Hiking The Wave, Arizona

The Wave is a stunning, otherworldly rock formation located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, near the Arizona-Utah border. Known for its undulating, colorful sandstone ridges that appear to ripple across the landscape, it is a photographer’s dream.

The permit too enter this area is highly coveted. Only 64 permits are granted each day, 48 of which are available through a highly competitive online lottery system, and the rest through a daily walk-in lottery.

The Permit Lottery

It costs $6 to enter the lottery. I’ve entered the lottery so many times that I’m honestly afraid to check how much I’ve spent on this longshot. Rumor has it that your chance to win the lottery is about 1:50 during busy season. During winter time, your chance jumps to 1:10. Much better but still not that great.

But then a friend did win the lottery and the permit allows 6 people. The date was slightly inconvenient (Dec 23), in between my trip to Mexico and Christmas. But given how rare and unpredictable it seemed to win the permit (especially with my luck), I figured this might be my one shot at seeing the Wave in person.

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, even if it meant embarking on a whirlwind 48-hour journey. The plan was tight: fly into Las Vegas, drive four hours to Kanab, Utah, spend the night. The next day: hike the Wave and then drive back another four hours to Vegas to catch a flight to California. It was a lot for such a short time, but I was determined to make it work. If I had more time, I’d have loved to explore the many other trails near Kanab. Buckskin Gulch, for example, is a slot canyon that starts at the same trailhead as the Wave—it’s been on my to-do list for ages. But that’ll have to wait for next time.

The Hike to the Wave

On the morning of the hike, we left Kanab, UT, at 7 am, and by 8 am, we arrived at Wire Pass Trailhead. There’s restroom at the large lot which I recommend everyone utilize to protect the fragile desert (just in case, you might want to pack a wag bag as well
0. The hike to the Wave is about 3 miles one way, which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s important to note that there is no established trail. Instead, the route is marked by intermittently placed signposts, which can be tricky to follow if you’re unfamiliar with the terrain. Luckily, we had GPS apps to help guide us. Our group used AllTrails, but I also relied on Gaia GPS – make sure to download your maps for offline use. Without cell service in the area, this was crucial for navigation.

The hike itself wasn’t particularly strenuous or steep, but there was some scrambling on sandstone so good footwear is helpful. The biggest challenge, though, was the complete lack of shade. With no lick of shade, it was easy to imagine how brutal it must be in the summer.

The Boneyard and Dinosaur Footprints

Instead of retracing our steps after reaching the Wave, we decided to take a loop that added about 1.5 miles to our hike. While there’s no defined trail, the hiking apps helped us stay on track and find the right direction. The loop took us past The Boneyard, a surreal field of brittle, honeycombed boulders known as lace or box rocks — so strange and beautiful. We also spotted petrified dinosaur footprints, which were tricky to find but incredibly cool once we did. The detour was definitely worth it.

—
One downside of social media is how it can inflate expectations about a popular destination. However, I’m happy to say that the Wave more than exceeded mine. It’s an extraordinarily special place, with an almost tangible sense of fragility which makes me glad they have implemented the permit system.