Obtaining a Permit:
Permits for both Coyote Buttes North (the area where The Wave is located) and Coyote Buttes South are required. Permits and permit information can be obtained at Coyote Buttes Permits.  There are separate permits for each area.  Twenty people are allowed into each permit area per day.  Ten permits are issued on-line and ten via a walk in lottery that normally occurs the day before the permit is valid.

On-line Permits:
On-line Permits for Coyote Buttes North are very difficult to obtain. Conversely, permits for Coyote Buttes South are generally easy to get. For Coyote Buttes South just follow the links to the South Buttes calendar and select an available date.  You can apply up to four months in advance of your trip date.  For example, for a South Buttes January 15th permit go to the permit page starting on October 1.  Permits first become available at Noon MST (or daylight time when DST is in effect) on the first.  South Buttes permits cost $5 per individual.  For Coyote Buttes North there is an online lottery. The lottery opens up four months in advance of your trip date.  You have the whole month to apply.  For example, for a January 15 permit you would open the lottery page in September. The application fee is $5 per group.  On each application you can select up to three dates.  The drawing is held the day following the close of the lottery (i.e. October 1 in our example). You will be notified via e-mail that day if successful. If you win the lottery you will have to pay $7 per individual for a North Coyote Buttes permit.

Coyote Buttes North Lottery Schedule

Apply between
for a permit during
Lottery Run at 1:05 p.m. MST
remaining permits available
January 1 - 31
May
February 1
February 1 - 28
June
March 1
March 1 - 31
July
April 1
April 1- 30
August
May 1
May 1 - 31
September
June 1
June 1 - 30
October
July 1
July 1 - 31
November
August 1
August 1 - 31
December
September 1
September 1 - 30
January
October 1
October 1 - 31
February
November 1
November 1 - 30
March
December 1
December 1 - 31
April
January 1

Walk in permits:
Walk in permits are issued one day in advance of your hiking date in Kanab at the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM) visitor center. The address is 745 E. Highway 89, the phone number is (435) 644-4680. The visitor center is open from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM seven days a week. The visitor center is on the North side of Highway 89 as you head east towards Page just after the Kanab City Cemetery. If you pass the Comfort Inn you've gone too far.  From March 15 to November 15 permits will be issued every day of the week excluding national holidays. During the winter months (approximately November 16-March 15) weekend and Monday permits are issued on Friday. The lottery in Kanab is held at 9 AM Utah time. If you are hiking alone your chances for a permit are better than for a group since there are relatively few single hikers looking for permits.  For example if permits were already issued for two groups of four and a single, and you are the only single left you will get a permit unless a group is willing to be split up.