60 pieces · NaturePhoto by BLM Utah, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. The swirling red-and-yellow sandstone troughs of The Wave in Coyote Buttes North, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, on the Arizona–Utah border.
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The Wave, Coyote Buttes, Arizona
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The Wave, Coyote Buttes, Arizona
The Wave is a sandstone formation in Coyote Buttes North, part of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness on the Colorado Plateau, straddling the Arizona–Utah border near Kanab, Utah. The Bureau of Land Management manages the site, and the formation itself is a pair of intersecting U-shaped troughs carved into Navajo Sandstone — the larger measuring about 62 feet (19 m) wide and 118 feet (36 m) long, the smaller about 7 feet (2 m) wide and 52 feet (16 m) long.
The sandstone dates to the Jurassic period, when migrating dunes of wind-blown sand built up cross-bedded layers with alternating texture and hardness. Early rainfall cut the troughs along natural joints in the rock, but as the surrounding drainage basin shrank, wind took over as the main sculptor, grinding the stepped ridges and swirling bands visible today along the direction it funnels through the channel. Because the ridges are fragile, the BLM caps access with a lottery: a handful of walk-in permits are issued two days ahead for visitors already in the area, and a separate batch of online permits is released four months in advance, with no marked trail to the site once a permit is granted.
In this puzzle, the deep red-brown bands curling through the upper-left trough give a strong, high-contrast anchor to start from. The paler cross-bedded stripes fanning across the center are the slower stretch, solved by following the rhythm of light and dark laminae, and the sandy, lightly rippled floor in the lower right ties the piece together last.
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is The Wave?
- It is in Coyote Buttes North, within the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness on the Colorado Plateau, near the Arizona–Utah border close to Kanab, Utah. The site is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
- How did The Wave form?
- It is carved from Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone, built up from migrating desert sand dunes. Early rainfall cut the main troughs along joints in the rock, and as the surrounding drainage shrank, wind became the dominant force shaping the stepped ridges and swirling bands seen today.
- Can anyone just hike to The Wave?
- No. Because the sandstone ridges are fragile and the site draws heavy demand, the BLM limits access through a lottery system — a small number of walk-in permits two days ahead and a separate batch of online permits released four months in advance — and there is no marked trail once a permit is issued.
- How big are the main troughs at The Wave?
- The larger trough is roughly 62 feet (19 m) wide and 118 feet (36 m) long; a smaller companion trough is about 7 feet (2 m) wide and 52 feet (16 m) long.