The Wave, Arizona

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The Wave, Arizona
The Wave
Elevation	5225 ft (1593 m)
Latitude	36° 59′ 45.84″ N
Longitude	112° 0′ 21.9″ W
Location	Arizona, USA
USGS Topo Map	Coyote Buttes
Age of rock	Jurassic

The Wave is a spectacular sandstone formation on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the beautiful and rugged Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, located in northern portion of the U.S. state of Arizona, just south of the Utah-Arizona border about halfway between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona.

This incredible formation can be reached by hiking approximately 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) across rugged, trailless landscape, making the round-trip to and from The Wave a nearly 6-mile (9.7-kilometer) hike that climbs about 350 feet (107 meters) in altitude. The area can be really hot in summer (100 F +), so it is best to start the hike early. It is recommended to carry 1 gallon of water per person and lunch.

Good angle of The Wave

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) limits access to the North Coyote Buttes Wilderness Area to just 20 permits per day. Ten of the permits are available in advance by reservation, and the remaining ten are made available the day before at a nearby ranger station. The lottery for the walk-in permits takes place at 9:00 in the morning. In the spring, up to 60 people may participate in the lottery; by mid-summer, the numbers may be from a handful to 20 or so. The Wave is particularly popular among European tourists, partly because it appeared in a German film several years ago.

The trail begins at Wire Pass Trailhead about 8.3 miles (13.4 kilometers) south of US 89 along House Rock Valley Road (a dirt road that is easily accessible in a high-clearance vehicle in good weather, about 30 km west of Page, Arizona). During and after a storm the road may be impassable, even with a 4WD, on the Utah side of the border. Wire Pass Trailhead, on the western side of the dirt road, includes a wide parking lot with restrooms, but no water. It is also accessible from the Arizona side by taking U.S. Highway 89A from Jacob Lake on the Kaibab Plateau towards Navajo Bridge on turning north onto the House Rock Valley Road soon after descending from the Kaibab. This is a much longer access route over dirt road than from the Utah side.

The Wave itself is worth exploring in great detail. The soft sandstone is pretty fragile, so one needs to walk carefully to try to not break the small ridges. A good time for photographing the Wave is the few hours around midday when there are no shadows in the center, although early morning and late afternoon shadows can also make for dramatic photos. When one visits the Wave after a recent rain storm, numerous pools - in which one can even bathe, and which can contain hundreds of tadpoles - can be present for several days.

There are some other spots worth seeing around the Wave. If one walks up ahead, there are some "brain rocks" above the wave. Going right from there, there is the "Second Wave". The second wave has much fainter colors, but has a great structure.

The Wave itself is not easy to find. In an effort to maintain the area's natural settings, there are few trails or signs to guide hikers within the area. It is not uncommon for groups to get lost and never find the Wave. It is therefore recommended that each group carry a GPS receiver to both find the Wave and their way back. The Wave's exact GPS coordinates can be obtained from the rangers.