More Hikers Could Soon Get Permission to Hike to the Wave in Arizona
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Hikers hoping to visit the Wave — a striking geological formation in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument near the Utah-Arizona border — might soon find it easier to do so. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed increasing the number of visitors from 20 to 96 per day, according to USA Today.
For now, people who want to see the Wave must enter a lottery for access to Coyote Buttes North, where it’s located. The odds of getting a permit to visit during the high season (April through June and September through October) were about 4 to 5% in 2013, according to the Bureau of Land Management, and the number of applications for permits has increased in recent years. People lucky enough to get a permit hike 3 miles each way through tall sandstone buttes and sage brush in order to see the Wave.
Mike Herder, an official at the Bureau of Land Management, told USA Today that the agency is soliciting public comment and that changes could be implemented as soon as October. During peak season, the agency gets as many as 400 applications per day. The proposed changes would allow more hikers to experience this beautiful natural site that features a sloping sandstone basin in vibrant shades of red, yellow and orange.
But not everyone is in favor of allowing more people in.
“It could mean more people in your photographs, more people walking off trail onto sensitive soil, more wildlife disruption,” Taylor McKinnon, a senior campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity in Northern Arizona, told USA Today. “The agency needs to make sure any user increase is compatible with environmental protection.”
The BLM is considering adding additional public restrooms, parking and other resources outside the trailhead to accommodate more people. The Wave is said to be one of the most photographed places in the US, and it’s also one of the country’s most exclusive hiking spots.
Featured image by Lobineau / Italian Wikipedia
WELCOME OFFER: 60,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,200
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.