Lottery10/10
The Wave
The legendary sandstone formation—one of the most photographed geological wonder...
View The Wave (Coyote Buttes North) permit details and availabilityGet alerted when this permit opens
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LotteryDay UseVery High Demand
The Wave Daily Lottery (Coyote Buttes North) Permit
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
The second way into The Wave: a geofenced lottery you apply to from a phone inside a 3,272-square-mile area, two days before you hike.
“The last-minute door into The Wave — open twelve hours a day, but only to a phone standing inside a slice of northern Arizona.”
Watch the dates you'd take— one alert covers all of them
Two ways to land it
Track cancellations or run a lottery pool
Core feature
Fast Lane tracking
We watch Wave Daily Lottery for cancellations 24/7 and alert you when a spot opens so you can book before it's gone.
Start free cancellation watchPro or $12 alert
Lottery pool
Apply with a crew. Each person multiplies your combined odds. We coordinate invites, deadlines, and outcomes.
See plans to start a poolMost crews do both: pool for the lottery, watch for cancellations.
Better odds with a crew
Wave Daily Lottery is a lottery. Every friend who applies adds another entry, so a crew gets more shots at the same permit than any one of you alone.
One of you runs the pool (Pro or a $12 alert). Everyone else joins free.
Wave Daily Lottery Quick Facts
Permit RequiredYes
Booking MethodLottery
Demand LevelExtremely High10/10
SeasonYear-round
Cost$6 application + $7/person
Daily Quota16 people
Max Group Size6 people
Wave Daily Lottery Permit Facts
- As of August 2026, Wave Daily Lottery in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Utah & BLM requires a permit issued via lottery.
- Wave Daily Lottery is one of the most competitive permits in the United States, rating 10/10 on PermitSnag's demand index.
- The Wave Daily Lottery lottery typically opens Daily, 6:00 AM Utah time, two days before the hike date and closes Same day, 6:00 PM Utah time, with results announced 7:15 PM the same evening.
- The Wave Daily Lottery route covers 6.4 miles with rated moderate.
- Cancelled Wave Daily Lottery permits are re-released on the booking system; PermitSnag monitors availability and alerts watchers when dates open.
Key Information
Key Dates
Lottery OpensDaily, 6:00 AM Utah time, two days before the hike date
Lottery ClosesSame day, 6:00 PM Utah time
Results7:15 PM the same evening
SeasonYear-round
Permit Details
TypeDay Use
Booking MethodLottery
Demand Level10/10
LocationColorado Plateau
Pro Tips
- •You must be physically inside the geofence when you apply, and it is big — roughly the Highway 89 and 389 corridors from Kanab to Page
- •Apply from a phone or tablet. BLM says desktops and laptops will not work
- •Results come at 7:15 PM the same evening, so plan your next day around finding out late
- •If you win, you must be at the pickup location you chose by 8:30 AM local time the next morning for the safety briefing — arriving late voids the permit
- •Cell service in the geofence is patchy, so apply somewhere you know you have signal
What to Expect
Route Details
Distance
6.4 miles
Route Type
Out & Back
Duration
4-6 hours
Difficulty
ModerateHighlights
- •A twelve-hour application window you must be inside the geofence for
- •Mobile only — BLM says desktop and laptop applications will not work
- •Results at 7:15 PM the same evening, then an 8 AM payment deadline
- •A mandatory in-person safety briefing at 8:30 AM the day before your hike
- •About 6.4 miles round trip on unmarked sand and slickrock once you are in
Best Time to Visit
Spring and fall for temperature. BLM warns specifically about May through September heat with no shade and no water, and about winter visits meaning "hiking on ice-covered sandstone and exposure to cold."
Hazards & Considerations
- !Heat — BLM: "Extreme heat and lack of shade between May and September, along with the absence of drinking water, have led to fatalities in this permit area"
- !Navigation — no trails, no cairns, few signs, and repetitive terrain
- !Flash flooding in the monsoon, and the Buckskin crossing on House Rock Valley Road turning impassable
- !Ice on sandstone in winter
- !Missing a deadline: late arrival at the 8:30 AM briefing voids the permit outright
How to Get This Permit
1
Create a Recreation.gov account
Sign up at Recreation.gov if you don't have an account. Verify your email and add payment info ahead of time.
2
Apply during the lottery window
Submit your application between Daily, 6:00 AM Utah time, two days before the hike date and Same day, 6:00 PM Utah time. Apply for multiple dates to increase your odds.
3
Wait for lottery results
Results are typically announced 7:15 PM the same evening. Check your email and your Recreation.gov account.
4
If unsuccessful, monitor cancellations
Permits get cancelled daily. Peak cancellation times are 24-48 hours before the trip date.
5
Set up PermitSnag alerts
Get notified when cancellations happen. Pro and $12 single-permit alerts are checked about every minute, 24/7; free accounts are checked hourly.
When to Go
Peak: OctoberShoulder: March-April
Conditions
Mild temperatures. Occasional rain. Wildflowers in lower elevations.
Crowd Level
ModerateAdvantages
- +Pleasant temperatures
- +Fewer crowds than fall
- +Wildflowers
Challenges
- !Unpredictable weather
- !Some areas still muddy
- !Flash flood risk
Difficulty Assessment
Physical Demand3/5
Fitness and endurance required
Technical Skill1/5
Climbing, scrambling, or specialized skills
Navigation5/5
Route finding and trail clarity
Commitment2/5
Difficulty of bailing out mid-route
Best For
Travellers already in the Kanab-Page corridor who can rearrange the next two mornings at short notice.
Recommended Experience
Desert navigation with a GPS track. No technical skills needed.
Not Recommended For
Anyone planning from home — you cannot enter this lottery from outside the geofence — and anyone who cannot make an 8:30 AM briefing.
About This Permit
The Coyote Buttes North Daily Lottery is the second of the two ways to get a permit for The Wave, and the only one that works on short notice. BLM awards 16 people and up to 4 groups a day through it, two days ahead of the hike date, to applicants who are physically inside a geofence covering roughly the Highway 89 and 389 corridors between Kanab and Page.
Everything happens on a mobile device: you apply between 6 AM and 6 PM, results land at 7:15 PM, and winners accept and pay by 8 AM the next morning before an in-person safety briefing at 8:30. Miss any of those and the permit is void. Recreation.gov permit 4251909 is the only place this lottery runs.
The Experience
Why It Matters
The Advanced Lottery is the one everyone knows and the one everyone loses. This is the other quarter of the quota, and it is the only Wave permit a traveller who is already in Kanab can still get. BLM built it around a geofence precisely so the people applying are the people who can actually show up the day after tomorrow.
The Route
The permit is the hard part; the walk is not. From the Wire Pass trailhead on House Rock Valley Road the suggested route runs about 6.4 miles round trip across open sand and slickrock with no trail, no cairns and few signs — BLM's briefing exists because people get lost on it every year.
The route climbs gently across benches, crosses a saddle, and drops toward the twin troughs of the Wave itself. Everything before it looks like everything else, which is why the briefing hands out a route description and why a downloaded GPS track matters more here than a map.
The Feeling
You spend a normal day — Zion, Antelope Canyon, a long lunch in Page — with a phone in your pocket that has already been used once at 6 AM. At 7:15 PM the email arrives. If it is the good one, tomorrow morning stops being yours: you are at a visitor centre desk at 8:30 for a briefing about heat, sand and unmarked ground, and the day after that you are standing on the striped sandstone everyone has seen a photograph of.
Trailhead Information
Wire Pass Trailhead
The access point for the suggested route to The Wave.
Restrooms
No water
No Service
Before you rely on this water
No water on the route or at the formation. BLM's guidance for this wilderness is a gallon per person per day, and it records deaths from dehydration and heat here.
Getting There
House Rock Valley Road is unpaved and minimally maintained. BLM: "Most of the time, it is possible to reach the trailhead in a two-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle," but the Buckskin crossing can be impassable during and after storms.
Nearest Services
Kanab, Utah (about an hour) or Page, Arizona.
Rules & Regulations
- •One application per person per lottery — submitting more than one disqualifies you
- •Maximum group size 6, and combining with another permitted party to exceed 6 is prohibited
- •Everyone counts, including infants who are not walking
- •The permit applicant must be the one who picks up the permit, not a group member
- •Permits are valid only in Coyote Buttes North, not Coyote Buttes South or Paria Canyon
- •Dogs need to be on the permit and pay a fee, but do not count against the quota
Gear Checklist
Required
- A GPS-enabled mobile device to apply from inside the geofence
- At least a gallon of water per person for the hike
- Downloaded maps or a GPS track — there is no trail and no cairns
- Sun protection; there is no shade in the permit area
Recommended
- A power bank, since the application, the results and your map all run off the same phone
- Traction for slickrock in winter
- A vehicle with reasonable clearance for House Rock Valley Road
Plan Your Trip
🎒
Gear Checklist
Required and recommended gear for Wave Daily Lottery
🚐
Shuttle Services
Trailhead transportation options
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Key Landmarks
Lottery Statistics
Competitive
estimated success rate
Get detailed lottery statistics and tips. Sign up to track this permit.
Boost Your Chances
Apply with a crew to multiply your combined odds, and let auto win-detection tell you the moment you win — you never have to check Recreation.gov. Pool and auto win-detection are on Pro or a $12 permit alert.
Wave Daily Lottery FAQ
How does The Wave daily lottery permit work?
Three days, in BLM's own layout. Day 1 you apply between 6 AM and 6 PM from a mobile device inside the geofence, two days ahead of the hike date, and results go out at 7:15 PM. Day 2 you accept and pay by 8 AM Utah time and show up at your chosen pickup location by 8:30 AM local for a safety briefing. Day 3 is your hike.
Where is the geofence for The Wave daily lottery?
BLM describes it as "approximately 3,272 square miles in size" following "the Highway 389 & 89 corridors roughly from Kanab, Utah to Page, Arizona." You need a GPS-enabled mobile device with location turned on to submit, but you do not have to stay inside it — results reach you wherever you are.
How many Wave permits does the daily lottery issue?
"16 people and/or 4 groups (whichever comes first) are awarded through this Daily Lottery." The other 48 people and 12 groups come from the separate Advanced Lottery four months out. Together they are BLM's daily maximum of 64 people for Coyote Buttes North.
Can I get a cancellation alert for The Wave daily lottery?
No, and nobody can. BLM is explicit: "If a permit is cancelled, it does not return to the pool." There is no calendar and no re-release, so there is nothing to watch. We remind you about lottery timing instead. Coyote Buttes South next door does put cancellations back on its calendar, which is where a cancellation watch actually pays off.
👥Community
Trail Conditions
Questions
Trip Reports
Write ReportPhotography Guide
Golden Hour
Mid to late morning gets the light down into the trough without a hard shadow across it. Late afternoon lights the north wall.
Best Light
The Wave is a bowl, so its best light is high enough to reach the floor and low enough to keep the banding separated. Late morning is the usual answer.
Beat the Crowds
Sixty-four people a day are spread over the whole permit area. If the main trough is busy, walk on for twenty minutes and it will not be.
Classic Shots
- 📍The main trough looking up through the striations
- 📍The Second Wave, a short walk beyond the main formation
- 📍Sand cones and dinosaur tracks on the slickrock benches
Can't Get a Wave Daily Lottery Permit?
Consider these alternatives if your preferred dates aren't available.
The Wave Advanced Lottery
Same AreaThe other 48 people and 12 groups a day, drawn four months ahead and open to anyone from any device.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
You can apply from home, but you are committing to a date four months out and competing with everyone who did the same.
Coyote Buttes South
Same AreaThe adjacent permit area, sold on a calendar three months out with genuine cancellations coming back to it.
Permit required
Tradeoffs
Not The Wave, and the road is harder, but it is a date you can actually book instead of a draw you can only enter.
🏕️
Where to Stay
Nearby campgrounds to complete your Wave Daily Lottery trip
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