The Wave is a popular hike in northern Arizona right along the Utah border. As you may know, this area of the US is known to get extremely hot in the summer. However, due to the difficult permit system, many people struggle to get hiking permits during the peak season with favorable weather (October-March).

So this post is for everyone who was only able to snag permits in the summertime which can range from May-September.

Why Hike The Wave in Summer?

If you aren’t already familiar with the permit needed for The Wave, it is an extremely selective lottery system. It’s the most sought after permit in Arizona and Utah. You need this permit because it is a very remote hike with a high difficulty level.

Also in attempts to preserve the landscape, only 64 people are allowed on the trail per day. However, hundreds of people apply for this permit every month. So it can be difficult to win a permit in the peak season when you have nicer weather. It’s much more likely to win a permit in the summer when there are less people applying.

After applying for 3 months my partner finally won us a permit for the last week of June.

So no, hiking The Wave in summer was not our first choice, but it was all we could get so we took our chance.

Is it Safe to Hike to The Wave During Summer?

After living in Phoenix for 2 years, I know firsthand how dangerous it can be to hike out in the desert during the summer. Many visitors come to the area not knowing how quickly the heat can get to you.

It’s no different in the deserts of southern Utah. The sun is intense and temperatures can easily reach 100°F by midday.

And like I said this location is very remote. It’s one of the most rural hikes I’ve ever done. This means spotty cell service if you need help, and it can take days for rescuers to get to you. So you really don’t want to mess around with this stuff.

However, if you are adequately prepared for the hike and do it right, you can safely hike to The Wave during the summer.

So don’t let this discourage you from visiting The Wave in the off season. You just have to be prepared. We successfully completed this hike in one of the worst times of year without having any issues.

To this day this is my favorite hike I’ve done in Arizona/Utah and I would do it all over again if I could.

So, I’ve compiled this list of tips and tricks we utilized when we hiked The Wave in summer. I hope this helps other people out who also won their permit in a less than desirable month.

Tip #1: Bring at least 3 L of water with you

My partner brought a 3 L hydration pack with him in his backpack and I also had a 3 L camelback with me. We only had a little bit left over when we finished the hike so it seemed like the perfect amount of water for us to take. 

Don’t think that just bringing one plastic bottle will be enough for you here.

Tip #2: Bring a hat to keep shade off your face & head

This is so important, but you will want some kind of hat to protect the top of your head from burning. It will also help keep the sun out of your eyes which is very helpful as this hike is pretty much completely exposed to the sun. 

Something like this is perfect for a hike like The Wave. But any baseball cap style hat will work fine too.

Tip #3: Camp at the Stateline Campground the night before

This is so important to know. When my partner and I first set out on the drive to get to The Wave, we had no idea where we were going to camp the night before. We just figured that there was going to be BLM land out there somewhere close to the trailhead that we could camp on. Then we stumbled upon the Stateline Campground.

The Stateline Campground is a small, free campground that’s just a 5 minute drive from the Wire Pass trailhead (this is the name of the trailhead for The Wave).

If you’re hiking The Wave in the summer, you will absolutely want to camp here since you have to wake up early before sunrise to start hiking. You’ll want to be able to get to the trailhead as soon as possible the next morning.

The fact that they built a campground so close to the trailhead is truly a godsend for everyone hiking The Wave during this time of year.

The sites are first come first serve. There’s only about 7 sites so it’s best to arrive as early as you can to snag one. We got to the campground around 3 PM the day before we hiked and there were only 2 other campers there.

This is a basic campground with the only amenities being pit toilets, a covered picnic table, and a grill. You have to make sure to bring all the water you’ll need with you. 

Each site has a flat concrete spot to set up a tent, or you can park your car and car camp if you want.

Tip #4: Get up at least 1 hour before sunrise & start the hike when it’s still dark out

In late June, the sun rises around 6 AM. We set our alarms for 5 AM and ended up actually getting out of bed at 5:10. Then we quickly got dressed and left our campsite immediately.

We left everything all set up at our site. Including our tent and propane stove and it was all undisturbed when we got back. 

I’d totally recommend leaving your campsite as is if you have time to come back to pack everything away after the hike. It would’ve taken us so much extra time in the morning to pack it all away. We wanted to start the hike as soon as possible.

Whatever you decide to do, if you’re hiking The Wave in summer, you will undoubtedly want to begin your hike well before the sun rises. We probably got on the trail around 5:20 AM. We had already hiked about 2-2.5 miles in by the time the sun was completely up. So I think we woke up and got started at a good time. 

This is one tip that you cannot ignore. In summer, DO NOT attempt to start this hike any later than 8 AM. You do not want to be hiking this trail in the hottest parts of the day which are between 11 AM-4 PM. 

Tip #5: Make sure you know the correct time to set your alarm

This piggy-backs off the last tip and it might sound kind of silly, but if you’re camping at Stateline Campground, you will be staying right on the border of Utah and Arizona (hence the name). These states are in two different time zones in the summer. 

Since Arizona doesn’t participate in daylight savings time and Utah does, these two states are one hour apart in time.

This was a little confusing for us because the only clock we had to go off of was our phones. My phone’s time was an hour ahead of my partner’s phone so we didn’t know what time we should be following and when we needed to set an alarm for the next morning.

We just made sure to pay attention to what time the sun set the night before and went off that. You don’t want to accidentally set your alarm for the wrong time. If so it can potentially throw off your entire hike to The Wave in the summer. So be mindful of the time zone difference.

Tip #6: Put sunscreen on before hiking

This is easy to forget since you’ll be starting the hike when it’s still dark outside, but it is important.

Once the sun comes up, it heats up quickly and it won’t take long to get a sunburn on exposed skin.

I made sure to put sunscreen on places where I burn such as on my face, chest, shoulders, and back before starting the trail. That way I didn’t have to carry the sunscreen with us. But if you tend to burn easily it wouldn’t hurt to bring a small bottle with you to reapply as you go.

Tip #7: Don’t bring heavy layers with you

I also just want to point out that it will be chilly in the morning when you start the hike. You may be tempted to start with a jacket. I almost contemplated bringing my hoodie with me and taking it off when I got too hot, but it would’ve been too heavy and annoying to drag around on the trail. 

If you want to bring a lightweight long sleeve shirt to shield your skin from the sun and keep you warm in the morning, that works but don’t bring a hoodie on the trail. 

Yes, I was freezing in a tank top and shorts at the beginning but it would’ve been miserable to carry around my hoodie when it got hot out once the sun came up.

The hike does start out relatively flat, so it might take awhile for your body to warm up but I assure you that you will.

Tip #8: Bring an extra metal water bottle with ice & water to use on your body

We filled up one of our reusable water bottles with ice and water at a gas station in Kanab before we started driving to the campground. Since my bottle was metal, the ice stayed frozen overnight and it was perfect to bring on the hike.

This provided us not only with extra water in case we needed it, but also an easy way to cool our body down during the hike.

I would just pour a small amount of ice cold water onto my face, arms, chest, legs, shoulders, even my head. Then it evaporates off helping to cool down my body temperature. I use this tip a lot when I’m hiking in hot weather and it always works.

Tip #9: Pack lots of food with you

If you’re getting up an hour (or more) before sunrise and heading straight to the trail, you most likely won’t be making or eating much of a breakfast. This is a difficult level hike that will take quite a few hours to complete. You will have to bring some kind of fuel with you to keep you going on the trail.

We each brought 2 PB&Js that I made the night before, trail mix, applesauce packets, and granola/protein bars.

So stock up on all your favorite trail snacks and bring plenty for the hike.

Tip #10: Bring a lightweight umbrella for extra shade

This one we actually didn’t do, but I did intend to bring an umbrella with us (I just forgot to put it in our backpack!)

There is virtually no shade on this trail so I think having an umbrella to use during the hike would be very beneficial to help keep the sun off you. Especially if you think you may be out there past 11 AM. 

Tip #11: Have a 4 Wheel Drive Vehicle

No one told us before we began heading out to The Wave that the road is going to be pretty rough. We saw a few sedans slowly making their way down the dirt road but it will be so much faster and more doable if you bring a vehicle that has 4 wheel drive.

Something else to keep in mind is that summer is monsoon season for this area. On our drive to Stateline Campground it poured the entire time.

Even in our Toyota 4runner we had to take it slowly and carefully. The dirt road turned to red mud in the heavy rain. Some steep parts of the road would’ve been near impossible for a 2wd vehicle to get up in these conditions.

Tip #12: Have the AllTrails map pulled up ahead of time

When you get your permit in the mail, they will also send you a paper map of the trail to keep and follow along as you hike. The trail isn’t very well marked, so you will need some kind of map to help you advance.

However, I’d recommend downloading The Wave Trail map on AllTrails ahead of time.

We tried following along with the paper map for the first few miles, but we got confused and went the wrong way a few times which wasted time.

Luckily, we were able to follow some fellow hikers who had the map pulled up on their AllTrails.

If you get a late start, you won’t have the time to be making wrong turns like this. It’s important that you are done with the hike before noon when it starts to get dangerously hot. So save yourself the stress and have the map on AllTrails downloaded just incase you need it!

Alright and that will conclude my top 12 tips for hiking The Wave in summer! I hope these tips helped you out when planning your trip to this one of a kind hike. The key really is to start early and pack plenty of water with you. As long as you’re prepared you’ll be perfectly fine. Enjoy the hike and thank you for reading!