Simply impossible to obtain a permit on line for "The Wave"

**Antonello Mori** · 3-Jul-2007, 12:42

on Sunday01 i tried to obtain a permit for The Wave next october.
It was impossible,soon as i reload the page all the permit s available were gone in just a fraction of a second.i think it's impossible thi way!
any suggestion?

**walter23** · 3-Jul-2007, 13:15

What's this? You mean the rock formation or something else?

**Michael Gordon** · 3-Jul-2007, 13:23

It's been pretty well PTD'd already

(Photographed To Death)

**Keith Pitman** · 3-Jul-2007, 13:52

Every body must be using Wavesniper.com.

**Eric Leppanen** · 3-Jul-2007, 13:52

For Coyote Buttes North (location of The Wave), it appears that on-line reservations have been replaced with a lottery. See https://www.blm.gov/az/asfo/paria/co...es/permits.htm.

If you cannot get a permit through the on-line lottery, then you can always take your chances with getting a walk-in permit. According to the Paria BLM ranger I spoke to last fall, the busiest walk-in permit months are April, May and November. On balance, November is possibly the best month to try to get a permit, as demand is starting to slow but the weather is usually still decent. Other times of the year, the odds of getting a walk-in permit are quite good, but you gamble that the weather may be too hot, too cold, or too wet.

The Wave is challenging to photograph, especially with LF. The absolute best time to photograph it is right after a rainstorm, which brings out the colors in the rocks; but the rain may make the dirt access road impassable. The hike is strenuous (3 miles each way, with significant elevation gain), particularly with LF; and if you stay to photograph the "Second Wave" (best shot at sunset) you'll be hiking back in the dark, where it can be easy to get lost. From this perspective it might be best to hike during a full moon. I would suggest calling the Paria BLM office and getting some hints on the best way obtain a permit and plan your visit.

**Keith Pitman** · 3-Jul-2007, 13:56

I think it's actually 3 - 3 1/2 miles each way. I didn't find it particularily strenuous, mostly level hiking. Well worth going there even if you didn't make a photograph.

**Eric Leppanen** · 3-Jul-2007, 14:05

My bad, the Wave is roughly a 6 mile hike round-trip. I've corrected my prior post.

**Jeffrey Sipress** · 3-Jul-2007, 14:34

I dream of the ideal conditions of a light rain which ends when I start to hike (no dusty driving), and partly cloudy or overcast at the formations. Like that will ever happen when I have a pass!

**Antonello Mori** · 4-Jul-2007, 13:30

Thank You Eric for the suggestion,i'll try in a different way,may be awalk-in permit

**Eric Leppanen** · 10-Jul-2007, 23:51

Check out the podcast linked to this thread, it provides an interesting perspective on traveling to/from and photographing the Wave...

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/552241/0