--- title: "The Wave (Coyote Buttes North) permits: dates & how to apply" url: https://parksahead.com/permits/the-wave/ verified_on: 2026-10-15 sources: - https://www.blm.gov/arizona/public-room/fact-sheet/coyote-buttes-north-advanced-lottery-wave-faqs - https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309 - https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909 attribution: "Data Source: Recreation.gov" --- # The Wave (Coyote Buttes North) permits: dates & how to apply ## Short answer Apply any time during a month for the month four months ahead: Oct → Feb 2027 · Nov → Mar · Dec → Apr · Jan → May · Feb → Jun · Mar → Jul. Draw at 9 a.m. MT on the 1st of the next month. Daily lottery: apply 6 a.m.–6 p.m. two days before, from a mobile device inside the geofence. Next window: - Advanced lottery (Recreation.gov 274309): October 1, 2026–October 31, 2026 (Mountain time). Applies to: start/hike month Feb 2027. Time zone stated: Mountain time. Source: https://www.blm.gov/arizona/public-room/fact-sheet/coyote-buttes-north-advanced-lottery-wave-faqs - Daily lottery (Recreation.gov 4251909): 6:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., 2 days before. Source: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909 Booking: https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309 https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909 Verified: 2026-10-15 ## Last verified Last verified October 15, 2026 against the official pages below. ## Cite this page Parks Ahead, “The Wave (Coyote Buttes North) permits: dates & how to apply”, https://parksahead.com/permits/the-wave/, last verified October 15, 2026. PATTERN. Published recurring schedule. ## Key dates ### Advanced lottery (Recreation.gov 274309) October 1, 2026–October 31, 2026 (Mountain time) start/hike month Feb 2027 (BLM: Advanced Lottery FAQ https://www.blm.gov/arizona/public-room/fact-sheet/coyote-buttes-north-advanced-lottery-wave-faqs) Lottery runs: November 1, 2026, 9:00 a.m. (Mountain time) ### Daily lottery (Recreation.gov 4251909) 6:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., 2 days before (Recreation.gov: daily lottery https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909) ## Where to apply Coyote Buttes North Advanced Lottery (The Wave): Check current availability on Recreation.gov. https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309 Coyote Buttes North Daily Lottery (The Wave): Check current availability on Recreation.gov. https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909 No availability data. Recreation.gov's public RIDB data has none, and we don't scrape it. Pages link each facility's booking page for current availability. ## How it works Recreation.gov (advanced 274309; daily 4251909). $6 application; $7/person (and per dog) if selected. Up to 3 dates per application; one application per person per lottery. ## Fees ### Coyote Buttes North Advanced Lottery (The Wave) Fees (as of October 15, 2026) > There is a non-refundable $6 administrative fee to apply per application. BLM: Advanced Lottery FAQ https://www.blm.gov/arizona/public-room/fact-sheet/coyote-buttes-north-advanced-lottery-wave-faqs > The fees are $7 per person per day. Dogs must be included on the permit, and the fee is $7 per dog. BLM: Advanced Lottery FAQ https://www.blm.gov/arizona/public-room/fact-sheet/coyote-buttes-north-advanced-lottery-wave-faqs ### Coyote Buttes North Daily Lottery (The Wave) Fees (as of October 15, 2026) > A non-refundable $6.00 lottery fee is required for each lottery application. Recreation.gov: daily lottery https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909 > If selected in the lottery, a recreation fee of $7.00 per person or dog is required. Recreation.gov: daily lottery https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909 Weather: NWS forecast: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=37.04242&lon=-112.512256 Alerts: BLM: Coyote Buttes North (The Wave) FAQ https://www.blm.gov/arizona/public-room/fact-sheet/coyote-buttes-north-advanced-lottery-wave-faqs ## Before you apply - **Pick your lottery.** There are only two ways to get a permit (timing is listed above). You can apply to the Advanced Lottery from anywhere on any device. The Daily Lottery only works on a mobile device from inside the geofence ([Recreation.gov: Daily Lottery](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909)). - **Name your alternates when you apply.** You can't add them after the lottery runs. Each alternate needs a Recreation.gov account and must accept the email invite within 3 days. Alternates can't enter the lottery themselves, and becoming one stops that person from applying for their own permit ([Recreation.gov: Advanced Lottery](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Count everyone, including infants and dogs.** Everyone must be on the permit, including infants who aren't walking. Dogs are allowed but must be on the permit ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Send one application per person.** People who send more than one per lottery are disqualified, and you can't hold more than one permit for the area at a time ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Think about the season before you apply.** Permits can't be rescheduled, even when conditions are poor. Extreme heat and lack of shade between May and September, along with no drinking water, "have led to fatalities in this permit area" ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). ## Common mistakes - **Missing the confirmation step.** Advanced Lottery winners must log back in, confirm, complete any remaining details and pay by the 15th of the month, or they lose the permit ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Missing a Daily Lottery deadline.** The Daily Lottery has several deadlines (applying, accepting and picking up), and missing any one voids the award. Recreation.gov says "The lottery system is based on the time in Utah and the Navajo Nation" ([Recreation.gov: Daily Lottery](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909)). - **Applying from a laptop or an old app.** For the Daily Lottery, "desktop or laptops will not work," and "Out of date Recreation.gov mobile apps will cause issues with payment" ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/4251909)). - **Following routes from third-party apps.** Recreation.gov calls these "unofficial, user generated routes" and says visitors have gotten lost or seriously injured following them ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Assuming a Wire Pass self-pay permit covers The Wave.** BLM says self-pay permits for Buckskin Gulch, Paria Canyon and Wire Pass "do not give you access to Coyote Buttes North (The Wave)" ([BLM FAQ, published 2022](https://www.blm.gov/arizona/public-room/fact-sheet/coyote-buttes-north-advanced-lottery-wave-faqs)). ## What changed this year TBA. As of Oct 15, 2026, the official pages don't announce rule changes. Check [Recreation.gov: Advanced Lottery](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309). ## Tips - **Be honest about navigation.** There are no trails in the permit area. Permit holders are offered an orientation and a route description, but the route itself is unmarked ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Weigh the hike for your whole group.** Recreation.gov calls the suggested route "a strenuous 6.4 mile round-trip hike" and asks you to consider everyone's fitness before applying ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **A guide is allowed.** If you win a permit and hire an authorized outfitter and guide, the guide doesn't count against your group size limit. Each party is limited to one guide ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Check the road before you go.** The access road is unpaved and minimally maintained. Four-wheel-drive, high-clearance vehicles may be needed when it's wet, and in the rainy season and winter it may become impassable for all vehicles ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **On the day:** register at the trailhead going in and coming out, and keep the group together. The area is day use only, and drones are prohibited ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). - **Emergencies:** call 911. Cell phones are unreliable here but may reach 911 when other numbers don't work ([Recreation.gov](https://www.recreation.gov/permits/274309)). Parks Ahead is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the Bureau of Land Management or Recreation.gov. Data Source: Recreation.gov