Coyote Buttes North · Vermilion Cliffs

What is The Wave?

One of the most photographed and most restricted landscapes on Earth — a sandstone masterpiece 200 million years in the making, tucked in the Vermilion Cliffs on the Arizona–Utah border.

The geology behind the wonder

The Wave began as enormous sand dunes in the Jurassic period — roughly the same age as the dinosaurs that walked across them, leaving impressions still visible in some layers of rock. Over millions of years, those dunes compacted under pressure and cemented into Navajo sandstone.

Then water took over. Intermittent streams and flash floods carved U-shaped troughs into the rock, depositing minerals — calcium, manganese, iron oxide — that stained the layers into The Wave's signature palette of cream, amber, rust, and maroon. As the streams receded, wind and blowing sand polished the walls smooth, undercutting and refining the curves.

The result is cross-bedded sandstone marked by rhythmic alternating laminae — geologists call them grainflow and avalanche deposits — that record millennia of shifting dune faces with extraordinary clarity. In places, deformed laminae show where something heavy moved through the dune before it lithified: dinosaur tracks.

Why is access so restricted?

The sandstone is extraordinarily fragile. The same forces that sculpted it into something beautiful — wind, water, chemistry — continue working on it today. A single footstep in the wrong place can destroy what took millions of years to form.

The BLM limits access to 64 permitted visitors per day. Entering Coyote Buttes North without a permit is a federal offense carrying fines of $1,000 or more per person. Rangers patrol the area and check permits on the trail.

What's the hike like?

The trailhead is at Wire Pass, accessed via the unpaved House Rock Valley Road from US-89. The hike is approximately 6 miles round-trip and rated moderate — but "moderate" understates a few key factors:

• No marked trail. The BLM issues a map to permit holders. Navigation is by landmark and compass bearing, or GPS track. Every season, people get lost or never find The Wave at all.
• No water. There are no reliable water sources on the route. Carry a minimum of 1 gallon per person — more in summer.
• No shade. The terrain is almost entirely exposed. In summer, daytime temperatures exceed 105°F. Start at or before sunrise.
• Flash flood risk. The route crosses wash systems. If thunderstorms are visible anywhere on the horizon, leave immediately. Flash floods can arrive without warning from storms miles away.

Best conditions: October–November and March–April, when temperatures are moderate and the light is warm. Winter brings occasional snow and ice but also far fewer lottery applicants.

Frequently asked questions