If you enjoy hiking this place is a MUST. Kanab is full of amazing hikes. The entire area is well worth seeing!

1st Stop: The first and most important thing you need know is that cell service is slim to none so I highly recommend stopping by the Kanab Visitor Center (Address: US-89 in Kanab, UT) to pick up a map and get advice from the guides on how to plan your trip. Also, if you’re looking to sign up for The Wave lottery, this is where you’d do it.

If you don’t already know, The Wave is a sandstone rock formation resembling the wave of an ocean, located in Arizona, near its northern border with Utah. The age of the surrounding area is from the Jurassic Period and you can find REAL dinosaur tracks throughout the area. In efforts to protect the natural wonder a lottery has been set in place.

How the lottery works: 20 people are permitted to enter per day. Applicants are allowed to sign-up in advance of up to 4 months of their desired date to visit. 10 people are picked from the list. The drawing is done the 1st of each month. The remaining 10 slots can be acquired by walk-in permit and are also given by lottery. The cost to apply for the lottery is $5.00

For more information visit: https://antelopecanyon.az/get-permit-wave-arizona/

Don’t worry if you aren’t able to obtain a permit for The Wave. Kanab offers plenty of other hikes you can find there.

2nd Stop: The longest & deepest known slot canyon, Buckskin Gulch, is located in the same area of The Wave. Both hikes share a parking lot. It runs for about 11 miles and it is possible to walk the entire thing, or you can choose to explore a portion of it. After a while it does seem to become more of the same thing.

3rd Stop: The last local thing on my list to do while in the area is to see the Sand Caves, but beware the hike up to them is deceiving. They are higher than they seem & the path to reach them appears steeper once you are up. I’m afraid of heights and I found the walk up to the caves pretty scary and getting down was challenging, but it was worth it. They Caves are located just off the road on Highway 89.

Lastly: Located right next to the caves you’ll find Moqui Cave. It is a family owned business inside of a cave on the base of the mountain. They sell yummy food, souvenirs, and offer a tour.

How long do you need: This can be done over a 2 day weekend depending on how long your drive is to & from home. We drove from Vegas and arrived at 8am at the visitor center just in time to apply for the walk-in lottery. We then explored both The Wave and Buckskin Gulch on the same day. Both those hikes left us exhausted so we saved the Sand Caves for the next day and stopped by to see them on our way out of Kanab and towards Bryce Canyon. It won’t take more than 2 hours to explore them and that’s being generous. It really just depends on how long it takes you to get up & down.

Pro tip 1: If you are driving to the visitor center to apply for the walk-in lottery keep in mind that it starts at 8am sharp and take into consideration that there might be a time change from where you are driving.

Pro tip 2: Buckskin & The Wave are about 1 hour from the Visitor Center, but there is no where to stay in that area. If you want to stay the night you’ll have to stay in the town of Kanab, where you’ll find the Sand Caves.

Where to stay: This is a very small town in the middle of nowhere, so all you’ll really find are some motel options. They aren’t fancy, but they are clean, safe & do the trick for a quick weekend getaway.

When to go: We went in mid October and the weather was great. It’s the desert so it gets chilly early morning & night, but it was pretty warm & comfortable during the day. For better chances at the lottery try colder months. Less people tend to apply during these times.

Who can go: People of all ages. I saw to older gentlemen on the steep path to the Sand Caves. They even had walking sticks assisting them, but they got along just find. I also saw a family with small children & honestly the kids seemed to be doing better than the adults.

Food: Buy snacks prior to arriving although you will find local convenience stores, but we were surprised to find a handful of really good restaurants. Use Yelp to help you narrow down the options.

Wishing you good luck with The Wave and happy hiking!