"The Wave", Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Utah
June 1-3, 2010
This was an experience so unique and so amazing, it may rank as our number one highlight. The Wave is a hike located within the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument run by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It is restricted to only 20 hikers per day and is only accessed if you obtain a permit. People from all around the world come to hike The Wave and permits are booked 4-6 months in advance. There are a certain number of permits that are "held back" each day and then given away like a "lottery" which means you show up and put your name into a draw and hope that your name is chosen. So on a whim, we decided to try our luck on the lottery draw. The stars must have been aligned because as luck would have it, our name was the first to be drawn!
Our Accommodations - Free BLM Campsite Horserock Valley Road
We wanted to be situated near the start of the hiking trail and ended up finding a great free Bureau of Land Management (BLM) camping spot about 1 mile down Horserock Valley Road leading toward the The Wave trailhead. We were the only ones there so it was very quiet and very convenient.
The Wave - The Experience of a Lifetime
The Wave is part of the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument along the Arizona/Utah border and located within an area called Paria Canyon but along the Coyote Buttes Trail. When you obtain a permit, the ranger station provides a detailed map of the trail and the location of The Wave. In order to access it, you travel down a bumpy dirt road called Horserock Valley Road to a parking lot for the Wire Pass Trailhead. You begin by taking the Wire Pass trail and then about 1 mile or so, there's a junction where you take a right onto the Coyote Buttes Trail. And from here, is where the adventure begins!
Getting ready for our hike. The lucky permit is in our hands.
The trail itself was like walking on another planet! First it was so sandy with many untouched sand dunes, then came huge boulders and hoodoo's of swirling rock formations. It was fantastic!
Here we are arriving at the entrance to The Wave. Already you can see the intense array of colors!
And finally, we arrive at The Wave! Swirling, wavy and intense....Like a rock ocean!