THE WAVE IN COYOTE BUTTES, Arizona
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The
Wave is located in the Coyote Buttes North area of the Arizona Strip. There are
two great photographic locations in Coyote Buttes North (The Wave and The
Second Wave) and numerous minor ones including Top Rock Arch, Melody Arch and
the Grotto, the Hooters, The Alcove, Sand Cove, and Fatali's Boneyard. The Wave
is best photographed midday so as to minimize the extensive shadows, the other
areas listed above are best photographed mid-late afternoon. The South Buttes
also has many good features and is well worth visiting, as is the White Pocket
and Edmaier's Secret. It can be difficult to get a permit to see the Wave.
During the best months (April, May, September, October) there can be over 150
people applying for the ten daily permits. In the other months you usually have
less than a 50% chance of getting one at the daily lottery. Your chances are
better if you're going alone, or in December - February. If you do not win the
lottery I suggest you get one for Coyote Buttes South, or go to the White
Pocket which is east of Coyote Buttes South.
I know of one person who was lost overnight in Coyote Buttes South, so
use a GPS, mark the trailhead, and stay with your party. While a two wheel drive vehicle is adequate
for the North Buttes, four wheel drive is required for the South due to deep sand.
See the Information link above for more details about Coyote Buttes and the
Wave.
GEOLOGY
On its résumé, the Wave refers to
its stripes as lithified eolian laminae, but that just means rock layers made
of windblown sand. As Jurassic wind patterns changed, different sand dunes blew
across the southwest desert, cementing into the striations that now look like a
topographic map writ large. The water drainage that carved the two main chutes
dried up a long time ago, so now wind is the Wave’s primary erosional force.
Maybe you care about all that, maybe you don’t, but keep in mind how many
millions of years it took to make before you climb on something you shouldn’t.
Oh, and the Wave doesn’t have a
monopoly on Coyote Buttes North’s picturesque. Leave some time to explore
nearby dinosaur tracks, Melody Arch, Top Rock, Fatali’s Boneyard, Sand Cove and
the Second Wave.
Access world-class longform
canyoneering in Paria Canyon’s Buckskin Gulch. Same trailhead as the Wave but a
different (self-paid and unlimited) permit.
And if you don’t draw one of the
coveted North permits, Coyote Buttes South is bigger and less crowded, with
plenty of its own amorphous Jurassic earthwork. Some people even prefer the
Wave-less (placid?) South section. See Paw Hole, Cottonwood Cove, teepees,
fins, etc.
Coyote Buttes North and South are
areas to wander, not trails to hike, so bring a GPS and either hire a guide or
do some homework. South permits are easier to come by, but apply early anyway.
Four-wheel drive recommended.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Professional photographers, don’t
even bother. At the Wave, even an idiot with a flip phone will take pictures
that belong on a gallery wall. (Just kidding, pros. We can tell the difference.
Do your thing.)
If you’re hiking Coyote Buttes
North, you literally won the lottery, so you’re gonna feel pretty giddy to rush
straight to the Wave. But take a breath; first consider the theropod footprints
in the soft morning light. Save the Wave for midday, when it’s all lit up, then
hurry up and try to shoot everything else before you run out of light or
energy.
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