The Wave: Arizona's Most Impossible Landscape
The Wave doesn't look real. Swirling bands of red, orange, yellow, and white sandstone flow across the landscape like frozen liquid, carved into troughs and ridges that seem designed rather than eroded. The formation sits in the Coyote Buttes wilderness near the Arizona-Utah border, accessible only by a 6-mile round-trip hike across trackless slickrock. Only 64 permits are issued daily - 48 by online lottery four months in advance, 16 by daily lottery in Kanab. The restrictions frustrate visitors who've traveled thousands of miles only to lose the permit drawing. But the limits preserve what makes the Wave extraordinary: the experience of standing alone in a landscape that shouldn't exist.
The Formation
The Wave formed from Navajo Sandstone - lithified sand dunes from the early Jurassic period, roughly 190 million years ago. The dunes accumulated in a vast desert, layer upon layer, each with slightly different mineral content that would become visible as differently colored bands. Time compressed the sand into stone; uplift brought it to the surface; wind and water sculpted the exposed rock. The Wave's distinctive flowing shapes developed as erosion exploited weaknesses between layers, creating troughs that follow the original dune bedding. What you see is a cross-section of ancient wind patterns, frozen in stone.
The Experience
There is no trail. Permit holders receive GPS coordinates and photos showing key landmarks; navigation requires wilderness skills and careful attention. The 3-mile hike crosses exposed slickrock with no shade, no water, and temperatures that can exceed 110°F in summer. People die attempting this hike unprepared. The Wave itself occupies a relatively small area - a few acres of the most dramatic formations - but the surrounding landscape is equally extraordinary: mushroom rocks, dinosaur trackways, secondary waves, and color variations that reward exploration. Photography is essentially the point; the formations photograph differently depending on light angle, making morning and afternoon visits distinctly different experiences.
The Permits
Demand for Wave permits far exceeds supply. The Bureau of Land Management limits access to 64 people daily to prevent erosion of the fragile sandstone. Online lotteries run four months in advance; daily walk-in lotteries occur in Kanab, Utah each morning. Success rates for popular dates can be below 10%. The difficulty of obtaining permits has made the Wave a bucket-list destination - the exclusivity itself becoming part of the attraction. Some visitors try for years before winning. The system is frustrating but effective: the Wave remains pristine because access is limited. The alternative would be love loving it to death.
The Fragility
The same softness that allowed wind and water to sculpt the Wave makes it vulnerable to human damage. The sandstone is easily scarred by footsteps; popular routes show wear. Each visitor adds to cumulative erosion. The permit system balances access against preservation, but the formation is still degrading. Climate change may accelerate weathering. The Wave that exists today is not the Wave that existed a century ago, and not the Wave that will exist a century hence. The landscape is beautiful partly because it's impermanent - a moment in geological time we're lucky enough to witness before it erodes into something else.
Visiting The Wave
The Wave is located in the Coyote Buttes North area of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, on the Arizona-Utah border. Permits are required; apply at recreation.gov four months in advance, or enter the daily lottery at the Kanab BLM office. The 6-mile round-trip hike is unmarked; GPS and navigation skills are essential. Bring at least one gallon of water per person. Do not attempt in summer without extensive desert experience. The nearest towns are Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona. No facilities exist at the trailhead or along the route. Allow a full day. Visit spring or fall for moderate temperatures. Accept that you may not win the permit lottery - the process is the price of preservation.
From the Air
Located at 36.99°N, 112.01°W in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument on the Arizona-Utah border. From altitude, the Coyote Buttes area appears as eroded sandstone terrain - red and white formations visible against the brown desert. The Wave itself is too small to identify from cruising altitude, but the general area shows the same cross-bedded sandstone exposure that creates the formation. The Paria Plateau stretches to the north; the Grand Canyon lies to the south. Lake Powell is visible to the east. The landscape is remote and undeveloped - the access restrictions preserve not just the formation but the sense of wilderness surrounding it.