The Wave: How to Win Arizona's Toughest Hiking Lottery

Coyote Buttes. The Paria Plateau. Vermilion Cliffs. This corner of the Arizona Strip goes by a lot of names, and almost nobody could point to it on a map. But everybody has seen the photograph: red and salmon sandstone swirling like a frozen ocean, ribboned with lines that look painted on. The Wave.

Here is what that photograph actually is. Around 190 million years ago this was a Jurassic dune field, sand stacked by wind into sweeping crossbeds. The dunes hardened into Navajo sandstone, and erosion has been slicing through the layers ever since, exposing the curves one grain at a time. Wind, recorded in stone, then re-carved by more wind. Two hundred million years of work, still unfinished.

The catch is not the hike. The hike is about 6.4 miles. The catch is the math. The BLM lets 64 people in per day, and on any spring weekend thousands want one of those spots. The Wave is the hardest ticket in American hiking, and winning one is a game you should learn to play properly.

Know before you go

The Wave sits in Coyote Buttes North, part of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness on the Arizona-Utah line, and you cannot legally hike to it without winning a lottery. As of 2026 the BLM admits a maximum of 64 people or 16 groups per day: 48 spots through an online Advanced Lottery on Recreation.gov held four months ahead ($6 per application, then $7 per person and per dog if you win), and 16 spots through a geofenced Daily Lottery you can only enter from the Kanab and Page area two days before entry ($9 per application). The hike is roughly 6.4 miles round trip, cross country, with no marked trail, no shade, and no water, from a trailhead 8.3 miles down a dirt road that becomes impassable when wet. Spring and fall are the seasons to aim for. Summer heat here is dangerous, not inconvenient.

Quick facts

How do you win a Wave permit?

Two lotteries, two strategies.

The Advanced Lottery is the plan-ahead route. You apply during the calendar month four months before your trip (apply any time in January for May dates), pick up to three possible entry dates, and pay the $6 application fee. The lottery runs on the first of the following month. Win, and you accept by the 15th, pay within 14 days, and your permit arrives by mail four to six weeks later. Forty-eight people or twelve groups per day come through this channel.

The Daily Lottery is the local shot: 16 people or 4 groups. You enter through the Recreation.gov mobile app between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. two days before you want to hike, and the app checks your location. You have to be physically in the region around Kanab and Page to apply. Results land at 7:15 that evening. Winners accept and pay by 8 a.m. Utah time the next morning, then show up in person with photo ID for an 8:30 a.m. safety briefing. You hike the day after that.

The fine print a friend would flag: groups max out at six people, everyone counts toward the permit including infants, and once a lottery has run there are no date changes, no substitutions, no refunds, no rain checks. Guides do not skip the line either. Authorized outfitters compete for the same permits you do. Apply with all three date slots filled and bring patience: plenty of people enter for a year or more before their number comes up.

No permit? You still have options from the same trailhead. Self-pay day permits cover Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch, one of the longest slot canyons anywhere. It is a consolation prize better than most main prizes.

What is the hike actually like?

You start at Wire Pass Trailhead, 8.3 miles down House Rock Valley Road from US 89. Dirt the whole way. A careful passenger car handles it dry; nothing on wheels handles it wet, so check conditions before you commit to the drive.

There is no trail. The BLM gives winners a route map with photographs and GPS points, and the walk runs a little over three miles each way across open slickrock and sand wash. Navigation is manageable if you keep checking the map. The people who get in trouble out here follow footprints instead of bearings, then follow the wrong footprints home.

The bowl itself is smaller than the photographs suggest, and better. Two troughs of striped sandstone intersect in a swirl that reads like liquid caught mid-motion, and standing inside it feels like standing in the barrel of a stone wave. One tip repeat visitors know: this is the rare landmark where midday beats golden hour. Early and late, the bowl sits in its own shadow. High sun lights the stripes evenly.

Most winners sprint to the bowl, shoot for an hour, and walk out. Do not. Your permit is good all day across all of Coyote Buttes North, and the Second Wave, teepee formations, and open slickrock ridges reward every extra hour you give them.

Can I do this with a dog?

Yes. Dogs are allowed, cost $7 each, and must be listed on your permit, though they do not count against the six-person group limit. Carry water for both of you and be honest about the season: the sand and slickrock get hot enough to burn paws, and there is no shade or water on the entire route. Cool months only.

Bringing kids?

There is no age limit, and even infants must be listed on the permit. Feasibility is another matter. This is six-plus miles of route-finding with zero shade, zero water, and zero bailout points, so a strong hiking kid in October will love it and a toddler in June should not be out here, full stop. If your kids are borderline, put them on the application anyway. Spots are too scarce to leave anyone off.

Stay safe

Summer heat has killed experienced hikers here. Carry three to four liters of water per person with electrolytes, start at first light in warm months, and turn around if you fall behind on either water or navigation. Cell service is a rumor, so download offline maps, carry the BLM route sheet, and tell someone your plan. Watch the sky too: storms turn House Rock Valley Road to grease and can strand you at the trailhead long after the rain stops.

FAQs

How hard is it to get a permit to hike The Wave?

Only 64 people per day are allowed into Coyote Buttes North, and demand far exceeds supply year round. The Advanced Lottery on Recreation.gov awards 48 spots four months ahead ($6 per application), and a geofenced Daily Lottery awards 16 spots to people already in the Kanab and Page area two days before entry ($9 per application). Many hikers apply for months or years before winning, so build flexibility into your dates.

Can you see The Wave without a permit?

No. There is no viewpoint, road, or tour that reaches The Wave without a Coyote Buttes North permit, and guiding companies must win the same lottery as everyone else. If you strike out, self-pay day permits for Wire Pass and Buckskin Gulch put you in the same wilderness from the same trailhead.

How long is the hike to The Wave, and is there a trail?

The round trip is roughly 6.4 miles with no marked trail, crossing open sandstone and sand washes. The BLM provides permit holders with a route map that includes photos and GPS points, and most hikers take four to six hours. Navigation is manageable in good weather but serious in heat, storms, or low light.

When is the best time of year to hike The Wave?

March through May and September through November offer the safest temperatures on a route with zero shade. Summer highs routinely pass 100°F and have proven deadly, while winter storms can make House Rock Valley Road impassable. For photography, midday sun lights the striped bowl most evenly.

Are dogs allowed at The Wave?

Yes. Dogs must be listed on your permit and cost $7 each, and they do not count against the six-person group limit. Carry water for your dog and skip the warm months entirely, because the sandstone and sand get hot enough to burn paws.

Scratch it off

The Wave is one of the 60 stops on our Arizona Outdoor Adventure scratch-off map, and it may be the one you work hardest to scratch. See the full list of 60 in our Arizona bucket list guide, and if you are already staging out of Page for the lottery, stack the trip: Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon are under an hour away, and neither requires winning anything.

Ryan Laboy — Co-founder, McSenderson. Single-digit handicap golfer and ten-year skier based in Flagstaff, Arizona. Researches and designs every McSenderson map. hello@mcsenderson.com