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How to Get a Permit for The Wave
There are two ways to obtain a permit for hiking The Wave in Arizona. If you can plan ahead, you should try your luck in the advanced online lottery that happens on the first of each month, 4 months in advance. However, if your trip is last minute or you are unsuccessful in the online Wave lottery, you can also enter the daily lottery which requires you to download the recreation.gov app to your phone and enter a virtual lottery (previously this lottery was held in person).
Only 64 people are issued permits for the Wave each day. 48 people (or 12 groups, whichever comes first) are awarded permits through the online lottery system. The other 16 people (or 4 groups, whichever comes first) are awarded permits through the walk-in lottery.
The advanced online lottery costs $9 per application and is non-refundable, even if you are unsuccessful.
Advanced Online Lottery for The Wave
To apply for a Wave permit, start at the Coyote Buttes North lottery page on the Recreation.gov website. Applications for the online lottery open at 12pm Mountain Time on the 1st of the month, four months before your desired hiking month. The table below indicates when you must apply depending on when you want to hike.
Here’s an example of how this works. Let’s say you want to hike The Wave sometime in May. You must submit your online application sometime between January 1st and January 31st. When applying, you are allowed to enter three different hiking dates for the month of May. The lottery then takes place on the morning of February 1st, after which you will be notified by email whether or not you were successful. If you were successful, then you have 14 days to confirm and pay for your permit ($7/person) online. If you don’t confirm during this time, your permit is released back into the system.
March through November are the most competitive months for permits while December through February have better odds. It’s important to note here that while the odds of receiving a permit are higher in the middle of winter, the odds of poor weather, unpassable roads, and a snow-covered Wave are also higher.
Finally, each individual is only allowed to submit one application per month and these permits cannot be sold or transferred. If you end up submitting more than one, you will be disqualified. You can name up to three specific alternate permit holders when you apply for the lottery in the event that you aren’t able to make the dates for your permit.
Daily Lottery for the Wave (NEW AS OF 2022):
If you are unsuccessful in the advance online lottery or want to spontaneously hike The Wave, your other option is to enter the daily lottery via the recreation.gov mobile app.
Applications must be submitted two days before your hike during the lottery application window (6am – 6pm). You can only apply on the mobile app – a desktop computer will not work.
Permits will only be available to people using the app within an intentionally set geographic fence. In order to apply for a permit, you will need to be in the following areas:
- Arizona: Page, Greenhaven, Marble Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs, Jacob Lake, White Sage, Fredonia, Moccasin, and the Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation.
- Utah: Big Water, Paria, Johnson Canyon, Kanab, Mount Carmel, Orderville, Glendale, and East Zion.
The daily online lottery costs $9 per application and is non-refundable, even if you are unsuccessful.
For a full FAQ and additional details on the permit process including the most up-to-date information, visit the Vermilion Cliffs page on the BLM’s website.
What if you don’t get a permit?
Getting a permit for The Wave, whether through the advanced process or daily lottery, is very competitive and only a small percentage of applicants are actually lucky enough to hike The Wave each year. So what if you aren’t one of the lucky ones?
You could apply for a Coyote Buttes South Permit. While this doesn’t grant you access to the famous “wave”, it does allow you to hike in a geologically similar and more remote area of Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness complete with sandstone bluffs and wave formations.
There are two trailheads into Coyote Buttes South and both require a 4×4 vehicle to access. Click here for more information and to apply for a Coyote Buttes South permit.
Also remember that the Wave is only one of the incredible hikes in this Southern Utah region. For more tripping planning inspiration, check out these Utah bucket list hikes and read our guide to the best things to do in Kanab, Utah.
