The Wave

The Wave lies right along the border between Utah and Arizona, in the vast Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. The formation itself is on the Arizona side of the line, but the practical world of a visit, the permits, the outfitters, the lodging, and the nearest town, all belong to Kanab, Utah, which sits just to the north. For travelers, then, the Wave is very much a southern Utah destination reached from Kanab.

This is deep red-rock country, part of the same landscape that holds the Vermilion Cliffs, Paria Canyon, and the wider Grand Staircase region. It is a land the Ancestral Puebloan and Southern Paiute peoples knew for centuries, and the Kaibab band of Paiute and other Native peoples retain ties to this region today. The Wave is only the most famous jewel in a whole desert of extraordinary sandstone.

The Wave is sculpted from Navajo sandstone, the petrified remains of an immense field of sand dunes that covered this region long ago. As the ancient dunes piled up and were later cemented into rock, groundwater carrying iron and other minerals stained them in bands of color, and the sweeping lines you see are the fossilized layers of those long-vanished dunes, the cross-bedding of drifting sand turned to stone.

The undulating, wave-like shape came later, as wind and the rare desert rains scoured the soft rock along its layering, carving smooth troughs and ridges that curve and swirl. The result is a landscape that looks liquid and frozen at once, endlessly photogenic in the shifting desert light. It is also extremely fragile, and a single careless step can mar features that took ages to form, which is much of the reason access is kept so limited.

To protect the Wave, land managers allow only a small number of people into Coyote Buttes North each day, and permits are awarded through a competitive lottery administered from the Kanab area. There is an advance online lottery for those planning far ahead and a separate daily lottery for people already near Kanab hoping for a last-minute chance. Demand far outstrips the spots, so many hopeful visitors never draw a permit at all.

The system rewards planning and flexibility. Some travelers apply months in advance for the online draw, while others build extra days into a Kanab trip to try the local lottery again and again. Because you cannot count on getting in, it is wise to have other wonders on the itinerary, of which the region has many. Winning a permit, when it comes, feels like a small triumph and the start of a real adventure.

Reaching the Wave is a genuine backcountry hike of several miles each way, and crucially there is no marked trail. You navigate across open sandstone and desert using a route map, landmarks, and often a GPS track, which means the hike demands real self-reliance and good route-finding, especially on the return when the light and your energy may both be fading. Permit holders receive guidance on the way in, but you must still find your own path.

The greatest hazard is the desert itself. In the warm months the heat here can be lethal, with little shade and no water along the way, so carrying far more water than seems necessary, starting early, and knowing your limits are all essential. Spring and fall offer the safest, most comfortable conditions. Handled with respect for both the fragile rock and the harsh environment, a day at the Wave is among the most memorable in all of red-rock country.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.