Last week my wife Claudia, our two dogs (Sparky and Sami), and I hiked out to the “World-Famous” Wave on the Arizona-Utah border in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness area west of Page, Arizona. The Wave is absolutely amazing and meets or exceeds any expectations that you might already have.
Even better, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) who manages the area, limits the number of people who can hike out to The Wave each day. This assures you of a pristine experience. Otherwise, the place could easily be overrun by tour groups and people who are clearly not prepared for a rugged desert hike.
Although rugged, the hike is quite doable by someone who is already very active and is familiar with desert backcountry hiking. But it is way more of a hike than what you would expect in a seven-mile adventure.
Although the vertical profile is greatly exaggerated, the GPS Profile does show that there are a lot of climbs and descents on the hike. The actual Wave formation is at the highest point.
