At the border of Utah and Arizona in the Vermillion Cliffs mountain range, is a very special area called The Wave, named for the way the smooth orange and white rocks undulate in the form of giant waves. The area is so unique and fragile it has been designated a Wilderness Area, meaning it is not supposed to be altered in any way by humans and access is controlled and limited by the Bureau of Land Management.
There are two lotteries, one on-line and one which takes place daily at the Grand-Staircase Escalante Visitor Center in Kanab, Utah. For the on-line lottery, one must apply months ahead. For more information on this check out the website of the Bureau of Land Management here.
However, if your trip is a bit or a lot more spontaneous your only choice is to try the daily lottery, where 10 very lucky people get permits. The permits are for the next day, not for the day the lottery is held on!
Here’s what I have learnt from my experience:
You must be there by 8:30 AM to get an application which needs to be filled out by each leader. A group can have 6 members at most with one leader. You must indicate on the lottery whether you are hiring a guide or going by yourself. The guides do not need a permit and with a quick on-line search you can find several companies offering these services.
After taking the applications each was numbered and there was a roll-call. In the meantime, the woman from the BLM in charge of the lottery that day told us numerous anecdotes about having to separate families and honeymooners because there weren’t enough spots left when their number was called and about the huge increase in visitors year after year from all over the world. Then at promptly 9 AM the lottery began. There were 76 applicants that day and I was the only solo one. After the first few numbers were called the total number of winners added up to 9. So my heart jumped with joy thinking the last spot was mine by default as I was the only solo one and from what I had read on-line and heard from others that was how it worked. But to my surprise the BLM lady announced that she would do one more draw and allow “two, but no more than two people.” I was shocked and confused, especially after her earlier speech about having to be strict about the 10 persons limit and having had to separate couples and even honeymooners. Her last chosen application was for a big family and they had to pick 2 people which they managed to do quickly.
After, I inquired why they did not stick to their usual policy and why I did not get the permit. I was told, “that was the way we usually did it, but we don’t like to send out people there on their own”. Then they went on about how difficult the hike was, and how one had to carry a gallon of water, be able to use a compass, walk in the sun without any shade and find their way back by keeping track of the surroundings. Ok…. so according to them a female is not capable of this?!
Had there been any concern for violence against solo females in the area, I would have understood and appreciated their concern, however, the excuses they gave were totally demeaning and unfair.
So my advice to you, if you are a solo female wanting to do this hike is to put on your application that you are hiring a guide! Or, if you know ahead of time when you can go, do the on-line lottery which is performed by a non-sexist computer program.
