Hidden in the desolate
area known as the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area near the
Utah/Arizona border is one of the most spectacular rock formations in the
entire southwest, and it is called “The Wave”. This remarkable sculptured
sandstone sits in the shadow of the Coyote
Buttes and is reached, not by trail, but by navigation using landmarks or GPS
coordinates. A permit is required to hike to this natural wonder and only a
lucky few are privileged enough to possess one on any given day. The Bureau of
Land Management issues just 10 permits per day so if it is solitude that you
are looking for you will find it here. We obtained our permit over the
internet on October 1 of 2001 for a cost of $5.00 per person.
The date on our permit read April 30, 2002 and we could hardly
wait to start hiking.
We arrived at the Wire
Pass Trailhead at 10:38am under beautiful blue skies that promised to provide
excellent photo opportunities and calm hiking conditions. As noted before,
getting to “The Wave” requires some navigation but it is relatively easy to
find with a few tips. The first thing you must find is the Wire Pass
Trailhead. This is located off of House Rock Road, an unmarked dirt road off
of Highway 89. You will find it between mile markers 25 and 26. It is on the
left just past a bridge if you are coming from Page, Arizona. About 8 miles
down House Rock Road, on the right side, you will come to the parking area for
the trailhead. The Wire Pass Trail starts on the left side of the road. Park
your car and be sure to display the parking pass that came with your permit.
Cross the road and head for the register box. After signing in it is time to
begin the adventure.
The hike from Wire Pass
follows a wash for just a short while before veering right up an old rocky
road. You will see a sign for Buckskin Gulch just past this intersection. Pick
and I started climbing up the hill via this abandoned road until we reached
another register box. From here the trail is very sandy and makes hiking a bit
tedious, especially when you already have blisters from a previous hike!
Before we started this hike we also obtained the GPS coordinates for our
destination which made finding “The Wave” a real breeze. We suggest using one
of these devices if you want to tackle this hike. We checked the GPS to make
sure we were on track and then we headed for a deeply grooved red rock butte.
You will notice a gully that leads to the top of the butte, climb this to
begin the next section of the hike. You will arrive at a saddle and from there
you want to hike parallel to the ridge without losing any elevation. A ranger
at the information center told us that most people make a mistake here by
climbing down the ridge. Staying at the higher elevation makes the hike much
easier and allows you to see your next landmark, the twin cones, from a better
vantage point. Keeping as high on the ridge as possible you now head for the
twin cones. The twin cones are themselves an awesome sight. The yellows, reds,
and browns of the sandstone spiral up and down the entire length of the cones
making them look like giant swirled lollipops. In fact, the rest of the hike
from here on out is just one amazing view after another. All around you are
these intense rock formations, most with these deep striations running
horizontally across their surface. It becomes quite evident that you are
getting closer to “The Wave”. Even the rock underfoot has incredible patterns
and colors! So be sure to take in all the scenery as you head for the left
side of the cones. After rounding the left side of the cones you should be
able to see your next landmark. It is a black crack that runs vertically down
the buttes. Below this crack you will find the area where “The Wave” is
located.
As we headed for the
“black crack” we could hardly contain our excitement. It had been a dream to
get to see this amazing place in person and it was just ahead of us now. We
wondered if it would be as stunning in person as it was in photographs. Pick
was really starting to get into being the navigator of this expedition and she
wielded her GPS with stunning skill. The “trail” in front of us was now mostly
flat and consisted of rock as far as you could see. The black crack still
loomed in the distance beckoning us forward. It took us about half an hour to
cross the bare rock where we then crossed what appeared to be another wash.
Great! More sand hiking, just what I needed. The section was short though and
blisters were pretty much numb now anyway. Once across the wash it is
necessary to begin climbing up the base of the butte. Again there is a gully
that you can stay in to make the hiking easier. As you near the top of the
rock it will start to level out and you will see “The Wave”. I couldn’t
believe my eyes! It was fantastic! I immediately put my camera to my eye to
capture forever what I was seeing. At that moment a gust of wind flew through
the wave bringing with it millions of tiny grains of sand. I spun around in
time to protect my camera, not to mention my face, as Pick and I were
sandblasted for a few seconds. The power of erosion was still at work on this
piece of geology and I think it wanted us to know just that. It had taken two
hours to reach our goal. Pick and I
climbed further and deeper into “The Wave” and every corner opened up a new
and psychedelic view. The swirling patterns in the sandstone lead the eye on a
phenomenal journey through time. It is immediately evident how this area got
it’s name for the rock literally appears to be flowing like water. It was
spectacular! We spent several hours exploring and taking photographs before we
decided it was time to head back. A place of this beauty is hard to describe
in words, but I hope my photos allow you to share in this unique formation. The
hike back was relatively easy and we arrived back at our car at about 4:00pm.
Another amazing hike was behind us but the image of its beauty will be in our
memory forever.
The
Wave Revisited-May 7th, 2006
| |
Trail Mix |
| Distance |
3
miles, 6 miles round trip |
| Elevation |
5,200
feet |
| Gain |
340 feet |
| Difficulty |
Moderate |
GPS Coordinates for The Wave:
Waypoint N3659.764 W11200.365
NBH RATING:
Click
here for info on purchasing photos
Copyright 1989-2008, Natural Born Hikers, All rights reserved.
Send comments on this web site to
nbhcrew@naturalbornhikers.com
