No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE
The Upper Middle
  • All News
    • Business
    • Commentary
    • Community
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Events
    • Family
    • Food & Drink
    • Lifestyle & Fitness
    • Local News
    • Real Estate
  • Business Directory
The Upper Middle
  • All News
    • Business
    • Commentary
    • Community
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Events
    • Family
    • Food & Drink
    • Lifestyle & Fitness
    • Local News
    • Real Estate
  • Business Directory
No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE
The Upper Middle
No Result
View All Result

“The Wave” Now Allowing 3 Times More Hikers

  • January 21, 2021
  • theumphx
  • The Upper Middle

Outdoor enthusiasts and landscape photographers hoping to land one of the elusive permits needed to explore the colorful, contoured landscape of a U.S. Southwestern hike called “the Wave” will now have a better chance under a new plan announced Monday that allows three times the previous number of daily visitors.

The plan takes effect Feb. 1 and will allow as many as 64 people per day to hike the popular rock formation near the Utah-Arizona border — up from the previous limit of 20 people per day, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said in a news release.

More than 200,000 people requested permits for the hike in 2018, with less than 4% approved through online and in-person lotteries, the most recent government statistics show.

Conservation groups decried the decision as a mistake that will damage the fragile desert landscape and cut into the solitude of the hikers’ experience.

Bureau of Land Management officials called it a balance between providing more access to the iconic trail while also preserving the landscape. Another proposal would have quadrupled the daily limit to 96 people.

“The Wave is one of the world’s most incredible and visually stunning natural wonders,” said Assistant Interior Secretary Casey Hammond in a news release. “We’re pleased to be able to expand options for public viewing of this amazing landscape in a way that’s consistent with its preservation.”

The Wave’s wide, sloping basin of searing reds, oranges and yellows in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is one of the most photographed landscapes in North America. Visitors walk a 6-mile round-trip hike through tall sandstone buttes and sage brush to get to the spectacular rock formation.

The decision will mar the unique landscape for future generations as hikers damage the delicate sandstone, said Taylor McKinnon, a senior campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity. Visitors also won’t enjoy the same solitude the previous daily limit provided, he said.

“It is going to damage the unique geology there. There are going to be bigger crowds. It is going to be harder to get a picture without somebody else in it,” McKinnon said. “It really reflects the Trump administration’s general disdain for preserving the quality and ecological health of America’s public lands.”

The Trump administration has removed protections for millions of miles of waterways and wetlands, narrowed protections for wildlife species facing extinction and opened more of the hundreds of millions of acres of public land to oil and gas drilling.

The Center for Biological Diversity plans to consider a lawsuit in U.S. court to challenge the decision, McKinnon said.

He is also hopeful the incoming administration of Joe Biden will reverse course. The decision allows the bureau to adjust the daily limit based on conditions at the hike.

Daily permits are issued via lottery and in person. To find out the process and costs for each method, click here.

Sponsored Ad

RECENT NEWS

Expedia Launches New Feature That Turns Instagram Reels into Bookable Trips

Krispy Kreme Launches Limited-Edition PAC-MAN Doughnuts to Celebrate 45th Anniversary

Two Arizona Landmarks Named to 2025 List of Most Endangered Historic Places

Uncrustables® Launches First-Ever Limited-Edition Flavor: Peanut Butter & Mixed Berry Spread Sandwiches Debut Nationwide This Summer

Waymo’s Expansion Brings More Driverless Cars to Phoenix Neighborhoods Like Arcadia and North Central

Phoenix–Paris Takes Off: Air France Expands Sky Harbor Service to Five Weekly Flights

Next Post
Free Drive-In Screenings of to Celebrate Education, K-12 School Choice

Recreational Marijuana Sales at Arizona Dispensaries Could Start Next Week

Fose + McKay Fose + McKay Fose + McKay
The Upper Middle Phoenix
The Upper Middle Phoenix (The UM) is your go-to source for local news, events, business updates, and culture in Arcadia, North Central Phoenix, and Biltmore. We also cover Paradise Valley and Downtown Phoenix, bringing you the latest on food & drink, real estate, outdoor activities, and community happenings.
Connecting the Upper Middle Neighborhoods of Phoenix - Arcadia, Biltmore, North Central

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

SUBSCRIBE

©2025 The Upper Middle 1801 East Camelback Road, Suite 201, Phoenix, AZ 85016 / 602.222.4700 / [email protected] 

Max Fose – Publisher | Privacy Policy | Advertise With Us | Media Kit | About The Upper Middle Phoenix

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
    • Business
    • Commentary
    • Community
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Events
    • Family
    • Food & Drink
    • Lifestyle & Fitness
    • Local News
    • Real Estate
  • Business Directory
Connecting the Upper Middle Neighborhoods of Phoenix - Arcadia, Biltmore, North Central

©2025 The Upper Middle 1801 East Camelback Road, Suite 201, Phoenix, AZ 85016 / 602.222.4700 / [email protected]