"The Wave" is a wonderful sandstone rock formation located in the high desert region between Arizona and Utah.  The rock faces swirl and roll and undulate, hence the name.  Color and shape patterns on the rocks there are exceptional even for the Colorado Plateau, which itself is a seemingly endless array of bizarre landscapes covering a large portion of the southwest USA. 

The Wave is difficult to reach.  It is a very remote desert area south of Lake Powell, accessed only via a long dirt road.  Once you're on foot, there is no marked trail for most of the way, about three miles across open desert and sand dunes.  It is not a place for inexperienced desert hikers or people who can't find their way very well.  There is one prominent natural landmark to guide you, the "Black Crack", but it comes and goes from view throughout the journey and picking the best way to it is a constant challenge.  There is little shade, and the hike wouldn't be enjoyable on a hot day. 

Further, the whole ridge (the Coyote Buttes) that includes the wave is highly restricted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who administers the area. Hikers are required to have a permit issued by the BLM that allows access to the Wave, but very few permits are issued.  This is because the rocks comprising the wave are quite fragile and will be damaged if a bunch of people go tromping all over them.  When visiting the Wave, you are indeed walking on the very rocks you have come to admire, and they do crumble in spots.  Also, when more people are hanging around, it's harder to get good pictures, because people will be in them.  I at one point asked some Germans to move out of the way so I could get a shot.

The experience is amazing.  It's a photographer's dream.  The colors and shapes are wild, like swirls of candy or the fossilized remains of some incredibly large alien beast.  Plus, the area is so remote and colorful all around, it's like being on an unexplored and ancient planet.  At the Wave, there is no sign of civilization at all, other than whatever other people are there.

I hiked in on an October day which was sunny and clear and warm.  At times the wind blew sand in my face, scouring me.  My shoes filled with sand and had to be repeatedly emptied.  I still haven't gotten it all out to this day.  The slog through the sand to get there was hard;  imagine climbing up hill in the sand under the hot sun.  I didn't bring enough water, but I rationed what I had pretty well so it wasn't a big problem.  The way out was somewhat easier because I was able to find a better route that avoided the worst of the sand.

The Wave is popular with Germans, and many of the people you see at the Wave are likely to be Deutsch. 

As it happens, the Wave is basically right next door to another incredibly exceptional hiking experience, Buckskin Gulch, which is the longest and probably deepest of the many slot canyons that cut through the Colorado Plateau.   Imagine walking through a sandy bottomed canyon which is two hundred feet deep, six or seven feet wide, and ten miles long.  It's an other-worldly experience like nothing else.  I did it myself in the early '90s.  The entire hike is closer to twenty miles, or more depending on which way you go. 

If you do visit the Wave, please be respectful of this amazing place, and leave no trace of your visit.