11 Genius Tips You CAN’T Hike The Wave in Arizona Without Knowing (Know Before You Apply)

This post is all about the 11 Genius Tips You CAN’T Hike The Wave in Arizona Without Knowing (Know Before You Apply)

Whether it’s your first time trying to see The Wave Arizona, or you’ve seen it before, with all the permits, rules, and regulations, it can be challenging to figure out how to see The Wave Arizona, if it’s actually worth it, and how to get the best chances to win a permit and hike The Wave.

I remember before we won the lottery, we applied 7 different times and nothing worked until we changed this ONE thing…

Now I’ve compiled the ultimate 11 tips you NEED to know about hiking, The Wave in Arizona, how the lottery works for The Wave, where to stay, and if it’s actually worth it.

This post is all about 11 Genius Tips You CAN’T Hike The Wave in Arizona Without Knowing (Know Before You Apply)

1. How To Hike The Wave Arizona: The Wave Arizona Lottery

Can anyone hike The Wave in Arizona?

To hike the Wave, you must win a lottery to visit. There are severe consequences for visiting without a permit but we’ll get to that later.

To apply for the lottery, you have two options:

Advanced Lottery
Daily Lottery

The advanced lottery has to be applied 3 months in advance.

If you apply in June, you’ll be qualified for any dates from October 1-31. You can select which date you’d like to hike The Wave and how many people you’ll bring. We applied for the advanced lottery 6x and was never successful.

2. How To Win The Wave Lottery

If you have the time, I definitely recommend trying the daily lottery.

We applied once and got it on the first try. The only drawback is that you’ll have to stay in the surrounding areas and apply for 2 days in advance. Thus staying in the surrounding area for 3 days.

For example, if you win the Monday lottery, you won’t be hiking the wave until Wednesday. You’ll have to download the mobile app which asks for your location. I recommend staying in the town page and applying the second you get there.

But as you wait to hear the results, there are so many things you can do such as Antelope Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and more!

The best month to win the monthly lottery is to get a permit in the winter (you’ll need to apply in the Fall) For the daily lottery, apply in the summer.

Always try to apply on Wednesdays or Saturdays! Those are the least visited days of the week.

3. How Much Does It Cost To Visit The Wave in Arizona?

The Wave Arizona is free to visit but it costs $9 to apply for the lottery. Even if you apply and end up not winning, you still have to pay for the lottery fee.

We ended up applying 7 times before we won, so really it cost us $63!

4. What City Is Closest to The Wave in Arizona?

Where should you stay to hike The Wave Arizona? How to get to The Wave Arizona?

The closest city to The Wave Arizona is Page which is 4.5 hours from Phoenix and 3 hours from Sedona. We stayed at Hyatt Place in Page and loved it!

There’s so much to do here, it’s 10 minutes from Horseshoe Bend, and 3 minutes away from The Wave office to pick up your tickets if you win the daily lottery.

10/10 recommend Hyatt Place in Page.

5. How To Get To The Wave Arizona:

The Wave Arizona Location

If you apply for the daily lottery and win, there’s an orientation you’ll need to attend the day before. During this orientation, you’re given a map, and strict directions on what to bring, what not to forget, and how to get there.

The instructions were a bit confusing but you’ll easily be able to find The Wave Arizona if you just download the All Trails map. There’s no service during the hike so you’ll need to download the offline map.

6. Can You Hike The Wave Without A Permit?

I’m going to be completely honest with you, you CAN hike the wave without a permit, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so, here’s why.

When you get the permit for The Wave, it includes a parking pass which rangers will record and check. We encountered 3 different park employees during our time there, here’s what we learned.

Most of the park employees you encounter are volunteers and don’t technically have the right to ask you to leave. However, they will ask you to leave if you don’t have a permit, and if you refuse, they will call up a park ranger to come and get you.

The fine for hiking the wave without a permit is $10,000 and one year in jail.

We saw a couple on our way there at 5AM who had just finished hiking The Wave Arizona illegally, I believe they were there since midnight. But because they couldn’t park in the parking lot, they had to walk an additional 2 miles back to their car.

7. How Hard Is The Wave Arizona Hike?

For a regular person like me who occasionally goes to the gym once a week, it was difficult. We also went during the summer and it was SO HOT.

If you decide to go in the summer, you’ll be hiking in 110 degrees and you also have to bring a gallon of water for each person that goes. Even though we woke up at 4AM to avoid the sun, on our way back we still ended up sweating through our shirts from the sun.

8. How Long Is The Hike To The Wave in Arizona?

The Wave Arizona hike is about a 6.7 mile trek on red rocks and sand. The sand part makes it difficult but there are also alot of other places to explore around this area such as The Wave 2.

If you decide to explore these, the total roundtrip hike can be about 10 miles.

9. What To Bring When Hiking The Wave?

Especially if you’re hiking The Wave Arizona in the summer, it is SO important to be prepared. You’ll need to bring the following:

1 gallon of water EACH - this might sound extreme but take it from someone whose hiked it, this is the MOST important thing to bring.
Salty snacks: think beef jerky, salty nuts, and coconut water, I recommend eating a carb-heavy dinner before.
Clothing: if you’re going in the summer, YOU NEED a hat and sunglasses, in the winter it can snow and temperatures can drop to 50°F.
Navigation: bring a map, or download the offline map, and be sure to bring a portable charger.

Someone told us 2 hikers got lost that week and were stuck there overnight. Make sure you pack enough water, snacks, and clothing just in case.

Here are some other things we brought that really helped;

A lightweight hiking bookbag with really good straps is essential to moving efficiently and carrying everything you need. I loved this one and it really saved me during the trip!

Tripod: you didn’t go all the way here, not to get some amazing photos. Grab a light weight carbon fiber tripod for your camera and phone!

I can’t stress the importance of having a portable charger, we even brought 3 on our trip after knowing 2 people were stranded the day before. Make sure you grab a good one for your trip! I really like this one just in case you forget any wires.

10. Is The Wave Arizona Worth It?

Absolutely, even after failing to win the lottery six times, waking up at 4AM to hike the Wave in 100 degrees, I would still do it all over again.

It is truly one of those places that don’t feel real and even walking there feels like you’re on another planet. It feels untouched and special. I truly recommend trying even if it’s a difficult process.

11. What Else Is There To Do Around The Wave Arizona?

If you decided to stay at Page, there are several things you can do including Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, and even kayaking to Antelope Canyon!

If you stay at Sedona, check out hikes such as Subway Cave, Bell Rock Trail, Red Rock Canyon, and Birthing Cave for fun alternatives.

And there you have it, everything you need to know on how to hike the Wave Arizona including how to get a permit to The Wave, how hard The Wave hike is, and if The Wave Arizona is actually worth it.

I hope you have the best time, feel free to DM me on IG if you have any questions!