The Wave: An Insider’s Guide to Scoring Permits for This Famous Hike
By Dreamland Safari Tours
Dreamland Safari Tours – The Wave is a small, half-acre area inside the Vermilion Cliffs that has captured the imagination of millions: because of its unreal beauty – and because a photo of the Wave served as the wallpaper for Windows 7.
Getting to see the Wave in person is not an easy feat. You have to be fit enough for a 7-mile roundtrip hike in challenging desert terrain, and on top of that you can’t just hike out there – you have to be in possession of a sought-after Wave permit.
Obtaining permits to the Wave is difficult. Over 220,000 hopefuls apply each year yet only 20 people a day may hike to this sandstone marvel. Half of the 20 daily permits are given out four months ahead of time in an advance online lottery at recreation.gov; the other half is allotted during a daily last-minute walk-in lottery for the next day’s hike.
Seems impossible? Here are some inside tips and tricks for how to maximize your odds of winning those coveted Wave permits.
- Have a local outfitter stand-in for you at the last-minute Wave lottery. The walk-in lottery offers much better odds of winning a permit than the advance online lottery: where thousands of people will apply for ten spots in the online lottery, ‘only’ 50-300 people typically show up for the daily walk-in lottery which happens every morning from 8:30-9:30 AM in Kanab. There is no charge to apply for the walk-in lottery unless you win – all you have to do is invest the time to be physically present at the permit drawing — or you can outsource that chore a local guide company. The staff at Dreamland Safari Tours will stand in for you at the walk-in lottery free of charge if you book a guided tour with Dreamland.
- Plan a multi-day stay in Kanab. Kanab is where the daily walk-in lottery for the Wave is located, and it’s also a fantastic basecamp to explore the region. Zion, Bryce, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon are all within a 30-90 minute drive from Kanab, and the town has some amazing food and lodging options. Kanab is much less busy than Springdale or Moab, yet offers the same first-rate hospitality and access to many backcountry gems. If you base your southern Utah vacation out of Kanab, you have the option of attending the last-minute Wave lottery every morning of your holiday in order to maximize your odds of winning.
- Visit in the off-season, specifically between November 16 and March 15. Not only are there fewer visitors overall which means less competition, but there’s also a structural advantage that many Wave hopefuls are not aware of: between November 16 and March 15, the lottery does not operate on Saturdays or Sundays; instead, permits for Saturday, Sunday and Monday are all drawn on Friday mornings. This means that, if you attend the Friday morning lottery in the off-season, there are 3x 10 permits up for grabs rather than the standard ten!
What happens if you don’t win Wave permits? Don’t despair – the Vermilion Cliffs offer other treasures that are equally if not more spectacular and don’t require permits (yet!)… including a few areas that will make your friends at home think that you did in fact visit the Wave. White Pocket is at the top of the list here; it is an absolute must-see for photographers and desert adventurers alike. For the avid hikers out there, visiting the Lost Wave in the Amazing Sandstone Teepees via a demanding 12-mile off-trail hike is an incredible alternative to the Wave itself. Don’t attempt to head out there on your own though – you’ll want to hire a guide service like Dreamland to help you reach either of those destinations. And what matters at the end of the day is this: regardless of where your trails will take you, you won’t be disappointed.
For more information visit Dreamland Safari Tours!
