Return to "The Wave" (Coyote Buttes North Advanced Lottery): access trail questions

Hi there, I just got the "congratulations" email last night letting me know that our first-choice access to The Wave for June 16, 2025, was approved in the March 1st lottery draw! We thought we’d missed out since we hadn’t heard anything on the 1st or 2nd of March... It’s true that for the past two years, it’s no longer 10 and 10 people like before, but 48 and 16 who are allowed to enter the site through the two lottery processes. That helps balance out the surge in applications that must come with the place’s growing global fame... I haven’t found any info on this, but does anyone know how many applications are typically submitted each month per date for the Advanced Lottery? So, my somewhat lucky track record for 3 attempts: 2 successes for April 2009 and June 2025, and one miss for September 2011. We’re still a little nervous about the likely high temperatures, with hardly any shade or water on-site 😛. At Easter 2009, it had snowed a bit the day before... From what I remember, the access trail from Route 89 to Wire Pass Trailhead was doable without a 4x4, with a bit of ground clearance and careful driving (obviously no storms). A simple Toyota RAV4, like the one we’re planning to rent, should be fine in dry conditions? We’ll be heading there from Page on the morning of 06/16 (how long’s the drive?), then heading to Kanab for 3 nights in the evening. Thanks for any tips you might have! 😉

The only advice: count your blessings 😄 I’ve been trying for almost 20 years and I’ve never won the lottery in 17 trips to the USA.🤪

The Wave doesn’t want me 😉 If I win one day, I’d do it even in 50°C weather! And if the road isn’t passable, I’d buy a mountain bike just to get to the parking lot 😄

To get to the parking lot, allow a good hour from Page. For the track, I’ve always done it in an SUV without any issues. Only access to White Pocket requires a 4x4.

However, during heavy rains... I’ve never experienced it, but it must be tricky.

Good evening,

It’s true that we were pretty lucky this time. Besides, I’ve never really won anything in lotteries or games of chance, but I haven’t played much either... To cheer you up a bit, it seems like our profiles suggest you’re about 20 years younger than me, and as long as there’s life (and still quite a bit of energy left 😛), there’s hope... 😉 I think back in 2011, "the year we didn’t win," we locally settled for Buckskin Gulch—a really narrow canyon where you can easily imagine that if a violent storm hits upstream, hikers caught in there might have a rough time and get swept away by the currents!

Yes, no problem driving there in a regular car if you're careful. The only issue is if it rains—we pushed it a bit on the way back the first time. I don’t remember the exact travel time, maybe about an hour. Ask at the office the day before. A tip: record your route or take photos behind you for the return trip. We once picked up a guy who was completely lost—he’d spotted my white clothes from a distance and called out for help. Though that was over 10 years ago now...

Thanks. I know two people who, on Easter Sunday afternoon in 2009 during their return trip, weren’t much smarter than your "Wave castaway." At some points, we really messed up—hesitated, took unnecessary detours, and backtracked 🤪. Still, some *cairns* ended up being super helpful! 😉 And we even had paper docs with photos (only the *outbound* route...). Apparently, in older times, it wasn’t rare for tourists to go there and not even find The Wave (neither the first nor the second one) 😕...

There are hiking apps now. But it’s true that back in the day, it was an adventure... Nowadays, I use AllTrails. I plan my routes in advance and download the maps. All I have to do is follow the line on my phone! 😄

As for The Wave, I’m not even sad about it anymore. These days, I take things with zenitude... If I never go, well, it’s not a big deal. I’ve already seen so many wonders 😉

From what I recall, before the switch to the advanced lottery, there were between 1,000 and 1,800 applications per date. The most popular days were obviously Fridays through Sundays, while Tuesdays and Thursdays were the least in demand.

In principle, there’s no issue accessing the parking lot, except for a wash that’s sensitive to storms. If there was heavy rain the night before, personally, I’d take the long detour via the south to guarantee access. Or better yet, if I had a permit again, I’d camp nearby to avoid ruining the experience.

I hope you won’t limit yourselves to just The Wave. Along the way, there are at least the Rock Fins and Ginger Rocks. Then there’s an amazing loop that includes Top Rock, The Alcove, Melody Arch, Burger Rock, and of course, the stunning Second Wave at sunset before heading back through the slot canyon. Lots of info on Thewaveinfo, or more simply on maps.me (free for up to 10 offline maps) or Organic Maps (unlimited maps)

Thanks for the details. For the chances of winning the Advanced Lottery, I would’ve thought there’d be a lot more participants from all over the world in 2025. If these numbers are roughly correct, 48 winners per day had about a 1 in 30 chance of being selected, and over 3 days tried, about a 1 in 10 chance of getting in—which wouldn’t be too bad 🤪... For the hike plan on 16/06, it’ll also depend on how our not-so-young bodies are feeling at the time, especially compared to 2009, and how intense the heat is. 😛 Ideally, it wouldn’t rain too hard, including in the days before! ... 😎

Hi there. For those who missed the lottery, there’s a nice spot farther down the track past the State Line campsite. I’ve added a map for access. Park just before the big climb on the track. You’ll need to drive a bit. Have a great day. Jacques.

hi there

I have a different take on the new lottery system for The Wave. Apparently, the number of "winners" is much higher than before. But that’s just a misleading appearance. Because there’s now also a limit on the total number of groups allowed each day, and that’s what really restricts access more than the number of people. The only advantages of the new system for the BLM: much higher revenue and no need to organize a "lottery" meet-up every morning with an increasingly huge crowd. For example, I used to often be alone there in the past, and today if I were drawn, I’d count as 1 group of 1 person!

In the end, I even find it much harder now than before to win, whether in advance online or on-site the day before. Even the folks in Kanab or Page—including the BLM rangers or the Dodsons—admit that there are generally fewer winners now than before. And on my side, despite multiple attempts, I still haven’t managed to win with the new system, whereas I’ve already been there 9 times when the limit was (10 + 10) people per day. I don’t know if I’ll manage the challenge of going a 10th time; I’m more and more doubtful.

JP 3.14

Seriously, 9 times... doesn't your conscience tell you to leave a little room for those who can't seem to win?... 🙁