A rock formation in Arizona, known as The Wave, only allows 20 people a day to visit, and is so popular it holds a lottery for hikers, according to Yahoo! News. The lottery is held online four months in advance, awarding 10 winners with permits. The other 10 are picked daily in a 9 a.m. lottery.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) limits access to protect The Wave's delicate red sandstone formation and to protect the designated wilderness site from overcrowding.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, The Wave has kind of caught on as a fun hike," Kathy Spellman, a visitor information assistant with the BLM, told hikers in May as the lottery numbers were chosen. "The hike out is very nice.
"It's six miles round-trip, so it's not too long, not too short," she continued. "You can go in there and it's not a marked trail.
"The trees don't have names on them," Spellman added. "There are not little rocks along the edges of the trail, so you can feel like you're in the middle of nowhere."
The dramatic contours are a prized image among landscape photographers. The image is popular on postcards, posters, maps and computer screensavers.
"It's just become such a ubiquitous, iconic photo," Kevin Wright, the monument manager of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, where The Wave is located, said.
Last year, 48,264 people applied for permits to visit, according to Spellman, who works in the visitor center where the drawing is held for the hikes. Only 7,300 permits are awarded per year based on the 20 people per day limit.
People caught hiking without a permit face tickets with fines ranging from $125 to a couple thousand dollars.
"People find out about those people, and they turn them in," Spellman said.
The hike itself has dangers. At least a gallon of water is recommended, as well as salty snacks and sunscreen. People have gotten lost, both on the way and trying to return. Because the area is remote, losing your way can lead to unplanned camping. It's also important to be cautious to avoid falling on the rocks.
"The sandstone is weakly cemented and ongoing processes of erosion are important to its present configuration," Gerald Bryant, the director of the field institute at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah, said in an e-mail to Yahoo! "Though the bulk of landscape incision and sediment removal has been accomplished by running water, many of the delicate surfaces have been sculpted by wind."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
