Fossil Hunting at Coyote Buttes BLM, Utah
VERIFY LOCALLY
Rules unconfirmed — check with the land manager
Key Conditions
- A day-use hiking permit from the Recreation.gov lottery is mandatory just to enter Coyote Buttes North or South — but that permit authorizes access to the area, not fossil collecting; the two are separate legal questions
- No published BLM decision specific to casual invertebrate or plant fossil collecting within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness overlay could be located as of July 2026 — contact the Arizona Strip Field Office at (435) 688-3200 before removing any fossil material
- Vertebrate fossil material — including the documented dinosaur trackways and fossilized arthropod burrows in the Navajo Sandstone — may not be collected under any circumstances under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act; in-place trace fossils cannot legally be removed regardless of type
- Wilderness Act restrictions apply on top of any fossil rule: mechanized and motorized tools are prohibited throughout the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, and any ground disturbance must be negligible
- The 2000 presidential proclamation establishing the monument carries the standard Antiquities Act warning against appropriating, injuring, or removing any feature of the monument — a broad instruction a prudent visitor should treat as discouraging collection of any natural object pending direct confirmation from the field office
Your permit is for hiking, not collecting
Winning the Coyote Buttes lottery only authorizes you to be in the area for a day. It does not answer whether you can pick up and keep a rock, mineral, or fossil fragment. BLM has not published a policy specific to fossil collecting within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness overlay, and the standard Antiquities Act proclamation language warns against removing any feature of the monument. Treat this as a place to photograph, not to collect from, until the Arizona Strip Field Office confirms otherwise.
The Navajo Sandstone that makes Coyote Buttes famous for its swirling color bands is fossilized wind — an aeolian dune field roughly 190 million years old, its cross-bedded layers preserving the shape of ancient sand dunes rather than the seafloor sediments that produce shell fossils elsewhere in Utah. That depositional history matters for fossil hunters: this isn't a marine shale unit that sheds loose ammonites and brachiopods. What it preserves instead are trace fossils — burrows left by desert-dwelling arthropods moving through damp interdune sand, and at least one documented dinosaur trackway within the North Coyote Buttes Wilderness Area, all fixed permanently into the rock surface rather than sitting loose to be picked up.
The wilderness designation here predates the monument by 16 years — Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness was established in 1984, long before photographers popularized The Wave formation in the 1990s and 2000s and the resulting visitor pressure forced BLM into the permit lottery system it uses today. The monument, layered on top of the wilderness in 2000, added its own resource-protection language without, as far as any published source shows, specifically resolving how that language applies to casual fossil or mineral collecting.
Status unclear — no ordinance found
Extensive research did not turn up a specific, published BLM decision on casual invertebrate or plant fossil collecting within the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument / Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness overlay, in contrast to nearby BLM monuments like Grand Staircase-Escalante, which do publish clear casual-collection policies. Given the standard Antiquities Act warning language in the 2000 proclamation and the additional Wilderness Act restrictions on ground disturbance, the responsible approach is to collect nothing and confirm directly with the Arizona Strip Field Office at (435) 688-3200 before treating any object here as yours to keep.
- Mechanized and motorized tools of any kind are prohibited throughout the wilderness
- Any ground disturbance must be negligible under Wilderness Act management standards
- Standard Antiquities Act warning against appropriating, injuring, or removing any monument feature applies
- Vertebrate fossils and in-place trace fossils cannot be collected under any circumstances
- Day-use permit required for entry to Coyote Buttes North or South regardless of activity planned
Source: BLM Arizona Strip Field Office, (435) 688-3200
Coyote Buttes at a Glance
Yes — lottery
Permit required?
$9 + ~$7/person
Lottery fee
64 people / 16 groups
Daily quota (North)
~6.4 miles
Round-trip hike
Coyote Buttes vs. Nearby Alternatives
| Location | Entry Permit? | Fossil Collecting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coyote Buttes North/South | Yes — lottery, $9 + fees | Unclear — no published policy | Vertebrate tracks/burrows prohibited regardless |
| White Pocket, AZ | No permit system | Same monument overlay; same ambiguity | Similar sandstone formations, no visitor quota |
| Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, UT | No entry permit | Allowed — common invertebrates, 25 lb/day | Clear published BLM casual-collection policy |
| San Rafael Swell, UT | No entry permit | Allowed — common invertebrates, 25 lb/day | Standard BLM casual-use rule, no lottery |
Comparison as of July 2026. Confirm current permit and collecting rules directly with the relevant BLM field office before any trip.
Getting to Wire Pass Trailhead
Confirmed July 2026. Road conditions change quickly after storms — check with the BLM Arizona Strip Field Office before traveling.
How to Apply for a Coyote Buttes North Permit
- 1
Choose Advanced or Daily Geofence Lottery
The Advanced Lottery is applied for roughly four months ahead of a planned visit; the Daily Geofence Lottery is entered in person via the Recreation.gov app while physically within the geofenced area a few days before.
- 2
Submit the application with the non-refundable fee
The $9 application fee applies whether or not you're selected. Group size must be specified up front and cannot exceed 6 people.
- 3
Pay the recreation fee if selected
Winners pay roughly $7 per person (or dog) to confirm the permit. Permits are non-refundable and non-transferable.
- 4
Print or download your permit and check in at the trailhead
Rangers verify permits in person at Wire Pass or House Rock Valley Road trailhead kiosks before you set out.
Before You Go — Coyote Buttes Pre-Hike Checklist
- Confirm your permit is valid for the specific date and area (North or South)
- Call the Arizona Strip Field Office if you have any question about collecting anything you might find
- Download offline maps and GPS the route — there is no marked trail
- Pack at least one gallon of water per person for the round trip
- Check current road conditions for House Rock Valley Road before departing
- Bring a camera, not a collecting tool
Permits & Licenses
| Permit | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coyote Buttes North / South day-use hiking permit | Yes | Required simply to enter the area — enforced by trailhead permit checks and ranger patrols. Does not authorize fossil or rock collecting; that is a separate, unresolved question (see Quick Answer). Non-refundable, non-transferable, day-use only, maximum 6 people per group. |
| Fossil / paleontological resource collection | No | No specific authorization process exists for casual invertebrate fossil collecting in this monument/wilderness overlay. BLM has not published a clear policy answering this question for Coyote Buttes specifically. Contact the Arizona Strip Field Office, (435) 688-3200, before collecting anything, and do not assume the hiking permit covers it. |
Time & Seasonal Restrictions
- Vertebrate fossil material and any in-place trace fossil (dinosaur tracks, arthropod burrows) may not be collected under any circumstances — this is settled federal law regardless of the invertebrate/plant question elsewhere on the monument
- Hand implements causing only negligible surface disturbance are permitted under the Wilderness Act; motorized or mechanized tools of any kind are prohibited throughout the wilderness
- Daily visitor quota is strictly enforced: up to 64 people / 16 groups per day at Coyote Buttes North, split between the Advanced Lottery (48 people/12 groups) and Daily Geofence Lottery (16 people/4 groups)
- No more than 6 people per permit group; joining a separate group's permit to exceed 6 people is prohibited
- No facilities, marked trail, or reliable cell service anywhere in the permit area — all visits are fully self-navigated
Equipment Notes
- GPS device with the route pre-loaded — there is no marked trail across the sandstone, and cell service is unreliable to nonexistent
- Minimum one gallon of water per person for the 6.4-mile round trip — no water source in the area
- Printed or downloaded permit — rangers check permits in person at the trailhead kiosk
- Sun protection — the sandstone terrain has essentially no shade for most of the hike
- A camera rather than a collecting tool — given the unresolved fossil-collecting status here, documentation is the safer way to bring something home
What People Find Here
- Fossilized burrows attributed to ancient desert-dwelling arthropods (beetles and similar insects) preserved in the Navajo Sandstone — documented as trace fossils, observation only under current guidance
- Dinosaur trackways documented within the North Coyote Buttes Wilderness Area — in-place trace fossils that cannot legally be removed and are, in practical terms, part of the rock itself
- No documented history of loose, collectible invertebrate body fossils (shells, ammonites) at this specific site — the Navajo Sandstone here is an aeolian (wind-deposited dune) formation, a very different depositional environment from the marine shale units that produce shell fossils elsewhere in Utah
Penalties for Violations
← Scroll to see all columns
| Violation | Statute | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting vertebrate fossil material or removing an in-place trace fossil (tracks, burrows) | Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. §§ 470aaa et seq.) | Federal offense; fines and possible imprisonment for knowing violations; equipment and specimens subject to confiscation |
| Entering Coyote Buttes North or South without a valid permit | 43 CFR Part 8365 (permit requirements) | Federal citation; removal from the area; fine |
| Using mechanized or motorized tools within the Wilderness | Wilderness Act of 1964, 16 U.S.C. § 1133(c) | Federal violation; fine |
Etiquette & Leave No Trace
- Stay off any visible trace fossil or track — even a single footstep on fragile sandstone can cause damage that persists indefinitely
- Photograph rather than touch anything that looks like a burrow, track, or unusual surface texture
- Pack out everything; there are no facilities anywhere in the permit area
- Check in with the ranger station or trailhead kiosk and carry your numbered permit visibly
- If uncertain whether an object is a natural rock feature or something you might legally take, leave it — the honest default here is to take nothing
Nearby Alternatives
← Scroll to see all columns
| Site | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument — BLM | 110 mi | Also a BLM national monument, but with a clearly published policy allowing casual collection of common invertebrate and plant fossils |
| San Rafael Swell — BLM | 195 mi | Standard BLM casual-use fossil rules apply with no permit-entry requirement, unlike Coyote Buttes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my Coyote Buttes permit let me collect fossils?
No. The day-use permit from the Recreation.gov lottery authorizes you to enter the area and hike — it says nothing about collecting rocks or fossils. Whether casual fossil collecting is allowed here at all is a separate question that BLM has not clearly answered in any published policy specific to this monument and wilderness overlay. Assume it is not covered until you confirm otherwise with the Arizona Strip Field Office.
Can I collect the dinosaur tracks or trace fossils I see at The Wave?
No. Documented dinosaur trackways and fossilized arthropod burrows in the Navajo Sandstone here are in-place trace fossils. Federal law under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act prohibits collecting vertebrate fossil material outright, and a track or burrow embedded in the rock face isn't something you could legally remove even if it were classified as invertebrate material — it's part of the formation itself.
How much does the Coyote Buttes permit cost?
The non-refundable lottery application fee is $9 regardless of outcome. If selected, an additional recreation fee of roughly $7 per person (or dog) applies. All permits are day-use only, non-transferable, and capped at 6 people per group.
What's the difference between Coyote Buttes North and South?
Coyote Buttes North contains The Wave and is by far the harder permit to win, given the 64-person daily cap split across two lottery systems. Coyote Buttes South covers a separate section of similar Navajo Sandstone formations with a less competitive lottery. Both fall under the same monument and wilderness rules, including the same unresolved fossil-collecting question.
Is there a nearby fossil-hunting site with clearer rules?
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, about 110 miles away, is also BLM-administered and has a published policy allowing casual collection of common invertebrate and plant fossils up to the standard 25 lb/day limit — a meaningfully clearer answer than Coyote Buttes currently offers. San Rafael Swell, roughly 195 miles north, follows the standard BLM casual-use rule with no entry permit required at all.
Do I need a 4WD vehicle to reach the trailhead?
The Wire Pass trailhead, the primary access point on the Utah side, is reached via House Rock Valley Road off US-89 — a graded dirt road that is passable for most high-clearance vehicles in dry conditions but can become difficult or impassable after rain. Standard passenger cars are not recommended.
Disclaimer
Information is provided for general guidance only. Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with the official jurisdiction before relying on this information for legal decisions. Permitted Pursuits is not a substitute for official agency guidance. Report an error.
Sources
- BLM — Coyote Buttes North Permits(accessed 2026-07-13)
- BLM — Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness(accessed 2026-07-13)
- Proclamation 7374 — Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (2000)(accessed 2026-07-13)
- BLM — Can I Collect Fossils? (Paleontological Resources Program)(accessed 2026-07-13)
Last verified: 2026-07-13 · Last updated: 2026-07-13