In the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 the BLM was given 15 years to identify potential Wilderness Areas in the lands it manages. One result of this was the Phoenix Final Wilderness Environmental Impact Statement which identified the Coyote Mountains as a roadless area over 5k acres with Wilderness Characteristics.
While the Phoenix Final Wilderness Environmental Impact Statement itself didn't recommend the Coyote Mountains for Wilderness designation they were, thankfully, still included in Morris Udall's Arizona Desert Wilderness Act of 1990. This act created the Coyote Mountains Wilderness along with 28 other Wilderness Areas in Arizona.
Access:
- Coyote Mountains Wilderness North East Access Area - created in 2020 this area provides legal parking on the NE edge of the Coyote Mountains. 1/12/2021 - Potential access issues still exist on some of the roads in the area but I am not aware of any current closures/problems.
- AZGFD - Access to the southern portion of the Coyote Mountains Wilderness is thru King's Anvil Ranch (sign in/out required) private lands and Arizona State Trust Land (permit required) - the AZGFD page on access includes important additional details on restrictions.
You won't find a trail system in the Coyote Mountains Wilderness but there is established climbing in Mendoza Canyon (aka Coyote Domes) and the high point in the range attracts some hikers:
