Wave Daily Lottery Gear Checklist
The daily lottery is the short-notice way into Coyote Buttes North. It runs on a phone through Recreation.gov, and a winner picks up the permit and gets a safety briefing before hiking, so you pack in a hurry. The route has no trail, and hikers who lost the BLM photo guide ended up guessing at turns. People who went in winter add that the saddle can be icy and the dirt road can turn to mud, which can leave a car stuck.
What shapes your gear on The Wave
- The daily lottery
- The BLM says the old walk-in lottery became the Daily Lottery. While you are inside the geofence area on a phone, you can only enter through Recreation.gov in a browser or the app.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North, The Wave (permits)
- How the timing works
- One hiker's account says you apply two days ahead between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Utah time, collect a winning permit and attend a safety briefing the next morning at a field office, and hike the day after. That account puts the daily share at 16 people or 4 groups, with at most six people per permit.
From WildPathsAZ
- Route
- The BLM calls the suggested route a strenuous 6.4-mile round trip with no developed trails, and says visitors must use wayfinding skills. Start from the Wire Pass trailhead, which sits at about 4,875 feet, and The Wave is at 5,200 feet.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North, The Wave (permits) and The Outbound
- Where it is
- The Wave sits 0.4 miles over the line in Arizona, so the walk crosses the state line. Arizona skips daylight saving time, so in summer Kanab and Page sit an hour apart.
From Ted's Outdoor World and WildPathsAZ
- The road
- The BLM says House Rock Valley Road is impassable when wet and suggests four-wheel or all-wheel drive with good ground clearance on the unmaintained stretch. A January visitor saw a two-wheel-drive crossover stuck in mud about a mile up and waiting for a tow.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety and WildPathsAZ
What the agency requires on The Wave
Your Coyote Buttes North permit
A permit is required to visit Coyote Buttes North, and you cannot get a refund or hand the permit to someone else.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North, The Wave (permits)
What hikers carry on The Wave
A phone that can run the Recreation.gov app
The daily lottery is a mobile-only entry inside a geofence around towns such as Kanab and Page. Cell service is unreliable once you leave, so install the app and enter before you head out.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North, The Wave (permits), WildPathsAZ and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety
The BLM photo guide, kept somewhere secure
The permit comes with a photo guide to the route. One hiker lost his brochure early in the hike, relied on footprints, and later could not find the arches above The Wave.
From WildPathsAZ and Ted's Outdoor World
A GPS and a topographic map as backup
There is no trail. Hikers steer by a dark crack in the far butte, match photos from the guide, and check a GPS. The arches above the formation are marked on topographic maps, so one party says to bring a GPS.
From The Outbound, WildPathsAZ and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety
Layers you can take off
A hiker in April wore two sweatshirts because the wind had been gale-force the day before, and a group ahead of him stopped to unload clothes they no longer wanted.
From Ted's Outdoor World and WildPathsAZ
Micro traction for a snowy saddle
The trail climbs a sloping rock saddle after the first sandy stretch. A party who crossed it in snow fell several times and says micro traction is a smart addition.
From WildPathsAZ
Recovery gear and spare supplies in the car
The BLM says to keep extra supplies in your vehicle. A winter party saw the road go from frozen and rough in the morning to deep mud by afternoon and advised being ready to dig out, since overnight stays at the trailhead are not allowed.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety and WildPathsAZ
A camera with plenty of memory, shot in the morning
A photographer who also drew a permit had already used up 30 gigabytes by the time he came down. A January party reached the formation at about 10 a.m. and said the light was perfect then but poor on the walk back.
From Ted's Outdoor World and WildPathsAZ
Trail mix for a long rest
After exploring the main bowl, one hiker stopped to rest tired feet and eat gorp before heading back through the saddle.
From Ted's Outdoor World
6 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on The Wave
A map that goes in a loose pocket
The hiker who lost the brochure when he took off an outer layer then drifted about a quarter mile off route on the way back before finding the wash again.
From Ted's Outdoor World
A low-clearance two-wheel-drive car in wet weather
A January party feared for their minivan after a storm melted and the road turned to mud. The BLM says the road is impassable when wet, and a guide is cheaper than a tow.
From WildPathsAZ and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety
The steep sand slope instead of the rock
A first-timer took the deep sand slope on the left to enter the formation and found it hard and tiring. He wrote that using the rocks would have been better.
From Ted's Outdoor World
Counting on footprints
Footprints led one hiker through the sandy wash, but they gave out once the route crossed slickrock.
From Ted's Outdoor World
Gear questions for The Wave
How do I enter the daily lottery for The Wave?
Use the Recreation.gov app or browser on a phone while you are inside the BLM's geofence area. The BLM describes it as the replacement for the old walk-in lottery.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North, The Wave (permits)
When do I pick up a daily lottery permit for The Wave?
One hiker's account says winners collect the permit the next morning at a field office and attend a safety briefing. The hike is the day after that. Check the BLM FAQ for the current schedule.
From WildPathsAZ and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North, The Wave (permits)
Do I need traction on the trail to The Wave in winter?
It can help. After a snowstorm, one party slipped on the sloping rock saddle and said micro traction is a good idea there.
From WildPathsAZ
Can I drive to the Wire Pass trailhead for The Wave after rain?
Not safely. The BLM says the road is impassable when wet, and a winter hiker watched the road turn from frozen to deep mud in one afternoon.
From Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety and WildPathsAZ
What if I lose the BLM map on the hike to The Wave?
Do not count on footprints. One hiker who lost his went off route on the way back, so carry a GPS track and keep the paper guide in a zipped pocket.
From Ted's Outdoor World and Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety
Sources
- Coyote Buttes North, The Wave (permits) · Bureau of Land Management · Agency
- Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) and South Road Conditions and Safety · Bureau of Land Management · Agency
- The Wave, Coyote Buttes North · Ted's Outdoor World, Ted Muller · Trip report
- Experience stunning sandstone swirls at The Wave · WildPathsAZ · Blog
- The Wave via Coyote Buttes North · The Outbound, Brendon Kahn · Blog