White Pocket/Coyote Buttes prep

Really looking forward to my first visit to Coyote Buttes and White Pocket areas a couple weeks from now. Thanks for the earlier tips on vehicles/logistics. I've also been reading over the archives and finding great info from previous threads.

I'm wondering if anyone here has traveled those roads since the recent storms. I'll be making some phone calls to BLM as I get closer to leaving, but does anyone have a firsthand report of recent road conditions?

Also, I'll be traveling down solo from Provo, UT area but want to leave an open invitation for anyone interested in meeting up to combine artistic forces. I'm a relative newcomer but hope to meet many of you in the coming months/years. My tentative itinerary:

Mon, Sep 30: See if I can get a walk-in permit for CB-South for following day, head to White Pocket for afternoon exploration and evening/sunset photos. Camp on/near site.

Tues, Oct 1: Sunrise at WP. If I got CB-S walk-in permit, head over there for day exploration and evening/sunset photos; otherwise, more WP or explore other spots in the broader Page environs. Camp near CB-S trailhead or State Line, depending on where I end up that day.

Wed, Oct 2: All Day at CB-North (with online lottery permit).

Thurs, Oct 3: If no previous CB-S permit, try again (for same day if available or following day). Otherwise, see where the winds take me. I'm open to suggestions- saw Antelope North, Canyon X, and Horseshoe Bend on previous visit to Page. Conditions may also be good for some night/milky way photography if I'm not already exhausted by this point.

Fri, Oct 4: Morning at CB-S, or elsewhere, depending on what I've seen and what sounds fun.

I have to admit I'm feeling pretty giddy about this trip. I hope the roads and weather cooperate. Let me know if you have been there recently (or will be there soon) and can report on road conditions, or if you'd like to meet up there in a couple weeks. Thanks!

I think the BLM visitor center in Kanab would be able to give the most current road conditions for you.
Around there, there is also Wahweap Hoodoos, Paria Badlands, Yellow Rock, Buckskin and Paria canyons.

Jared,

It's a touch ironic that you're from Provo, as I used to live in Mount Pleasant (near Ephraim) for three years and always wondered why I was the only guy from central Utah. Welcome to the board, if I can still say so.

I'd check with the Kanab field office ASAP. Last week I was talking to a friend of mine now living in Kanab who said that they've been getting hammered by rain this summer, and that most of the roads in GSENM are washed out and even closed.

Best of Luck!

Thanks, Doug and Mark. Kanab field office told me that House Rock Valley Road and White House(?) Road are listed on the roads report as impassable but that new grading was being done. Then I called the Kanab visitor center and they said that access shouldn't be a problem to these sites with 4WD. I'll check back as the time get closer but if others have first hand knowledge that'll be swell.

Hey! Guy Tal mentioned somewhere online (facebook maybe?) that he drove a lot of the roads and probably has some recent info about them. He did mention new grating was being done. It may be worth an email his way, also?
Safe travels and good light!

Jared, I drove in last Thursday. Since I was coming from Bluff, I went thru Tuba City & took 89A (89 is closed to N/S traffic just south of Page) to House Rock Valley Rd. It's only 9 miles from there to your first turn-off. The roads to WP were a piece of cake. I came out & went north on HRV. It was washed out at Buckskin Gulch, but there's an alternate road in place. The parking lot at WP was a lake. I parked & camped on the left side where it was dry. It was a zoo with a Japanese film crew, several large groups and other smaller or solo photogs. Should be much better on a Mon/Tues. Lots of water in the pockets. Some were running water on Thurs but levels had gone down enough on Friday they were no longer running. Lots of wildflowers -- I felt like I should be making a wildflower report! Primroses, sunflowers, asters, spiderworts, something that looked like a small amaranth, DYCs, etc, etc. Have a great time!

Jared, I did provide a rundown of some of the road conditions in my recent post.
But to recap...as of the Sept 6, almost all roads north of Hwy 89 into Grand Staircase were closed or impassable. House Rock Rd at Buckskin Gulch was passable by all wheel or 4 wheel. White Pockets can also be accessed from the south from Hwy 89a. Actually, much shorter, 10 miles instead of 17 or so from the north. As far as access into White Pockets, I found BLM Roads 1017-1086-1087 not bad at all with the appropriate high clearance vehicle. As a bonus, the BLM had graded 1017. I suspect many of the low spots at White Pockets that had rain water still may some left which certainly creates some nice images.
As indicated, my experience is a few weeks old. Only the local offices would know if there had been more significant rain since then and the road conditions. I found the folks at the Paria info station quite knowledgeable and honest.
And you should be excited about White Pockets. It's simply hard to describe, but be prepared for sensory overload! Good Luck

Perfect- Thanks, Monika, Ken, and others. Just the kind of info I was hoping for.

Jared, I forgot to mention a couple of things: not a drop of rain from Thursday afternoon when I got there until Sat morning 9am when I left even though the forecast was for rain, heavy at times. I think that the ridge blocks a lot of storms as there have been several times when it's been raining or snowing in Kanab and Page, but sunny down the House Rock Valley.

Also, don't just leave after sunset as the blue hour is quite good at White Pocket.

I do not have much to add to this thread other than good wishes for your trip. White Pocket is a really amazing place. Be sure to explore down on the backside, as well. There is all kinds of wonderful stuff back there. We spent four nights out there last year and I still had a lot that I wanted to try out in terms of compositions. Even if you do not get the other permits you want, you will have more than enough to see at White Pocket.