Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona, United States
The Wave lottery: when to apply for a permit
Apply on Recreation.gov at any time during a month for a hike in the month four months later; the draw is at 09:00 Mountain time (Utah time) on the 1st of the next month. If you are already near Kanab or Page, you can also enter the daily lottery on your phone two days before the hike, between 06:00 and 18:00 Utah time.
- When does booking open?
- All month, for the month four months later. Apply in October 2026 for February 2027; the draw is on 1 November 2026 at 09:00 MST and results come by email right after. The draw follows Utah time, which uses daylight saving: from April to October draws, 09:00 MDT is 08:00 in most of Arizona. The daily lottery also runs on Utah and Navajo Nation time, with results at 19:15 the same evening.
- How far ahead is that?
- About 4 to 5 months ahead, or 2 days.
- Where do I book?
- Only on Recreation.gov, for the Bureau of Land Management. The advance lottery is open to anyone online; the daily lottery works only on a phone inside a geofence around Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona.
- Does it sell out?
- Very competitive: only 64 people a day are allowed in, 48 through the advance lottery and 16 through the daily one. The BLM publishes no odds or applicant numbers, so there is no reliable figure.
- Can I cancel or change?
- No refunds, no rain checks, no transfers and no changes to the date, permit holder or group size once the lottery has run. Cancelled or unconfirmed permits are not given out again.
Checked 15 October 2026
How to book
Advance lottery: apply on Recreation.gov for $6, which is not refunded, choosing up to three dates; a winner gets one. If you win, log back in, confirm and pay $7 per person or dog by the 15th of that month, or lose the permit. The BLM mails the permit 4 to 6 weeks after the lottery, so check your postal address. It gives out 48 places, or 12 groups, a day.
Daily lottery: apply in the Recreation.gov app or your phone's browser two days before the hike, 06:00 to 18:00 Utah time, from inside the geofence. Computers do not work. Results come at 19:15. Winners accept and pay by 08:00 Utah time the next morning, and the applicant must be at the chosen pickup point (Kanab Visitor Center or the Page-Lake Powell Hub) at 08:30 local time for a safety briefing; arriving late voids the permit. It gives out 16 places, or 4 groups, a day.
If it’s sold out
Stay in Kanab or Page and enter the daily lottery each day. Each person may send one application per lottery.
Coyote Buttes South, next door, has its own advance and daily lotteries on Recreation.gov. Its access roads need a four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicle and deep-sand driving.
Booking for a group
Up to six people per permit, and two permits may not join up to go above six. Everyone counts, including babies who are not yet walking. Dogs do not count toward the six but must be on the permit and pay $7 each. Anyone may apply, but an adult must come on the hike.
Each person may send only one application per lottery and hold only one permit for the area at a time. In the advance lottery, alternates are named when you apply, must accept the email invitation within three days and cannot apply themselves; the holder or an alternate must be on the hike. Group members other than the holders can be renamed by emailing the BLM at least 30 days before.
Good to know
- Apply every month you could travel: each month's lottery is for the month four months later.
- If you win the advance lottery, pay by the 15th.
- Watch the clock: Utah uses daylight saving time in summer and most of Arizona does not.
- Recreation.gov warns of extreme heat from May to September; the suggested route is a 6.4-mile round trip with no marked trail.
Sources
- Recreation.gov: Coyote Buttes North Advanced Lottery (official): Apply during a month for the month four months ahead, up to three dates; drawn on the 1st at 9am MT; $6 to apply, $7 per person or dog; pay by the 15th; permits mailed 4 to 6 weeks later.
- Recreation.gov: Coyote Buttes North Daily Lottery (official): Apply two days before, 6am to 6pm Utah and Navajo Nation time, on a mobile device inside the geofence; results 7:15 PM; accept by 8 AM Utah time; briefing at 8:30 AM local time; 16 people or 4 groups a day.
- BLM: Coyote Buttes North Advanced Lottery FAQs (official): Lottery runs at 9 am Mountain time on the 1st; up to three entry dates; no age limit to apply but adults must accompany; permits mailed after payment.
- BLM: Coyote Buttes North Daily Lottery FAQs (official): Groups of up to six, everyone counted including infants; dogs pay but do not count toward the limit; no refunds or rain checks.
- Bureau of Land Management: Coyote Buttes North (official): All permits are non-refundable and non-transferable; links to the daily and advance lotteries.
Checked on 15 October 2026. Booking rules change; the official site has the last word.