The Wave — a miraculous place in the Arizona wilderness
First time we learned about „The Wave“ was in Page. A small town at the Utah Arizona Border. Coincidentally. while asking a local for direction. We we were immediately drawn in by the insights he gave us about the area, like the “White Pockets”; “Toadstool Hoodoos”; “Paria Canyon”; “The monkey farm” and “The Wave” of course.
Most visitors are simply rushing through this city, hunting for other famous tourist sites like the Grand Canyon or the Monument Valley. What they don’t know is that this area is full of miraculous places that are still completely hidden to the masses.
This region is recognized as one of the greatest wilderness areas in all of the US. All those places are jaw dropping and equally as fascinating as the popular, famous ones. Except, that you might be entirely alone.
One of those magic locations is certainly the „Wave“, which is situated halfway between Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah in the Paria Canyon/Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. You need to drive 45 minutes on a dirty road and after that it is a 2 hours hike to get there and 2 hours to get back.
Making the trek isn’t as easy as one might imagine. After the trailhead, you’re on your own because wilderness lacks signs. So, you are on a hiking adventure with no trails. No worries though, with your permit you get also a detailed description of how to get there. But don’t underestimate it, we also met guys who got lost.
It became famous since Microsoft was using it as desktop wallpaper for their operating system, Windows 7. The number of people allowed in this area is now strictly limited. Only 20 people per day get access to it. And it has a crazy lottery process you have to pass when you want to get a permit, either online or at the Ranger Station in Kanab.
The beauty of the hike itself is already worth it and very exciting as it leads you through a world of bizarre and multicolored rock formations, that make the canyonlands so exotic and enticing. Most of the way you are climbing slick rock formations up and down, which is quite fun. You are also passing areas of deep sand that makes you feel like you are walking on a beach.
The “very last mile“ to the waves is the most challenging one. You have to climb up a quite steep section until you reach the top where “The Waves“ begin. It is challenging when you are not familiar with mountaineering, but it is also manageable. Take your time and don’t be scared.
When you finally stand in front of this natural wonder, you know that everything has been worth it. It looks like a 100-foot high wave kept in stone that surrounds you more and more the deeper you go. You are in the center of twisted, multicolored, undulating, sandstone formations in red, orange, yellow, and pink. This is a play of colors and structure that I have never seen before.
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