The Wave May Soon Open to More Tourists

The Wave is one of the United States' most popular hiking spots, and while it received as many as 400 requests per day last year from potential visitors, only 20 to 96 people were allowed to visit each day.

With this in mind, the Bureau of Land Management is considering raising the daily limit of visitors to accommodate more people.

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The popular rock formation located near the Utah-Arizona boundary in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument attracts hikers for the 9.5-kilometer hike through sandstone buttes and a sloping colorful basin full of tones of reds, oranges and yellows.

The Bureau of Land Management has kept the visitor limit low through a monthly online lottery and daily walk-in drawings at the Kanab visitor center. Federal data shows that less than five percent of the 150,000 people who wanted to hike the Wave last year were able to do so.

The reasoning behind the visitor limit has been to protect the environment and allow a peaceful hikes for visitors. However, agency official Mike Herder shared that the Bureau of Land Management may consider changing the visitor limit and is asking for public comments on the idea of implementing changes to the site.

They’re currently receiving feedback on environmental and safety concerns and discussing additional restrooms, parking and other resources to accommodate more visitors.

If the visitor limit is raised, travelers could see that occur as early as October.