"The Wave" is a rock formation in the Coyote Buttes area which is about midway between Kanab and Lake Powell. It is a gorgeous area of sandstone rock formations sculptured by eons of wind and water. It is administered by the BLM and they give out just 20 permits per day, and some days there are over 600 applicants.
The hike is quite moderate, about five miles round trip, mostly over rock and sand. There are a few ups and downs, but probably no more than around 500 feet in elevation gain total. You start out at the Wire Pass trail head, the same place where the Buckskin Gulch hike begins, then follow the wash for about a quarter mile, before jumping out and heading south. For more information on the hike just google "The Wave" Utah, and you will get lots of information.
I met Ed and his dad John in Hurricane at around 6:00am, went out through Colorado City to Kanab, then east toward Lake Powell, arriving at the trail head around 8:00am. It was 9 degrees when we left the vehicle at 8:20, but we dressed warm. Only exposed flesh froze instantly. The beauty of our surrounding made us forget the cold, mostly. Every where you look there are rock formations that dazzle your senses and gobble up memory in the digital camera.
The guidebook says the hike will take around three hours. I told my companions you have to multiply that by a factor determined by the number of cameras present. (T=1.33* # of C) It took us six hours! We had a leisurely lunch nestled out of the wind and it was actually quite pleasant. Two more hikers appeared later, one from Switzerland and the other from somewhere called Florida. We spent quite a bit of time exploring and looking for that great shot. The return trip was a little colder as the wind had picked up and it was in our face most of the way. When we arrived back at the truck at around 2:00pm the temperature was 24 degrees.
All in all it was a great hike, one that I would recommend to anyone wanting to see some spectacular scenery. Below are a few of the 200 plus photos I took.
