The Extraordinary Wave

The Wave - Photo By Dave Webb

Huffingtonpost.com has this great article describing "The Wave." The article also provides good information on how tickets are distributed.

The Wave is a colorful sandstone formation along the Utah/Arizona border, in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, located just south of Kanab.

Here are excerpts from the article:

The Wave's dramatically flowing contours in bright orange, red, pink and yellow, are a prized image among landscape photographers, who can be seen lugging tripods across the desert wilderness. The fiery swirls have been emblazoned on postcards, posters, maps and computer screensavers.

"It's just become such a ubiquitous, iconic photo," said Kevin Wright, monument manager of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, where The Wave is located in the Arizona backcountry near the Utah border. Among "people that love the outdoors and have these bucket lists, I think it's become something to check off their list." About a third of visitors are from other countries, particularly Germany, with an upswing from Japan and China in recent years, according to Wright.

Sandstone buttes and huge mesas surround the area throughout the richly colored geological upheaval. The work of powerful tectonic force through the ages is on full display. Panoramas full of jagged red rock project out of the sand. Beyond them, towering hills of rosy stone loom in the backdrop. Some may find the scenery along the way as stunning as the destination.

... Part of the thrill of visiting is wandering around to drink in various angles, which provide a smorgasbord of images for a photographer. The colors change noticeably as varying degrees of cloud cover pass and time goes by.

Read the entire article.