Today’s Travel Tip: The Wave

By Mike Koopsen

The Wave, a stunning sandstone formation in the Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness in Northern Arizona. Photo by Mike Koopsen.

Coyote Buttes North is famous for its beautifully sculpted sandstone formations, especially the Wave. To get there you have to drive into Utah and then hike back into Arizona. Since many of these colorful sandstones are fragile this is a protected area and you are supposed to have a permit to go there. Twenty permits are available each day, and can, at certain times of the year, be a real challenge to get. Learn more about the permit process here. From the Wire Pass Trailhead off of House Rock Valley Road between Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah, the hike to the Wave is approximately 3 miles. When you get your permit they will give you a map which will be instrumental in helping you find the site. Be sure to explore and enjoy the many other sandstone formations you will see as you hike around the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument area.

Mike Koopsen of Trails Traveled Photography lives in Sedona. See more of his work here.