Family Time: The Great South West: North Coyote Buttes, The Wave

... Continued from The Great South West: Bryce Canyon National Park

After our hike of Bryce Canyon, we drove an hour to Kanab. This is where our plans fell apart. The weather took a turn for the worst and we hunkered down in a snow storm. I had obtained the passes for South Coyote Butte area and was fully prepared to hike it from House Rock Valley Road to Cottonwood Cove. This is an area for which we got the Jeep for. Driving on the gravel / clay road can be challenging when it is wet.

I went to the Kanab Visitor Center (the one next to Comfort Inn) on the day the storm was dumping snow and rain, and was informed that the people who went earlier towards the area were lost and some jeeps got stuck in the wash. I decided to skip South Coyote Butte hike, and tore up my four permits. Instead I decided to apply for the North Coyote Butte permits for the next day. There were fifteen applications for the permits, out of which four were withdrawn by the scared applicants. They were scared by dire warnings by the park trooper to not go to the area due to the continuing storm that was expected to continue for another 24 hours. I decided to not withdraw. They give ten permits per day to North Coyote Butte. I had applied twice on Internet without success but this time the odds were in my favor.
They drew 1 permit, followed by 2 permits, 2 permits, then 4 permits (mine). Jubilation as I was going to The Wave!

As the storm was dumping snow, we decided to take the kids to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab. The people at the Sanctuary are doing some great work. We got a tour of the facility, and kids got to play with some cats and dogs. I was worried the entire day that the next day to North Coyote Butte will be washed out, and I will have to tear up my permits just like I tore up my South Coyote Butte permits that day.

Woke up the next day to find that the snow had become drizzle. I decided to approach the hike to The Wave from a longer but safer route starting at BLM1065 at intersection of 89A and House Rock Road. Radar was showing severe activity near the Coyote Byttes. The road 89A from Kanab rises towards Jacob Lake and the drizzle became moderate snow. My heart was sinking, but as we descended back into the valley near the House Rock Road BLM1065, the snow was gone. House Rock road winds 21 miles to the Wave Trail at the Coyote Wash. As we got closer to the trail, it started snowing heavily. The snow stopped a mile from the trail. Despite all the bad weather, the dirt road was better than what the ranger had described, and we had no issues travelling on it (some people on the trail told us that they approached from the North on a shorter but riskier route, and had no issues).

We parked at the trail and followed the three mile hike to The Wave on my Chart Sack app. I had scanned the map provided by BLM in the app. We packed some high energy food like avocados, cheese, chocolate bars, and bread. Four of us carried a total one gallon of water (only half of it was consumed during the entire hike). It was cold and the sky was overcast.

BLM Wave Hike Map in Chart Sack

The Coyote Butte area is quite scenic. We walked through a wash, among plant of dazzling colors, next to red and yellow peaks, and through sand dunes to The Wave. The last part of the hike makes your heart race as you climb a soft sand dune at high elevation. Kids had no issues, but wife was unhappy/tired till she got to The Wave.

The Wave presents its dazzling colors and patterns. However, we were a bit disappointed, as the Wave itself was smaller than it looks in the pictures. The area above Wave had incredible views of the valley. I am sure the Cottonwood Cove in the South Coyote Butte is similar to the area just above Wave, which in our opinion is better than Wave itself. The hype about wave is not justified but you must see it once. But do not obsess yourself with winning the permit lottery.

We got to The Wave early in the morning while it was overcast. The pictures come out better with the overcast sky than when the sun broke through. Direct sun casts shadow on the wave, making half of it dark which kills the dramatic effect of the wave pattern.

With controlled number of visitors to the North Coyote Butte, the sand stone structures on the ground are still intact. But they break easily when you step on them. Please stay on the trails and avoid stepping on delicate stones or this marvel could erode in our life time. I had strict orders for the kids to respect and leave alone the delicate nature found in this area.