The Wave is a sandstone rock formation located in Arizona, United States of America, near its northern border with Utah.
The formation is well-known among hikers and photographers for its colorful, undulating forms and the difficult hike required to reach it. Due to the fragile nature of the formation and the large number of people wishing to visit it, a daily lottery system is used to dispense only ten next-day permits in person at the Kanab visitor center.
The Wave consists of intersecting U-shaped troughs that have been eroded into Navajo Sandstone of Jurassic age. Nearly 200 million years ago, this was a desert, sandy area that turned into the great hills of modern times with seasonal winds. The precipitate of iron oxide is made up of yellow, pink and red dyes.
An ideal time to photograph the Wave is the few hours around midday when there are no shadows in the center, although early morning and late afternoon shadows can also make for dramatic photos.
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