not recommended. Spring and fall morning light on the pale formations is striking — the color shifts from pure white to gold to orange across a single hour.
South Coyote Buttes is the right choice if you want quiet exploration of unusual terrain without the lottery anxiety of The Wave. It's the wrong choice if you're expecting a concentrated, photogenic payoff equivalent to The Wave. Go knowing what it is.
DIY vs. guided
South Coyote Buttes is doable without a guide — the permit area is large but not dangerous, and people navigate it independently every day. A guide adds value primarily in navigation across the spread-out landscape and geological interpretation, more so than at The Wave where a single formation makes getting lost difficult.
Dreamland runs guided trips to South Coyote Buttes as part of their broader Vermilion Cliffs program. Their naturalist guides provide geological context across the spread-out formations — particularly useful here, where the lack of a single focal point makes the landscape harder to read without background knowledge. 25-year operating history, 4,800+ TripAdvisor reviews at 5.0.
Kanab Tour Company offers ATV and UTV access to South Coyote Buttes. A different kind of experience — the vehicle and the terrain are the point, rather than guided geological interpretation. Right for visitors whose priority is the off-road drive.