The Wave is not The High Sierras

[brianA]

I've been trying for a Wave permit for a long time. There's a 2%-5% chance to win The Wave lottery depending on if you try 4 months out, or two days out. If you try two days in advance your phone must be within their Geofence. We were doing some other hiking in the Vermillion Cliffs area of Utah/Arizona, and of course, had to try for a Wave permit yet again. We were fully expecting to see the word "unfortunately" in their post lottery email response, like all the other times before. We were shocked when we saw the word "congratulations". So even though this isn't the High Sierras, I felt compelled to share our excitement with other hikers who know the highs and lows of getting, or not getting, that one permit you've wanted your whole life. It's such a beautiful area.

For a six mile hike (without add ons), it's quite the hard hike. The terrain is very uneven, it's at elevation, the gain is 1k, and about 40% of the hike is through that fine desert sand, where two steps equals one normal step. It was a sunny, spring day of 63 degrees, and that turned out to be very warm. We knew we needed a lot of water, and we polished off 11 bottles total on the hike. I can't imagine what a 90 or 100 degree day would be like.

They've always prided themselves in having a totally unmarked trail. They give you a map with some pictures to try to help you find the little area where The Wave is located. Over the years people have died on that trail, and more recently two people got lost, and had to spend a cold night out in the open before they were found alive the next day. Because of the blowback, they've finally put up a mile post, and two mile post to help keep you on the trail. Even so, I would recommend doing what we did, hire a local guide.

[John Harper]

Wow, that's incredible.

John

[rayfound]

that first picture is a mind bender.

[dave54]

After trying by mail for years, we made an intentional trip to Kanab in 2021 to get a walk-in permit. They were still doing the daily lottery with the bingo machine then. We were prepared to go every day for a week and try.
First day we were the second names called. SCORE!

I didn't think the hike in was all that hard, but then again we both do a fair amount of desert hiking in the winter. Our problem was the heat. Pleasantly cool on the hike in at dawn. Over 100 degrees on the hike out. IIRC we had 11 liters of water between us, she carried 4, I carried 7 and we drank the last of it about a half mile short of our vehicle at the trailhead. Fortunately, a cooler full awaited us.

Even if you do not get called, there is a lot to do in the area besides The Wave. Toadstools, dinosaur tracks, Catstair Canyon, Pink Coral Dunes, White Pocket, etc. There is weird hoodoos and cool geology everywhere, with the North Rim of Grand Canyon an easy day trip from Kanab.

[Gogd]

The wave is fun, and surprisingly not a unique feature. Zion NP has several locations that have similar trippy slot walls and narrow ravines. One of my favs are the arroyos between the massifs of Checkerboard Mesa. The mesa is near the north entrance to the park. Later afternoon sun shows off the colors real nice, and few if any people are encountered. If one does some homework there are dozens of similar, kaleidoscopic experiences to be found throughout southern Utah and Northern Arizona slot canyon systems.
Ed

[dave54]

Similar, but smaller, can be found in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

A good maze of slot canyons is also found at Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. Short, but a real maze with side canyons taking off, and the slots are so narrow you have to turn sideways and suck in your gut in places.

A long slot canyon in Oregon is Crack in the Ground, and near Lake Havasu is the Crack in the Rock. While in Havasu area check out Rovey's Rock, which is a rock hoodoo that is best described as 'a chunk of swiss cheese'. Then cross over to the California side and hike up Whipple Wash. The cliffs are reminiscent of Zion Park or Black Canyon of the Gunnison. They are basalt not sandstone. This is where I saw sandstone dikes inside basalt, which was a head scratcher figuring out how they formed.
Near Crack in the Ground Oregon is Fort Rock. Also worth a visit.

[brianA]

Ed and Dave are correct. There are a million waves in the Southern Utah/Arizona area. The Grand Canyon is a giant wave. There are around 500 slot canyons, all with their distinctive waves. This year, not only did we get to see The Wave, but we also saw The Second Wave, The Sunrise Wave, and The White Wave. Two years ago I saw The Dali Rock (looks like a Dali painting), in the Coyote Buttes South area. I also saw The Quantum Wave, in the north end of the North Teepees. No long shot permit required to see the last two. The Kanab area is so much fun, my daughter said we're going back to see many more waves, hoodoos, slots, and the like. But out of all that, The Wave is by far the most unique formation.