White Pocket is a place located a few miles (5-6 miles) east of South Coyote Buttes on the Paria Plateau. This area does not require a hiking permit to visit and has become a great destination for those who failed to get hiking permits into North or South Coyote Buttes. Getting to White Pocket with its sandy roads will be the greatest challenge.
White pocket is named for the white sandstone that makes up the area. The term “Pocket” is derived by the natural water catch basins that form from eons of weathering of the sandstone. They become natural watering holes for the cattle herds that still graze on the plateau. In some cases ranchers for yesteryear would add concrete dams to increase the water holding capacity of these natural tanks of pockets. After the stormy season White pocket has a number of these pools which add to the interest and photograph potential of the area.
Camping is permitted but no official campground exists. Be considerate of others when using the area and leave it cleaner than how you found it. There is a parking area and a trail to the slick rock but once there you can go anywhere want as you explore this area. Serious explorers will want to also include White Pocket Butte as part of their adventure located a short 1/3 mile across the sandy desert west of the pockets.
Scaling of the buttes can only be accomplished on the North Slope and it will reward anyone who goes to the effort to reach the summit. See my current book Beyond the Sands and my upcoming book Beyond Coyote Buttes for more about the treasurers that are found around and on the butte.
Another must do is to hike the formations that extend 1 mile southwest of the main part of White Pocket the white buttes while small get increasingly white the further one hikes and the views of White Pocket and White Pocket Butte are wonderful.
While to fully explore and see the area in both morning and evening light may take a couple of days a short day hike can give the visitor a great understanding of what the area has to offer and will probably leave on wanting to come back for more.
It is a great place that while different than the Coyote Buttes to the west has amazing formations to delight the eye and the mind. Check it out!