Hiking the Wave: Beauty, Access, and the Danger of Overprotection

The Wave

Challenge of Getting to The Wave

I had been trying for years to get to the surrealistic swirl of rock known as the Wave. It was only a few miles from the road, tucked away in the desert of northern Arizona, a region of the U.S. I had visited a fair number of times. But the Wave, so I was told, was in danger of being "loved to death." Too many people wanted to visit the too-fragile area. To protect the Wave, a strict permit system was instituted that allowed only a few people each day to visit.

No camping was allowed anywhere in the area, and only a very limited number of people were permitted to make day trips.

It took me three years of putting my name into the lottery before I was successful. When I finally did visit, I met a couple who had come down to try their luck at getting some of the few walk-in permits issued the day before. They had waited in the area for four days before finally getting a permit.

Now, I am all for conservation. I picketed to "save the whales" when I was a teenager, and if I see you litter, pick a flower, or feed "wild" animals in the wilderness, it’s likely that I will offer you a piece of my mind — and it will be none too flattering. However, I think we need to have moderation when it comes to restricting access to our beautiful places.

The area all around the Wave was absolutely incredible. The canyons and mesas offered nearly endless hiking, camping, and photographic opportunities. But very few people ever visit those places because access is too difficult. And here is the real issue: if more people in the U.S. had been aware of the one-of-a-kind, take-your-breath-away, make-you-weep-out-of-sheer-awe beauty that we lost to the Glen Canyon Dam, maybe it would have been built somewhere less wonderful.

I certainly hope we do not protect our beautiful places to death. And I am truly grateful for the opportunity I had to see the Wave.

Because travel is all about balance

Proof that I was at the Wave