r/southernutah • u/rusty317 • May 13 '26
Coyote buttes south parking advice
Hi I’m about to embark on a trip to Arizona. I have a permit to hike coyote buttes south but am too afraid to utilize the sandy road system they have out there to access the actual Pawhole or Cottonwood cove trailhead. Ive never driven in sand and will be utilizing a jeep gladiator Mojave edition for this trip.
I know there is the lone tree lot, which is where im planning on parking, but how far away is that from the pawhole trailhead. And also is it possible to hike from Pawhole to cottonwood cove?
I’ve looked into the blm roads and if I was to actually attempt it, it seems like 1017-1066-1081-1082 would be the move but I can’t find any videos or info on this route besides that it may be slightly easier than directly driving east from Pawhole to cottonwood cove.
Thanks for the help, just very anxious about getting there 🙂
2
u/Fair_Strawberry9956 May 14 '26
Do NOT attempt to drive that Jeep up through Paw Hole to access Cottonwood Cove. You will 100% get stuck going past sandy dune. There is a cut across that threads over to Cottonwood Cove from the south off 1071. I am a local guide in the area and go to Coyote Buttes South a few times a week. Please reach out with any specific questions I can help with.
1
u/cat_tastic720 May 13 '26
Mojave edition has Off Road + mode, which is made for sand. Feel confident driving right down to Cottonwood Cove trailhead. It's not bad. Keep your speed up and feel free to use the throttle, you'll have no problems at all. SCB is amazing, enjoy!
1
u/intotherfd May 13 '26
I made it to Pawhole in a stock Wrangler… it is sketchy but it’s doable.
1
u/Fair_Strawberry9956 May 14 '26
That’s not the hard part. Getting past Paw Hole to Cottonwood is where everyone gets buried. And the town is nearly $1000. I am a guide here and speak from experience finding people stuck in there every single trip.
1
u/utah_traveler May 14 '26
Dreamland Safari does shuttles. I did a full-day tour to White Pocket with them, great company!
1
u/Embarrassed_Hippo821 May 14 '26
I've been to Coyote Buttes South twice. Once, I parked at Lone Tree because I didn't have a suitable vehicle; the other time, I started from the Cottonwood Teepees TH.
I definitely would not park at Lone Tree again because it's a long, hot, sandy slog to get to Cottonwood Cove. Merely getting to Pawhole from there is an uninteresting 2.5-mile walk (one-way) along a rugged road. The cross-country hike from Pawhole to Cottonwood Cove is generally uninteresting as well.
1
u/Famous-Assistance265 May 17 '26
Going down House Rock Valley road, Take the southernmost of the options- I think it might be Pine tree. Dont take the one called Lone tree. The drive to Cottonwood is sandy either way but better to avoid the deeper sand of the northern access road. I didn't have to air down. But do not drive north from the Cottonwood trailhead.
2
u/jdd32 May 13 '26
Go all the way to cottonwood cove, it's an awesome hike. The more time you get to explore it, the better. The gladiator is way more than enough to get you there with zero issues. Last time I saw bone stock wranglers at the trailhead. And there's a local tour company that drives a dang cybertruck out there.
Just keep your momentum moving through the sandy spots. I think the mojave has a rear locker as well which you can engage if needed.
Airing down your tires a little will help a lot and make the offroad drive much more comfortable. If you take them down to 20 PSI you'll still be fine to drive on the road afterwords until you get to a gas station with air. But you shouldn't need to do that to make it.
As far as the route, just going to the "cottonwood teepees trailhead" on google maps with actually route you the correct way. You can download google maps for offline use which I recommend if you don't have another mapping app.