Level 4 - Wilderness Adventures
Coyote Buttes North (The Wave)
You have probably seen photos of The Wave This is something amazing, but extraordinarily difficult to get a Permit/ticket for. The entire area is a managed Federal Wilderness Area. This means the *only* toilet you will see is at the Parking Area.Daily Limit: 64 people per day - all assigned by lottery If Permit is won, entrance fee is currently $7 per person (or dog) and proposed to rise to $20 per in 2025. Your entire group must stay together at all times, whether 2 or 6. Two groups cannot merge. A family of ten (even with two Permits) cannot become a group of ten.
Requires Permits obtained via Advanced Online Lottery (~3 months in advance) for a very lucky few.—or— if you are willing to travel to Kanab region for a *chance* to win the Daily Lottery for two days later.
Don't just show up at the Trailhead - you *will* be turned away.Wire Pass Trailhead and Parrking Area (130 miles)Coyote Buttes North Trail (2.6 miles each way)
Coyote Buttes North Advanced Lottery - Online Only (for period exactly 3-months in advance)
The lottery is "open" for an entire month to everyone 18+ with a Recreation.gov account. Each Month on the 1st, the Lottery is held and awarded, and the NEXT Lottery period opens.Drawing is for one of three dates you select in the monthly permit window (still three months away.) You only get three chances/dates in any given month. The dates you choose ARE the Lottery dates you have entered. You can't ever win more than one Permit. You cannot enter a Lottery more than once during any month. If your 1st date hits, that is your date, and your name is removed from the other draws.Choosing a weekend date will probably reduce your chances, because many people only want weekends, so more people might choose *that* date. Each date's lottery is independent of the others, and your date choices dictate which dates/days lottery you are in.
For example, the entire month of November is open for Applications, with the Lottery drawing on December 1st at 9am, for permits on one of three dates *YOU* choose in March. If one of your dates wins, you get a Permit for that day (and ONLY that day).
There is a $6 filing fee for each entry, but you can only enter once per monthly period. Maximum group size is six persons, no exceptions.You should also select at least one Alternate at the time you enter the lottery, because if you can't make it (even if you are in the hospital), and there is no Alternate, nobody in your group can go. A maximum of three Alternates can be designated.Other persons in your intended group can also apply for the lottery potentially increasing your odds.
HOWEVER !!: You can only be an Applicant OR an Alternate *once* in any given lottery period. The next month, you can apply again.
This can get tricky, because you want to maximize your chances, but still have at least one Alternate within your group for each lottery entry.
Permits cannot be Rescheduled for any reason and Permits are Non-Refundable.They are also Non-Transferable (with the only exception being, transfer to one of the three Alternates you declared when you entered the lottery). You can't designate Alternates after you submit your entry.
Permits are mailed via USPS to the address specified when to applied 4~6 weeks after winning.
Coyote Buttes North - Advanced Lottery FAQ
Coyote Buttes North Daily Lottery - The OTHER way (for date two days later)
You used to have to appear in-person at the BLM office in Kanab on the morning of the drawing - No More.The Daily Lottery is now being conducted in a new way using the Recreation.gov App on your phone. Apple IOS —or— Android Google PlayTo enter Daily Lottery, the person Applying for the Permit must be within the Daily Lottery Geofence area stretching from Kanab & Mt. Carmel Junction to Page, AZ. The App uses your phone's GPS and Cell Phone tower locations to determine if you are in the area and if so, it will allow you to enter the lottery. If not, your entry will not be accepted.
You don't have to be online at the drawing time (7pm) to win, but you must pay for, pick up your tickets, and you *must* attend the Mandatory Safety Briefing the next morning at 8:30am - UTAH time. If you miss the briefing, you lose your Permit. If you have not attended the Safety Briefing, you will be denied access the next morning. Only the Applicant/Alternate can pick up the Permit (not group members). Everything is based on UTAH time, even if you are in Arizona or the Navajo Nation.
Daily Lottery Process
Day 1Application: You must Apply between 6am and 6pm two days ahead of the desired entry date. Application is only possible through the Recreation.gov App on your phone/tablet.GPS Location Sharing must be enabled for the Recreation.gov App.When you apply, you MUST be within the defined GeoFence area. (PDF map download) If the App cannot determine your GPS location, or you are not within the GeoFence boundary, it will NOT accept your application.The Daily Lottery is conducted about 6:30pm.Lottery results are sent out to the applicant's email addresses at 7:15 PM this evening. You should receive results whether you win or lose. Results are also seen in the Recreation.gov Application. You *must* accept the winning lottery Permit -and- pay the required fees before 8am the next morning in the Recreation.gov App or the Permit is forfeited.Day 2Safety Briefing: Successful applicants must accept the permit and have paid fees by 8am Utah time and be onsite at a permit pickup location at 8:30am local time for the safety briefing in either Kanab or Page, AZ. Local time may be different between pick-up locations. During Daylight Savings, 9:30am in Utah is 8:30am in Arizona (except the Navajo Nation). Be sure of the exact time you need to be there. Arriving late will void permits.
Day 3Permit date: Permit-holders and their group have the entire day to explore Coyote Buttes North. If your Permit is for 2-persons, you cannot add another person the next day. NO CHANGES ARE PERMITTED.
Coyote Buttes North - Daily Lottery FAQ pageCoyote Buttes North - Daily Lottery FAQ (PDF)
Current locations for Daily Pass distribution and Safety Briefings currently appear to be:Kane County Office of Tourism 78 S 100 E, Kanab, UT 84741 (86 miles)-or- Page - Lake Powell Visitor Hub 48 South Lake Powell Blvd, Page, Arizona 86040 (159 miles)
Warnings!
This isn't a casual hike. And even if the conditions are unsafe, there are no changes or refunds. There are no toilets after you leave the parking area, no drinking water, no shade (and summer temps reach 100+ most days). Bring that WAG bag! See the Calf Creek Falls entry above if you don't know what that means. Winters can have ice, and in the rainy season, roads can be impassable and flash flooding is a serious danger. Stormy weather makes no difference to your Permit. Lightning is a real danger in a storm because you are completely exposed. There is no "Trail" and the route is unmarked (no signs at all). At the Safety Briefing they will give you a set of GPS waypoints and landmarks to orient yourself. People regularly get lost, and sometimes people die, usually from dehydration or exposure.NOTE!You *are* permitted to hire a guide through an Authorized Outfitter and Guide Service after winning which does not count against your group size limit. This is the one and only exception to any of the rules.Something to seriously think about.
The Odds
There is roughly a 3.x% chance of winning a permit (calculated with annually totals), which changes slightly from month-to-month. OutdoorStatus website claims that your odds improve slightly for winter Permits when applying for Advanced Lottery online, and slightly for summer Permits when applying for Daily Lottery. Either way, you are very lucky if you do get a Permit.Don't think about sneaking in either. Rangers are assigned every day to the Parking Area to control entry, and also to patrol the general area. They will always ask to see your Permit. The correct person in your group must be physically present in the group and show the Permit whenever you encounter them. A citation (at minimum) awaits anyone found without their permit.
Paria Canyon/Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness
Most of the way to the Grand Canyon North Rim, the dirt road to many amazing trails.
https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-passes/lotteries-and-permit-systems/arizona/paria-canyon
Day-use permits are currently $6 per person per day for Paria Canyon.
Overnight backpacking into Paria Canyon requires a $5/night permit, and only 20 backpackers are allowed overnight in the canyon.
Extreme flash flood dangers.
Don't go in without permits or knowing exactly what the *local* weather forecast is.
No toilets once you leave the parking areas. No water either.
No trash cans either. Pack it in - Pack it out.
From Kanab, Utah, take U.S. 89 to the east or U.S. 89A to the south through Fredonia and Jacob Lake.
Calf Creek Falls
Another very popular but not easy hike.There is *nothing* along the trail once you leave that campground area.In particular: NO RESTROOMS -and- No Drinking WaterDon't drink from the creek, you *will* get sick.Off Utah Hwy 12 between Escalante and Boulder.Access from Calf Creek Falls Campground.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note about using Public Lands like Coyote Buttes (and other areas in Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness) and Calf Creek Falls
There is no DRINKING WATER!If you don't bring *all* the water you need, you won't have any.Calf Creek may have water, but it is not safe to drink.PACK IT IN - PACK IT OUT --- YES!!! EVEN THAT!--- Pit toilets are only at the parking areas --- (sometimes not even there)This includes your kids. Don't be *those* people. So many people visit these some of these places, especially Calf Creek Falls and Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) that this is a serious problem. QUOTE:"Restrooms are located at the trailhead. On the trail, all solid human waste must be carried out using portable human waste containment systems like a WAG Bag, short for short for “waste alleviation and gelling,” bags are a convenient, portable, and sanitary solution when you need to go on the go.
Each bag is sealable, contains enzymes and polymers, and can be disposed of in regular trash receptacles. You can purchase these at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center, 755 West Main Street, Escalante, Utah 84726 435-826-5499, at gear stores, or online. Visitors are responsible for providing their own waste removal system that is adequate for the size of their group and length of stay."
In *some* unimproved public lands (BLM) areas you are allowed to dig a 'cat hole' 6"~8" deep and bury everything including the paper. Not true everywhere.