Our tour guide Nick was super professional. He showed us lots of cool places and was fun and patient the whole time! We had a great time in the trail. Highly recommend Kanab Tour Company!!! Read More
The Wave Tour
Fully Guided Tour
For Experienced Hikers
Visitor Permit Required
Experience this once in a lifetime hike to its fullest extent! Have a local guide to keep you safe and share insider knowledge as you explore The Wave and the beautiful surrounding area of North Coyote Buttes. This is not an easy hike but we can say, hand-on-heart, that every step and bead of sweat is so worth it! You can even top off the day with an optional visit to Wire Pass Slot Canyon.
Highlights
Receive a personalized, custom-built tour of The Wave & surrounding area.
Fully guided, so you can relax and get lost in the moment as you explore.
Be one of only a few lucky explorers and enjoy an intimate discovery experience that day.
Add-on option available for stunning Wire Pass Slot Canyon.
Click each tab for more info!
Trip Details
Price:
Pricing is tiered depending on group size:
• 1 hiker: $350
• 2 hikers: $185 per person
• 3 hikers: $165 per person
• 4+ hikers: $150 per person
(Maximum of 6 Hikers per Guide)
All prices are subject to Utah Sales Tax (8.10%)
Price per hiker:
• 1 hiker: $350
• 2 hikers: $175
• 3 hikers: $150
• 4 hikers: $125
• 5 + hikers: $99
• Wire Slot Canyon optional add-on $150
All prices are subject to Utah Sales Tax (7.95%)
Meeting Point & Time:
7:30 am at our office: 681 Chinle Drive, Kanab, Utah, 84741.
We’re easy to find, located across the street from the Bureau of Land Management Visitor Center.
Availability:
Year-round, Monday to Saturday.
Tour Duration:
8 hours (this includes 3 hours travel time).
What to Bring:
• Your permit! You will not be granted access if you forget to bring it
• A gallon of water to maintain safe hydration levels and a transportable lunch packed with high energy snacks and a filling sandwich
• Good quality, comfortable walking shoes with ankle support
• Sunscreen, hat and sunglasses
• Your camera
• Your Permit! You will not be granted access if you forget to bring it.
• A gallon of water to maintain safe hydration levels and a transportable lunch packed with high energy snacks and a filling sandwich.
• Good quality, comfortable walking shoes with ankle support.
• Sunscreen, hat and sunglasses.
• Your camera.
Maximum Group Size:
6
Inclusions
INCLUDED |
NOT INCLUDED |
|---|---|
| 4 WD transport to and from The Wave trailhead | Visitor permit |
| A friendly & knowledgeable guide | Lunch & water (please bring your own)* |
| Eight miles of guided hiking | Gratuity for your guide |
*You’re welcome to store them in our cooler.
Important Info
• We provide 4WD transport to and from The Wave trailhead.
• You’ll receive 8 miles of guided hiking to The Wave and the surrounding areas of North Coyote Buttes.
• You’ll need to sign a hiking waiver after booking this tour. Click here to view the waiver.
• You need a permit to take this tour. Click here to find out how to apply for one.
• This is a challenging and strenuous tour. It’s best suited to experienced hikers with a high level of fitness and health. 7 to 12 miles round trip.
• For an additional $150 you can add-on a trip to stunning Wire Pass Slot Canyon a very worthwhile stop and a great way to top off the day!
FAQ's
How can I get a permit to visit The Wave?
Show Answer
You will need to apply online or in person for the chance to gain a permit. Click here to read more on obtaining a permit.
How much does the additional trip to Wire Pass Slot Canyon cost?
Show Answer
The add-on trip to Wire Pass Slot Canyon is an additional $150. Just let us know at the time of booking if you would like to add on this experience to your trip.
Is this tour suited to you?
Show Answer
This is not an easy hike! It’s physically demanding and covers some pretty rugged conditions. It’s best suited to experienced hikers with good health. It is not recommended for people with any outstanding medical conditions, pregnant women or anyone with severe mobility issues. Get in touch with us to talk more about this tour or if you would like more information.
Are lunch and water included on the tour?
Show Answer
No, please note you must bring along your own supply of water and a packed lunch. You must also be responsible for all your waste and leave no trace of your lunch behind.
What happens if my tour is cancelled?
Show Answer
In the extremely rare case of this tour being cancelled, it would be due to unsafe weather conditions. Pending permit acquisition, we will work with you to arrange another tour date or offer a full refund. Another option would be a tour of an alternative area that doesn’t require a permit.
Experience The Wave and North Coyote Buttes
The Wave is one of the world’s most unusual and beautiful sandstone formations, located in the desert at the border between Arizona and Utah. It is protected, along with the surrounding area of North Coyote Buttes, out of respect for its breathtaking beauty and fragility.
We’ll provide transport to the trailhead and a knowledgeable guide who’ll help you navigate through the harsh desert landscape, on foot, towards The Wave. Once you get there you can wander freely and explore the smooth curves and rolling formations that swell around the entire area. Drink in the dusty reds of swirling strata and marvel at the contrast between the rusty rocks and brilliant blue skies above, and see for yourself why this is such a special and rewarding hiking experience.
We’ll make sure you get the most out of your permit by also exploring the surrounding area of North Coyote Buttes and tick off other must-see formations such as The Second Wave, Fatali’s Boneyard, Cheeseburger Rock, Dinosaur Tracks, and the Neon Buttes (as time, weather and hiking ability allow). All the while your guide will be on hand to offer expert knowledge on the area’s history, plants, geology and wildlife.
If you want to pack in as much as possible into your Wave experience, you can also add on a visit to Wire Pass Slot Canyon.
Permit Info
The Wave and surrounding area of North Coyote Buttes are protected by local laws put in place to respect the structure as well as those who visit. It used to be only 20 people per day could visit the wave. Now, starting Feb 1st 2021, there will be 64 people allowed per day to the Wave. The breakdown is a little tricky. This is how it works:
- You must have a permit to visit the Wave.
- There are 64 people allowed to visit the Wave per day.
- You cannot have a group larger than 6 people.
- Out of the 64 people allowed per day, 48 of those will be accepted via the online lottery.
- 16 people out of the 64 will be drawn out during a “day before” lottery held in Kanab Utah at the Kanab Convention Center. (located at 180 east 100 north Kanab UT.)
Your odds of getting a permit are still better if you are able to do the “day before” lottery in town. If you are not able to be here the day before, we can stand in for you. Call us for more information .
Click here for full permit details
Show details
Online Lottery
Online permit applications are entered 4 months in advance. If you enter later in the month, you will be able to see which days have the most applications entered already, thereby giving you the advantage of choosing days that have fewer applicants (if you have that luxury in scheduling).
• You can enter the lottery online for $9 and then must pay an additional $7 per permit, per person, if you are lucky enough to be selected. The $9 lottery entrance fee is non-refundable. Dogs are $7 each. Apply online here.
• A maximum of 6 people per application is allowed.
• If you plan on using our services as guides, choose Wire Pass as the Trailhead and enter Kanab Tour Company for the license plate number. Note that we operate Monday through Saturday, we are closed Sundays.
• You do not need to obtain a permit for your guide as we carry our own commercial guiding permissions from the Bureau of Land Management.
• If you are lucky and win a permit, it will be mailed to you at the address on your application. You can then call us and schedule a tour.
Coyote Buttes North (“The Wave”) Lottery Schedule:
In-Person Lottery
This is a nail-biting event held at the Kanab Convention Center in Kanab. Here, crowds from 50-250 people gather every morning during the high season (5 days/week during the slower season) to put their names into the draw for 16 permits. The room is dead quiet as everyone awaits their fate. Each application is assigned a number, and old-fashioned wooden BINGO balls are placed into a roller cage representing each number. The Bureau of Land Management employee will roll the cage around until a ball drops. They will announce the number, and there will generally be cheers from somewhere in the room.
• During the spring, summer and fall months, the in-person lottery is held 7 days a week, the day before your preferred hike date. During the winter months, the lottery is held Monday-Friday, the day before your preferred hike date, with Friday’s drawing allotting permits for Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
• The Drawing is held at 9:00 am (MT). Plan on arriving at least a half an hour early to register.
• There is no lottery entrance fee when applying in person, you’ll just need to pay the $7 per permit, per person if you are lucky enough to be selected. Dogs are $7 each.
• If you plan on using our services as guides, choose Wire Pass as the Trailhead and enter Kanab Tour Company for the license plate number. Note that we operate Monday through Saturday.
• You do not need to obtain a permit for your guide as we carry our own guiding permissions from the Bureau of Land Management.
• If you’re planning ahead, we can apply in person for you with our “stand-in service.” The cost of this is $50. If your party is lucky at the lottery, you will also need to pay $7 per permit, per person.
• We can stand-in for a maximum of five people. The “stand-in service” fee may be applied to our guiding services, whether it be to the Wave or any other area. The $50 is non-refundable if you are unlucky in selection. Contact us for more info about this service.
• Permits are available year-round and can be easier to obtain in the winter.
Add-on a visit to Wire Pass Slot Canyon!
Fill your day with as much adventure and natural beauty as possible by adding on a visit to Wire Pass Slot Canyon. For an additional $150 we’ll make a very worthwhile stop on our return trip and explore its famous ravines and narrow sandstone walls. Just let us know at the time of booking if you would like to add on this experience.
5
2
The Wave Tour
We won next day walk-up permits for The Wave and stopped in Kanab Tour Company to find out about their guide services since we were concerned about our car making the drive and we were interested in seeing secondary sites around The Wave. The woman at the front desk was so friendly and she assessed our tour desire and skill level (experienced hikers) and assured us that if anyone else were to book a tour of The Wave for our date, she would make sure we were matched with people of equal skill level so that everyone would have a great experience. Lucky for us, it was just the 2 of us + our incredible guide Saunders. We immediately hit it off with him. I’ve never hired a guide before, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect but he was so friendly and he had great insight to the area. On the drive to the parking area, he talked a lot about the geology which gave us things to look out for. On our hike out to The Wave, he pointed out flowers and plants – he was knowledgable! Once we got to The Wave, he was even kind enough to take some photos of us on our phones, but even on his fancy phone that had a really wide lens. After The Wave, Saunders took us up to Top Rock Arch. After that we went over to The Alcove which totally blew us away. Absolutely incredible spot that we would not have seen without him. He took some really incredible photos of there (shared here). We then hit up Melody Arch and then made our way back through The Wave one last time on our way back to the car. Saunders was so incredible. He was constantly checking how we were feeling, made sure we took enough water/sunblock breaks, and was just a real joy to be around all day. He followed up with a link to download all of the photos he took of us. Honestly, that was so incredible. It’s so hard to get photos of the two of us together that are not posed so I really thought that was so special. I will sing Kanab Tour Company’s praises to anyone I know making their way through Southern Utah!
