The Wave Hiking Permits Explained: Advanced + Daily Lottery

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Photo of Mark and Kristen Morgan inside The Wave AZ surrounded by swirling and colorful sediment layers on a sunny morning

The Wave in northern Arizona is widely accepted as having the hardest hiking permit to win in the United States. It has enormous demand, but only 16 groups or 64 people are allowed to hike to the unique red rock landscape each day. We were two of the lucky winners when we hiked to The Wave back in early December 2021, and it ended up being one of the most amazing places we’ve visited to date.

In this guide we show you how to win a hiking permit for The Wave, based on our experiences.

Our Experience

Photo of a couple standing alone inside a red rock formation with swirling sediment patterns
Here we are at the stunning red rock formation on a sunny morning in December 2021

We were near the end of our multi-month road trip from Seattle to Sedona when we left Zion and drove to Kanab. Next morning we went to a gymnasium in Kanab to apply for a daily permit to hike The Wave. It was a Wednesday morning in December 2021 and we were among the very last groups to apply for a daily permit in person at the gym, before they changed to an online application system in early 2022.

The crowds were growing outside the gym, maybe 40 “groups” altogether had arrived. And after talking to some people, we learned that many had been trying for 3, 4, even 7 days in a row. So we expected to leave empty handed on our first try. The balls jumped around in the lottery ball machine, and our number 6 ball rolled out on the very first go. Holy crap! We can hike The Wave tomorrow! Read more about us.

 

How Does The Lottery Work?

Infographic created by Where Are Those Morgans showing permit information with pros and cons for advanced and daily lottery permits for The Wave AZ
Here’s our infographic summarizing how the application process works

Okay, let’s dive right in. Even though we’ve already been through the lottery, we still think it’s a confusing process. So we’re going to keep things as simple as possible to help you understand what’s going on. We’ll start with a top level overview, then get into the details later in the guide.

There are two different ways you can win a permit to hike The Wave:

  • Advanced lottery – You apply 4 months before the date you want to hike. For instance, you apply in January to hike in May.
  • Daily lottery – You apply 2 days before you want to hike. For instance, you apply on Friday to hike on Sunday.

A maximum of 16 groups or 64 people will win permits each day, combined from both the advanced and daily lotteries. Each group can consist of 1-6 people, so the amount of permits given out each day depends entirely on how many people are in each winning group.

Here are the most extreme examples of how this can be limiting:

  • Groups – 16 groups consisting of only 1 person win, so only 16 people would have permits that day.
  • People – 10 groups with 6 people and 1 group with 4 people win, so 64 people would have permits but only 11 groups would win.

Those outcomes are very unlikely because there’s usually a normal spread between group numbers to include solo hikers, couples, groups of friends and families. But it shows how the process works with people vs groups.

READ: Our hike to The Wave AZ

The Advanced Lottery

Let’s start with the advanced lottery because it’s the most commonly used method for applying. Below you’ll see a screenshot we took from the official recreation.gov site. This is the only place you can apply for an advanced permit.

Screenshot photo of the application process for the advanced lottery permit to hike The Wave
Screenshot of what you should see when you apply to the advanced lottery

Here’s what you need to know:

  • There’s a non-refundable $6 fee per application.
  • A maximum of 48 people or 12 groups win advanced permits each day.
  • You must apply for dates 4 months in advance.
  • Example: You apply any day in November to win any day in March.
  • You can choose up to 3 dates in any month (ie. 14th, 15th and 16th).
  • Dates do not have to be consecutive (ie. 4th, 9th and 22nd is fine).
  • You can only submit one application per month.
  • Results are given out the first day of the next month after applying.
  • Winners receive an email on the 1st of the next month.
  • You have until the 15th of that month to accept your permit.
  • Upon accepting you also pay an additional $7 fee per person.
  • Hiking permit and parking permits are mailed to you.
  • It costs $7 to add a dog to your permit.

Here’s how the schedule looks for applying and winning advanced permits:

Infographic showing the advanced lottery permit dates to apply and win for hiking The Wave Trail
These are the dates you need to bear in mind when applying in advance

Let’s walk through an example of how this might work:

  • On August 5th you apply for December 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
  • On September 1st you’re notified about winning for December 3rd.
  • You accept the permit on September 2nd.
  • The hiking and parking permits are sent to you within 4-6 weeks.

Applying for advanced permits is easy and convenient, but keep in mind you’ll be competing with thousands of others from across the world on any given date. There are more advanced permits for each day, but the chances of winning are lower than the daily permit because far more people apply this way.

The Daily Lottery

Next, let’s take a look at how the daily lottery process works. Again, you can see a screenshot we took from the official recreation.gov site below. This is the only place you can apply for a daily lottery permit.

Screenshot photo of the daily lottery process for winning a permit to hike The Wave in Arizona
Screenshot of what you should see when you apply to the daily lottery

Here’s what you need to know:

  • You must be located within this designated geofence area to apply.
  • If you’re not near Kanab or Page you can’t apply for daily permits.
  • You can only apply on a mobile device.
  • There’s a non-refundable $6 fee per application.
  • A maximum of 16 people or 4 groups win daily permits each day.
  • You must apply for dates 2 days in advance.
  • Example: You apply on Monday to hike on Wednesday.
  • Permits must be accepted before 8:00am the following morning.
  • You must attend a safety briefing the day after winning.
  • Hiking permit and parking permits are handed to you in person.
  • It costs $7 to add a dog to your permit.

Let’s walk through an example of how this might work:

  • You’re in Kanab on Tuesday March 1st and apply to hike on March 3rd.
  • At 7:15pm on March 1st you’re notified about winning.
  • You have until 8:00am on March 2nd to accept the permit.
  • At 8:15am on March 2nd you attend a safety briefing and get your permit.
  • On March 3rd you hike to The Wave.

Applying for daily permits only works if you’re already in the Kanab or Page area which means you have to fit it into your itinerary. But the good news is you have a better chance of winning (despite fewer permits being available) because far fewer people apply this way.

Odds Of Winning

Photo of a green hiking permit for The Wave in Arizona
This was the daily lottery permit we won for the hike

Okay, you know how to apply, but should you be optimistic about winning a permit?

Well, before increasing from 20 to 64 daily permits in 2021, the chances of winning a permit for The Wave were around 3.6%. That’s only 36 winners per 1,000 applicants, which means you’d have had to be so lucky. According to data from the BLM, over 200,000 people applied for permits in 2018 and only 7,300 people won. Harsh!

But today you have a much better statistical chance of winning with 64 permits issued each day. It means up to 23,360 permits can be won throughout the year, so your odds are likely closer to 10%. Yes, we know 1 in 10 is still pretty low. And to make matters worse, demand for this hike is always growing.

How To Improve Your Odds

If you desperately want to win a permit to hike The Wave, follow our two top tips to increase your odds (there’s no guarantee you’ll win, but you’ll certainly be in a better position):

Dates: Demand is highest in April, May, September and October so we recommend avoiding those months. Instead, apply when demand is lowest in December, January or February. Also, apply for weekday permits rather than weekends.

Group size: The smaller your group size, the better chance you have of winning. Imagine 15 groups are drawn with 60 people total. Your number comes up next but you have 6 in your group, which exceeds the 64 maximum. They draw another number instead.

Important: You cannot hike The Wave without a permit. You risk a fine of up to $10,000 per person as well as jail time if the BLM decides to prosecute. And we did see rangers checking permits the day we hiked it.

The Morgan Conclusion

Photo of a couple sitting together on a vibrantly colored rock formation with sediment layers
Here we are enjoying magical colors and sediment layers at the end of the hike

We know how frustrating it can be applying for hiking permits and not winning. We’ve tried for Half Dome for 4 years and haven’t been successful yet. But we do understand why there’s such a low amount of permits available for The Wave. It has a lost-world alien landscape feel that it would definitely lose if it was filled with hundreds of hikers.

We were one of the last to win a daily permit in person at the gym in Kanab, but it’s more convenient now because you can be anywhere within the geofence area to apply. Or stay in the comfort of your home and keep applying to the advanced lottery each month until your number finally comes up. Trust us, it’ll be worth it in the end!

More From Kanab

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We hope our guide to winning a hiking permit for The Wave helps with planning your visit to northern Arizona!

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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6 thoughts on “The Wave Hiking Permits Explained: Advanced + Daily Lottery”

    • Hi Anderson, We woke up really early so we could be the first people at the Wave. We timed it so that we would begin driving The Cockscomb to Wirepass Trailhead at dawn. Once we got to the trailhead, we hiked very quickly to get to the Wave, but then took our time on the way back!

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