The Wave
The Wave is a sandstone formation on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, located just south of the Utah-Arizona border about halfway between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona. The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and visiting The Wave is restricted to 20 persons per day. Obtaining a permit has to be done four months in advance and can be done through a lottery system on the website of the Coyote Buttes BLM.
The Wave, Arizona | Location on map
We headed out on the 10km (6 miles) round trip in midst June at a temperature of around 38 degrees Celcius (100F) and the temperature soon got the best of us. The combination of some steep slopes and sand dunes got us strolling from shade to shade, as far as we could locate any as there is not much cover available on the trail. During the hike, The Wave is nowhere to be seen until the very last moment, which is of course preceded by a very steep, very sandy slope…
The Wave, Arizona | Location on map
Once at The Wave, the views are amazing. The sculpted sandstone really looks like a large wave has suddenly been frozen in time and has been converted to sandstone. The area of The Wave is not that large, but still very impressive.
The Wave, Arizona | Location on map
When we hiked back, the sun was already setting which made the hike suddenly seem like a breeze. Well, at least I learned a valuable lesson, never underestimate extreme temperatures…
Back home, I saw a book in the bookstore called “Unforgettable Walks to Take Before You Die” which pictures The Wave on its front cover and I must say, this is certainly one I won’t forget soon.
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5 Comments
11 September 08 at 1:13pm
1
Dude, this so reminds me of the photo gallery we visited, where was it, in San Francisco?
11 September 08 at 1:18pm
2
Thanks man, that's a huge compliment :) But I'm still light years away from that guy's work. It was the gallery of Rodney Lough Jr. on Pier 39 in San Francisco. Amazing work, went there again this summer.
09 February 11 at 4:15pm
3
[...] The Wave, Arizona Image by Kris Taeleman The Wave is a sandstone formation on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, located just south of the Utah-Arizona border about halfway between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona. The area is managed by the… Read More: blog.taeleman.com/2008/09/11/the-wave [...]
07 July 11 at 11:17am
4
I want some information on how to get to the wave paria canyon-vermilion cliffs and on where to reserve activities being offered there. Thanks a lot.
07 July 11 at 1:09pm
5
Hey Rose, You can find all of the info on how to apply for the lottery and location on the website of the BLM: http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/arolrsmain/paria/coyote_buttes.html Cheers, Kris