The Wave lottery calendar 2027

Which month do I apply in for a Wave permit in spring 2027?

Four months before the month you want to hike. Apply in November 2026 for March 2027, December for April, January for May.

The rule on the recreation.gov advance lottery page is short: you can enter any time during a calendar month for a permit date in the calendar month four months ahead, and the lottery runs on the first of the next month at 9:00 a.m. Results come by email right after the draw. If you win, you log back in, finish the group details and pay by the 15th, or the permit is gone.

Here is how that plays out for the coming season. October 2026 is in the table because it is still open as you read this.

How does the advance lottery work, and what does it cost?

One application per person per lottery, a $6 non-refundable fee to apply, and $7 per person (and per dog) only if you win.

Recreation.gov charges the $6 lottery fee when you submit, win or lose. The $7 recreation fee per person or dog is charged only after you are drawn. Each person may file a single application per lottery; duplicate applications are disqualified. A group is up to six people, and everyone on the trip, including a baby in a carrier, has to be on the permit.

The advance lottery hands out up to 48 places a day, in no more than 12 groups.

The BLM's Wave FAQ is blunt about money: fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, and no rain checks are issued for any reason. A snowed-in road on your permit day is your loss, not theirs.

Is it too late for a Wave permit in December, January or February?

For December and January, the advance lottery is closed. February 2027 is open until 31 October 2026. After that, only the daily lottery is left for those months.

December 2026 hikes came out of the August application window, and January 2027 out of September. Both draws are done. February is the last winter month you can still enter from home, and the window shuts at the end of October.

Miss it and the daily lottery is your route. It needs you to be in the area two days before the hike, phone in hand, which suits a road trip with a few flexible days far better than a fixed weekend. A third-party guide, Hike With Ryan, says daily lottery odds tend to look better from December through February than in spring and fall. It gives no figures, and we have none either, so treat it as a hint.

How does the daily lottery work in winter?

Apply on your phone between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Utah time, two days before the hike, from inside the geofence. Results arrive at 7:15 p.m.

The daily lottery page sets the rules: a mobile device only (no laptop), and you must be inside a geofence of about 3,272 square miles that follows the US-89 and Highway 389 corridors from roughly Kanab to Page. Up to 16 people in no more than 4 groups win each day. The fees match the advance lottery: $6 to apply, $7 per person or dog if you win.

The local tourism office, Visit Southern Utah, lays out the three days: apply on day one, accept and pay by 8 a.m. Utah time on day two, then be at the permit pickup location you chose with photo ID at 8:30 a.m. local time for a safety briefing. You hike on day three.

One winter bonus. Utah went back to standard time on 1 November 2026, so Kanab and Page show the same clock until Utah springs forward on 14 March 2027. No time-zone maths at the 8 a.m. deadline.

What happens if House Rock Valley Road is closed on my permit day?

You lose the day. The road to Wire Pass can be impassable in winter even with four-wheel drive, and permit fees are not refunded.

The Wave trailhead sits 8.3 miles down House Rock Valley Road, a dirt road off US-89. The BLM's road conditions page says that "during the rainy season and the winter months, the road may become impassable for all vehicles", even those with four-wheel drive, and that the Utah stretch from US-89 to Stateline Campground is not periodically maintained.

On the rock itself, the permit page warns that winter visits "may involve hiking on ice-covered sandstone and exposure to cold." The hike is 6.4 miles round trip on an unmarked route, and in December you have under ten hours of daylight to do it. Our winter post has the sunrise and sunset times.

Our advice: for a winter permit, keep the day before and the day after free, and check the road with the BLM Kanab Visitor Center before you drive.

Which months should I enter for the best chance and the best conditions?

Spring has the best weather. July and August are the riskiest for heat. Winter has the ice, the road and the fewest daylight hours.

The BLM warns that heat from May to September without enough water has killed hikers on this route. If you apply in March or April 2027, you are entering for July or August. Some people do it. Start at first light and carry at least a gallon of water each.

Spring and fall are the months most people want, for the obvious reason. Our pick is to enter the lottery for every month you could realistically travel, one application per person, and plan the rest of the trip so it still works if you lose.

That fallback matters. White Pocket, on the same Paria Plateau, has no permit and no lottery. The catch is deep sand only a high-clearance 4x4 crosses. The small-group White Pocket tour solves that from Kanab, and our White Pocket tours guide compares the three options.

The fallback if the lottery says no: a full day at White Pocket with a guide who drives the sand, from Kanab, no permit needed.

★ 5.0 · 8 hours · from $183

Explore the small-group White Pocket tour → Tour details

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