Here’s what you need to know before visiting The Wave in Arizona

Things to know before going to The Wave in Arizona

At the boundary of Arizona and Utah, on the Coyote Buttes’ slopes, is a geological wonder known as The Wave.
It is thought to have existed during the Jurassic period, when winds from the desert swept sand dunes across the sandstone, etching it, while water runoff deposited elements like manganese and iron.
The coloured bands that form are known as Liesegang rings, after a German scientist.
Sandstone has swirled bands of colour running across it, including red, pink, orange, yellow, white, and green.

The Wave Surving

When sand dunes in the desert began to consolidate and solidify into striped sandstone 190 million years ago, the Wave was first formed.
The remarkable and distinctive fluctuating strata was produced by gradual erosion caused by wind and rain.
Before the 1990s, when it was heavily promoted in German travel guides and mentioned in the 1996 film Faszination Natur, The Wave was essentially unknown.

Only 20 tourists are allowed daily access to the Wave in order to conserve the rock.
More details are available here. Permits are distributed online via a lottery system.
A nominal permission fee will be charged.
Hikers must exercise caution because the Wave has sharp edges that will break quickly if stomped on, despite the access being restricted to preserve the terrain.

The Wave

The road to the Wave may become impassable during heavy downpours.
They bring many pools that form over several days and are home to a large number of tadpoles and fairy shrimp.
There is no clearly marked path to follow since you must travel across open desert for three miles (6 miles roundtrip) to get to the Wave.
Therefore, a GPS is strongly advised because it is possible to become lost and never find the famous monument.

Spring or fall are the greatest seasons to visit the Wave because they are neither too hot nor too cold.
Summertime highs can reach over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
Summer is not the best season to come because getting to the Wave takes a 3-mile hike over an open desert (6-mile roundtrip).
Wintertime conditions are frigid at night but mild during the day, allowing for hiking during the milder hours.

Visit either during the middle of the day, when there are no shadows to be observed, or in the morning or early evening, when the sharp shadows over the landscape make for dramatic images, to capture the greatest photos.

The nearest cities are Page in Arizona (72 km/45 mi) and Kanab in Utah (77 km/48 mi) respectively.
You can choose from a choice of hotels and guest homes in both towns to suit your preferences and financial situation.
From Kanab and Page, the trip to the Wave takes around one and a half hours.
The White House Campground and Stateline Campground are two adjacent campgrounds as an alternative.
You can get more details on the campgrounds here.