As the saying goes, “it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but a matter of ‘when.’” In this case, the “when” was the summer of 2009, when the powers-that-be at Microsoft thought it would be a fabulous idea to include a photo of The Wave in Paria Canyon, Arizona on the desktop wallpaper of Windows 7.[1] From that moment on, what had until then been a relatively well-kept secret among hikers and backpackers was catapulted to “Arizona Bucket List” status, and suddenly everybody and his brother wanted to go there. Does that include you? Be ready to jump through some hoops, but be ready to experience a place like no other on Earth, and an adventure you’ll never forget!
The Wave is located in the Coyote Buttes North Special Management Area of the Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness Area in Northern Arizona. Areas with this designation are considered ecologically sensitive and vulnerable to irreparable damage if access to them is not strictly controlled. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, for years, only 20 lucky people per day were allowed to visit Coyote Buttes North and The Wave in Arizona. In February 2021, the BLM approved an increase in the daily hiker quota to 64 people, or 16 groups, whichever comes first. In order to be included in that number, you must obtain a permit. This can be done one of two ways:
1. Apply in advance for the online Paria Canyon permit lottery through Recreation.gov website. Forty-eight (48) spots per day are given out in this manner. You can – and should – apply up to four (4) months in advance for your desired date. Applications are taken for the entire calendar month for the month four (4) months ahead. If, for example, you wish to hike to The Wave in October (the 10th month on the calendar), you would need to apply online anytime during the month of June (the 6th month on the calendar). The winners of the lottery would then be drawn on the 1st day of July, etc.
For more information regarding the Wave go to www.thewaveaz.com
There is a $9.00 non-refundable fee to apply for the online lottery. You may choose three (3) different dates to hike The Wave and apply for up to six (6) people. Applicants are notified of their results in the lottery by e-mail on the first day of the month following the application period. If, for some reason, you are not notified by the second day of the month, please contact the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument Permit Desk. Be sure to check your spam/junk mail folder first, though. Only one application may be submitted per month. Please do not try to “game the system” by submitting more than one application per month. You will be found out and both applications will be forfeited.
2. Obtain an in-person permit through a daily virtual lottery. Read a first-hand account from someone who hiked The Wave on a walk-in permit.
64 people a day are allowed to hike to Coyote Buttes North and The Wave. 48 will have secured their permits ahead of time by online lottery; the remaining 16 hiking slots can be acquired by in-person/walk-in permit. **Effective March 2022, the lottery for last-minute hiking permits to the Wave will transition to an app-based system, administered by Recreation.gov, whereby visitors may apply for a permit to hike the Wave from their cell phone or other mobile device two days prior to when they wish to hike. Entries will be monitored through a geofence system which limits participation to those physically present within a designated radius around the communities of Page, AZ, and Kanab, UT. Geofence Perimeter Map Successful applicants would then be notified by text to pick up their permits and attend a mandatory safety briefing at the Page-Lake Powell Tourism Hub in Page, AZ, or the Kane County Visitor Center & Office of Tourism in Kanab, UT. Fact Sheet for New Mobile-Based Wave Permit Lottery
General Notes:
For more information regarding the Wave go to www.thewaveaz.com
214 Responses
So if I apply for the lottery and would like a guide, should I I include the guide in the lottery permit count? For example, if my group is 2, but I’m thinking of hiring a guide, should I make my group 3 when applying? Thanks!
Hey Jules,
This is an excellent question! The answer is, no, you do not need to apply for a Wave permit for your guide, just for the folks in your hiking party. The guides are already factored in by the BLM on any given day.
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
The ad for the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyon has a misspelling – Antelpe
Oh wow, thanks man! We’ll see about getting that fixed. Thank you kindly 🙂
Would like to have permit to hike 1 day hike Wave trail 2 people maximum 6 miles round trip in time window 4.11.2021 to 4.13.2021
Hi Josef,
This site does not administer the issuance of hiking permits for The Wave. In your case, the online lottery has already taken place, so you must see if you can have any luck at the walk-in lottery. This is held at the Kanab Center Gymnasium in Kanab, UT, the day PRIOR to when you wish to hike. For more information, visit the official KanabCenter.com/Wave Lottery
Because Wave permits are highly sought-after, and April is considered one of the peak times of year to hike it, I would strongly recommend looking to alternative areas around the Wave that you might visit. The most popular of these is White Pocket. We recommend going with a guided tour due to the difficult and rugged terrain on the access road there. There are several tour companies that go to this area, but the ones we are most familiar with are Paria Outpost, Dreamland Safari Tours, and Vermilion Adventures.
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
Are there any special provisions for Arizona residents who are disabled vets?
Hi Gregory,
Since your comment was posted on the article on how to get a permit for The Wave, I assume that you’re inquiring specifically about The Wave. If so, I must tell you that the hike to this area is a moderately difficult 6-mile round-trip walk, and the trail is inaccessible to wheelchairs. So if you are disabled in the sense of having limited mobility, then The Wave probably isn’t a realistic activity for you to consider, at least, not for hiking. You do have the option of flying over it in a fixed-wing airplane or helicopter. While a flight would not land at the Wave, and would probably be kind of pricey, it would show you a ton of amazing scenery in addition to The Wave that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get to by any means.
For more information on flying over The Wave, visit our companion site, http://www.TheWaveAZ.com and read the article “So You Didn’t Get A Wave Permit; Now What?”
If for some reason, I failed to adequately answer your particular question, please write in again, or visit our other companion site, http://www.HorseshoeBend.com
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
My computer got hacked and I didn’t get a response for the reservation I sent on July 31 for a possible visit to the wave on November 1, 2 or 3. Can you please tell me if I was successful or not.3
Hey John,
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are not affiliated with the agency that manages the online lottery for Wave hiking permits.
The agency that manages online permit requests is Recreation.gov https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309
If for some reason you aren’t successful in obtaining a permit through the online lottery, you can always try your hand at the walk-in lottery, currently being held in the Kanab, UT, Public Gym. In the in-person lottery, you would apply the day prior to when you wish to hike.
Good luck and hope you get things sorted out,
Alley
Hi, I did not hear back about whether I was selected from the lottery which I applied for in June for October. I understand the lottery was July 1 so assume I did not make it.
Hi Nancy,
You are correct that the June lottery for Wave permits was held July 1st. If you have not received an e-mail, it’s a safe assumption that your name was not chosen. However, if you wish to make absolutely sure of that, you might contact the BLM Office in Kanab, UT, at (435) 644-1300. You can also try your hand at the walk-in lottery, which will be held the day prior to when you wish to hike. Right now, due to COVID-19, the in-person Wave permit drawings are being held at an alternate location, Kanab Center Gymnasium, if I remember correctly. However, this could return to the Grand Staircase-Escalante Visitors Center by October if the virus reaches some semblance of containment by then.
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
Hi Alley,
Is there a way to check on any “the wave” permit cancellations and availability to reserve a spot?
Thanks.
Hi Abhinav,
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to do that. You basically need to be prepared to come to the Kanab Convention Center the morning before you wish to hike and apply for the walk-in lottery. 10 permits, plus any online permits that have been cancelled, are given out at that time.
For more information about applying for Wave permits, and potential alternative areas to visit, check out our companion site http://www.TheWaveAZ.com
Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
arizona is awesome
It is indeed 🙂
Hi I don’t think I can physically do a 5 mile hike so what other places would you suggest there that are interesting and beautiful! Thanks So much!
Hi Jane,
If the hike to and from The Wave is too much, fortunately, there are many other interesting and beautiful places you can go nearby!
Our personal favorite is White Pocket. What little “hiking” there is is relatively easy. The hard part is getting out there without getting your vehicle stuck in deep sand. If you’re driving a rental car (which most people are when they visit), your contract also prohibits off-road driving. For these reasons, we strongly recommend going with a licensed guide service. Between the towns of Page, AZ, and Kanab, UT, there are about a dozen such companies. One I’m personally familiar with is Paria Outpost & Outfitters.
Another method for seeing The Wave that doesn’t involve either a hike or jumping through the hoops of the permit lottery is to fly over it. Fixed wing airplanes and helicopters can be chartered from the Page Municipal Airport or Kanab Municipal Airport. Yes, this will be pricey, but you’ll get to see a ton of amazing scenery in addition to The Wave that will make it an unforgettable experience! Fly over The Wave
If the afore-mentioned alternatives are neither feasible nor appealing for whatever reason, there is a place that looks a lot like The Wave that doesn’t require a permit to visit, and doesn’t involve a long or difficult hike. It’s called the “Fire Wave,” and it’s located in the Valley of Fire State Park just Northeast of Las Vegas, NV.
Hope that helps! Good luck and safe travels,
Alley 🙂
Hi Alley–
Thanks for all this terrific info — very helpful indeed! I just applied for a permit for our visit in April, though I know our chances are slim. I subsequently saw on another website the following: “Each person in the group is allowed to apply separately provided they do not share an email address. For example, if there are four people in the group a total of four applications can be submitted.” Do you know if that’s actually true? Or would BLM view that essentially as illegitimately applying twice? Many thanks for the step-by-step breakdown of the process!
Justin
Hi Justin,
Hmmmm…. what you refer to (“each person in the group is allowed to apply separately provided they do not share an email address”) sounds to me like an attempt to “game the system,” which, to my knowledge, the BLM frowns on.
If in doubt, leave it out!
In the meantime, you might start looking at some possible “Plan B’s” in the very likely event your party is not chosen to hike The Wave. April is a very competitive time to apply for Wave permits due to cooler temperatures being prevalent at that time of year. White Pocket would be a good choice. The area is just stunning, the hike is not difficult, but the drive in traverses some areas of deep sand. 4WD experience is a definite must, and off-road driving is prohibited by most rental car outlets. Going with a licensed tour company would be the better option to ensure that everybody makes it there and back in once piece. White Pocket Area Guide Services
Good luck, safe travels, and Happy Holidays!
Alley 🙂
Hi, I hace submit my application but for a party of 4 now I would like to add more people (2 more) can I still do that?
Maggie,
You would have to contact the BLM to see if that’s even possible. Their phone # is 435-644-1300. Or, the other two people might simply try to submit their own application for the lottery.
Good luck,
Alley 🙂