Hello fellow wanderers!
Have you been lucky enough to land a permit to hike The Wave in Coyote Buttes North in Northern Arizona / Southern Utah?
We finally did! But it took a long time. We tried for 15 months online and even tried three times in person while we spent a week in Kanab back in September 2021 with no success. After not landing a permit in person, we decided we were done trying and moved on to other things.
Then one day in October 2021, we decided to try one more time. The October online lottery entry is for permits issued in February 2022 so we thought we might luck out since it is winter in February and there might be less people trying.
To apply online, you need to have an account on Recreation.gov with a credit card attached. You can only apply one time a month and you can choose up to three dates in the month you are applying for, and you choose the number in your group. This number also includes dogs, and the max group size is 6 people/dogs. The cost to apply online is $9 a month.
Only 64 people a day are allowed to visit The Wave. This is equal to 48 people via online permits and 16 people via the in-person lottery.
Well, we finally won! Applying in October for February paid off! After a long time waiting and trying, we finally got to start planning our trip to hike The Wave!
Since we applied online in October, they notify everyone via email November 1st (or the first day of the next month) whether or not you were awarded a permit. We got a permit online finally for February 1st. February 1st was a Tuesday, and we were excited! When they notify you via email that you won, you will be required to go into Recreation.gov to confirm your permit and pay $7 per person/dog in your permit group. You will also be asked for the license plate of the vehicle that you will be parking at the trailhead. We put in both of our vehicles since we were not sure which vehicle we would be using. They mail you your permit to attach to your backpack (shown above) and your permit that must be displayed on the dash of your vehicle that is parked at the trailhead. They also send you maps and safety information in this package. We received this package in the mail a month prior to our permit date.
A week prior to your hike, they will email you requesting that you attend the safety orientation (shown above) the day before your hike. This is held in the Kanab Central Gym, same place as the in-person lottery.
Now, let's talk about the in-person lottery process. The in-person process is not an easy way to land a permit. When we tried the last week of September 2021, we tried in-person on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The in-person lottery only issues 4 permits a day or up to 16 people, whichever comes first. So, if the first two permits pulled each include 6 people, that is a total of 12 people and there are only 4 spots left or two permits. If a third permit is pulled with 4 people, a fourth permit will not be issued for that day as they have hit the max. 16 people. When you apply in-person, it is for the next day permit.
When you fill out your application, you will include the number in your group and their names. They will then assign you a number that will go into the lottery wheel (bingo dice in a hamster wheel). They spin the wheel and then release a dice that has a number on it. They call out the number and you hope that it is your number that they call out. Again, they only draw a max of four numbers/permits a day in-person.
In-person lottery is free to apply but you will pay $7 per person/dog if your number is chosen. Small bills if you pay with cash or provide a check.
The days that we tried in-person the last week of September had a total of 56, 74 and 66 groups that applied. With the lottery only drawing 4 or less permits, your odds are pretty slim with that amount of people applying.
We took our daughter with us to Kanab for our hike to The Wave in hopes that she might win an in-person permit and be able to hike with us. We had to go in the day before anyways for our safety orientation (must show your online permit to the rangers to attend) so she applied for the permit that day. This was Monday, January 31st and there were only 21 applications that day. And guess what... she WON! She was able to hike with us! We were so surprised when her number was called out. It was a great day!
On-line permits are pink, and the in-person permits are blue. The Ranger's state that they are out there watching you and there is a fine of $100,000 and possible jail time if you are caught on the trail without a permit, so we highly recommend that you do not go until you have a permit in hand.
The safety orientation is very informational. They discuss weather, road conditions and how to safely navigate the trail. The map they supply provides landmarks and they encourage you to rely on their paper map and not use GPS. However, we downloaded our AllTrails map but started out using their landmarks but quickly realized that everything out there looks the same and we got lost right from the beginning. So, we reverted back to our AllTrails map, and it was spot on out and back.
Whether you are staying in Page, Arizona or Kanab, Utah.. The Wave trailhead is one hour from both of those locations. You will drive Highway 89 to House Rock Valley Road. You will then proceed down House Rock Valley Road for about 9 miles. The road is dirt and a 4WD vehicle is recommended, although the road was recently graded so it wasn't too rough. If it has recently rained or is going to rain, do attempt this road or hike. We show the road in our video on YouTube.
You will park at the Wire Pass Trailhead. There is a lot of parking spaces available, but it does fill up as this is a very popular place with other trails. Please remember to register at the trailhead (sign in and sign out) and place your vehicle permit on the dash for the Rangers to see. There are restrooms here at the trailhead (no restrooms on the trail). Please be sure to pack in and out your trash, including human waste.
You will follow the Wire Pass Trail through the wash until you start to see the signs leading you to Coyote Buttes North and the signs clearly say that a specific permit is required.
This trailhead is also used for the Wire Pass Slot Canyon which also leads out to Buckskin Gultch and a day use permit is required for this hike and can be obtained online at Recreation.gov. Day use permits are no longer available at the trailhead. Please check out our other video of our Wire Pass to Buckskin Gulch hike from a year ago.
It was February 1st and 20 degrees at the trailhead at 7:30am and only two other vehicles in the parking lot. As we headed out and up to The Wave, the wind really picked up as the sun was rising and the temp easily dropped to below 20 degrees. Wear layers and prepare for crazy weather!
We ended up clocking exactly 7 miles roundtrip and about 1,500' in elevation gain. As stated previously, our downloaded AllTrails map was spot on and even shows the arches and other landmarks that you can hike to with this permit. There is a lot to see in this area so make sure to explore beyond The Wave. This hike is mostly in deep sand and over uneven sandstone rock formations. AllTrails considers this hike as moderate and being avid hikers, we agree, but for us, the bitter cold wind made this hike harder than it should have been. Please be prepared for anything!
The Rangers also advised against spikes or trekking poles because they cause additional damage and erosion to the very sensitive sandstone rock.
You will hike in deep sand, up steep inclines, over sandstone hills, across uneven sandstone and sandy terrain. Good shoes/boots are required!
It took us much longer than we anticipated to get to The Wave. We underestimated the terrain and the cold wind, and we got lost when we tried to follow the Ranger's map. But once we got to The Wave, the sun was still rising, and we had The Wave to ourselves for almost an hour which was amazing. Because we were there so early in the morning, we did not get the sunlight in The Wave but it was still absolutely stunning to see in person.
It was so cold in The Wave that the water in our camelback hoses froze, our cameras kept freezing and shutting down, batteries drained, and any exposed skin just started hurting. We are not going to lie; it was pretty miserable. But we were not going to let that stop us from exploring as much as we could in that freezing weather.
We spent quite a bit of time in The Wave and then headed to the Second Wave which is up and over the hill from The Wave. Once we got up and over to the Second Wave, it felt like it was 0 degrees, and the wind was beyond whipping and freezing. We couldn't stand it and decided to head back. We were pretty bummed about not being able to explore the arches and other landmarks out there, but we will be back... during a warmer time!
Because our water kept freezing and our hands were numbing under our gloves, we did not drink much or snack at all during this hike (which is not a good thing). The only thing about these permits is you have to go the day of your permit or your just forfeit. We tried to make the best of it and do not regret going at all, but we will keep it on our list again for a warmer time of year. We absolutely loved being the only ones in The Wave because when we headed back from the Second Wave there were a few groups of people in The Wave as we hiked through to head back.
As we made the trek back, we passed several groups of people who were headed out to The Wave which just confirmed to ourselves that being in The Wave that early was absolutely worth it to have it to ourselves! Freezing cold or not!
We chose to go at sunrise, so we had an entire day to spend out there exploring and to hopefully have some time in The Wave by ourselves. That portion paid off. It might have been warmer later in the day, but we wanted to beat the crowd. 64 potential people in The Wave at the same time is very crowded and rangers recommended to everyone that they start the hike around 9am which is why we went earlier.
We started the hike at 7:30am and got back to the truck at 12pm. It was still only 24 degrees at the truck but not as windy.
Overall, it was an amazing experience to see this natural wonder in person. We look forward to returning someday to finish exploring the area. We hope this blog has helped you to prepare for the permit process and the hike. Please watch our video on YouTube of the permitting process and the hike and give us a like and please subscribe. We truly appreciate the support.
Wandered off
Chris, Brandi & Makenzie
Comments