Coyote Buttes South

Pawhole

The route generally follows the blue line labeled "Road to Pawhole Trailhead" on the map below. The drive starts at the junction of House Rock Valley Road (HRVR) and Highway 89 in Utah. The HRVR turnoff is between mileposts 25 and 26 on Highway 89. House Rock Valley Road is normally okay for passenger cars. Do not take this road if it is wet. If your tires are kicking up a lot of mud/clay after the first mile on HRVR, or you are having trouble keeping your car straight, do not continue on the road. House Rock Valley Road runs north/south between Highway 89 in Utah and Highway 89A in Arizona. HRVR is renamed House Rock Road once you cross the Arizona state line, so you'll see the road referred to with both names.

To get to Pawhole from the north, take House Rock Valley Road 16.5 miles to BLM 1079 and turn left. If you are coming from 89A in the south, take House Rock Road 13.2 miles north to the intersection. There is a designated parking area at BLM 1079 and HRVR. If you do not have a high clearance 4WD, either park here or continue 0.2 miles to the Lone Tree Reservoir and park. If you have a true 4WD vehicle, continue 2.5 miles on BLM 1079 to the trailhead.

Mark your location with a GPS before starting your hike. I know of one person who got separated from his group and spent the night there in the cold. Once at the trailhead, walk northeast down the faded two-track to Pawhole. Late in the day, the red rock in the area gets excellent light, and you can get good pictures right from Pawhole, including images of red rock reflected in Pawhole. Pawhole itself is outside the permit area. In addition to exploring the buttes northeast of Pawhole, it is worth exploring the rocks further north in the "Southern Alcove" and "Yellow Stripe" areas. Capturing the entire "Southern Alcove" from its interior requires a 10mm lens or a panorama head. The "Yellow Stripe" is best photographed in the morning.

Drive to Pawhole

You can also get to Pawhole from Cottonwood Cove. The route starts at the Cottonwood trailhead. Follow the green line trill it intersects the Blue line at 36.92828, -111.96913. Continue 1 mile to the intersection with BLM 1079 (red line) and turn right. Continue on BLM 1079 3.1 miles to the Pawhole trailhead.

Cottonwood Cove

The drive to the Cottonwood trailhead follows the green line in the map below. Take House Rock Road south 20.2 miles to the intersection with "Pine Tree Pockets Road" (BLM 1017). If you're coming from the south, take House Rock Road 9.4 miles north to the intersection. There is a corral at the turnoff. Take BLM 1017 3.1 miles and turn left on Red Pockets Road. At 6.0 miles, you will come to a cattle gate; leave it in the same condition as you found it (open or closed). Continue straight. At 8.3 miles, bear right (the road on the left is now closed). At 8.7 miles, turn left onto Upper Pawhole Road. This area is called Poverty Flat. There is a corral and some old buildings; there used to be a windmill here, but it is gone. At 9.0 miles, stay to the right. At 10.7 miles, you will reach a closed gate with a Coyote Buttes Fee Area sign. At 11.4 miles, you have arrived. Park on the left-hand side of the road. Do not continue any further on the road (down the hill). If you do so, you will likely get stuck on your return up the hill. There is a warning sign before the hill.

A good way to begin your hike is to head southwest west to the teepees, about .6 miles away. The hike is shown on the map in Blue and takes you to the Control Tower, a good morning (and evening) destination. The "Witches Hat" and "Half and Half" are nearby.

Drive to Cottonwood Cove Trailhead

There are several good photographic sites in the Cottonwood Cove area. I especially like the Control Tower just before sunset in late Fall and early Winter. The best view of the Control Tower is from the south, making it an excellent foreground for star trails. You can also shoot it from its north side with The Milky Way in the background. The Control Tower is also the closest formation to the parking area, making it easy to shoot there late or into the night. Nearby formations "The Witches Hat" and "Half and Half". The "Hanging Head" rock formation near "Half and Half" has collapsed and is no more. A piece of "Half and Half" has broken off, and it is not as photogenic as it used to be, but it is still a reasonably good subject.

There are a few dinosaur tracks west of the Control Tower. Near the dinosaur tracks is a small formation reminiscent of The Wave. The west side of Cottonwood Cove is largely unexplored since it is quite far from the Pawhole and Cottonwood trailheads. This area almost certainly has some good images. Another good formation is a hoodoo named "The Chess Queen ."The Chess Queen is northeast of the Cottonwood Cove parking area on the right side of the road. It is outside the permit area and is best shot at sunset.

There are several other scenic areas accessible to hikers comfortable off-trail. These include The Hydra, the close-by Olympic Torch, and the south and west sides of Cottonwood Cove. This area contains Rainbow Cove, the Chocolate Swirl (also known as The Beauty), the Palace area, and Red Cove.