Explore my Arizona: Winning the lottery to hike the Wave
We won the lottery.
Not money, but a permit to hike to the Wave, a formation in the Coyote Buttes in northern Arizona. It was a rare chance to see one of nature’s most beautiful formations.
The Wave’s popularity as a Microsoft screen saver has given it free advertising around the world. Now, photographers and hikers from the U.S. and abroad compete to get one of the 20 permits issued daily.
There are two ways to get a permit. As many as 500 people at a time enter an online lottery four months in advance for a chance at one of 10 permits. Visitors who show up at the Kanab, Utah, office of the Bureau of Land Management at 8:30 each morning have a crack at the remaining 10 permits for the next day.
The day we went to Kanab, there were about 35 people gathered from around the globe: China, Switzerland, California, Utah, Arizona, Germany. The Chinese had a group of six, and after they won, that left only four slots. But it was our lucky day.
(Don’t try going without a permit. Rangers check for them and the fine is $1,200 if you’re caught without one.)
The hike is 3 miles one way in a wilderness area. There are no trails on the open rock, no cairns, no shade, 90 degrees or more in the summer. If it rains, you have to worry about lightning, and then about getting out of the unpaved parking area. Flash floods can quickly isolate you, cutting off the dirt road. Rangers tell you to carry at least 1 gallon of water per person. They explain how people get lost, and give you a map with photos showing landmarks to get you there and back.
The Wave: Vermilion Cliffs sandstone beauty
We were on the trail 20 minutes before sunrise to avoid the heat and the “crowds.” Arriving first, I felt comfortable flying my drone for overhead views, but the wind was up and the clouds were getting dark. After an hour, we got our photographs and it started to rain.
There were about 10 of us by then, and we all headed to the parking lot. Halfway out, we met four wet hikers on their way in. About a half mile from the parking lot, we met a guy on the trail who said, “Your name is Meyer, right?”
Wow, the rangers do check. He was heading out with a list of names with permit numbers.
It was a dream come true to see the Wave, but even if you don’t get a permit, the surrounding area is full of beautiful landscapes: the Toadstools, White Pocket, Paria Canyon, Wirepass Slot Canyon, Buckskin Gulch and many more.
Details:www.blm.gov/az/st/en/arolrsmain/paria/coyote_buttes/permits.html.
The writer lives in Phoenix.
Explore My Arizona
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