130128 TRAVEL TRAVEL ++ L E I S U R E / M AY 2 0 1 7 LEISURE / MAY 2017
Worth Flying For
I
n desolate northern Arizona, hidden within the
Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliff s Wilderness,
lies one of the world’s most inaccessible geological
wonders: the Wave, an undulating rainbow of Navajo
sandstone in shades of amber, copper, ocher,
and umber, created by wind and water erosion over
the course of millions of years. Because of the fragility
of this Jurassic-age phenomenon, the US Bureau of
Land Management limits access, issuing only 20 hiking
permits each day. Hopeful visitors must apply via
a monthly online lottery or in person at a daily
drawing at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National
Monument visitors’ centre in nearby Kanab, Utah.
After fi ve years of unsuccessful attempts, I was fi nally
picked through the online lottery. I approached beneathan overcast sky, walking through a landscape littered
with desert oleander and fl ying disc and hedgehog cacti,
all resplendent with pink, yellow, and white blossoms.
The entrance to the Wave appeared as a slit high in the
wall of a butte. As I got closer, the striations of the
sediment unfolded like a tapestry. I entered the canyon
cradle, which widened to reveal the Wave’s full majesty.
During the fi nal ascent, rain began to fall.
Runoff cascaded down the side of the cliff , and almost
instantly, the landscape changed colours before my
eyes. The deep reds and oranges of the earth took
on darker hues, creating what I thought impossible:
an even more breathtaking display of natural beauty.
For permit information, visit blm.gov/az paria.
— CHRISTOPHER TKACZYKTHE WAVEin
COYOTE BUTTES, ARIZONA
Illustration by Josie Portillo