The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only

The Wave, North Coyote Buttes.

 The Second Wave at sunset. The Second Wave, a curiously-shaped sandstone swirl, takes on rich warm tones and dramatic shadowed textures at sunset. Set in the North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah, the Second Wave is characterized by striations revealing layers of sedimentary deposits, a visible historical record depicting eons of submarine geology, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness

The Second Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness.

 A hiker admiring the striated walls and dramatic light within Antelope Canyon, a deep narrow slot canyon formed by water and wind erosion, Navajo Tribal Lands, Page, Arizona

A hiker admiring the striated walls and dramatic light within Antelope Canyon, a deep narrow slot canyon formed by water and wind erosion.
Northern cardinal, male, Cardinalis cardinalis, Amado, Arizona

Male Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, Arizona

 The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only

Sandstone swirls at The Wave, North Coyote Buttes.

 Pyrrhuloxia, male, Cardinalis sinuatus, Amado, Arizona

Male Pyrrhuloxia, Cardinalis sinuatus, Arizona.
Greater roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus, Amado, Arizona

Greater roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus, Arizona.

 Black-headed grosbeak, male, Pheucticus melanocephalus, Madera Canyon Recreation Area, Green Valley, Arizona

Black-headed grosbeak, male. Madera Canyon Recreation Area, Green Valley, Arizona. Pheucticus melanocephalus.

 A hiker admiring the striated walls and dramatic light within Antelope Canyon, a deep narrow slot canyon formed by water and wind erosion, Navajo Tribal Lands, Page, Arizona

Antelope Canyon, slot canyon exploring and hiking, canyoneering.
Panorama of the Wave. The Wave is a sweeping, dramatic display of eroded sandstone, forged by eons of water and wind erosion, laying bare striations formed from compacted sand dunes over millenia. This panoramic picture is formed from thirteen individual photographs, North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona

Panorama of the Wave, North Coyote Buttes, Arizona.
Horseshoe Bend. The Colorado River makes a 180-degree turn at Horseshoe Bend. Here the river has eroded the Navajo sandstone for eons, digging a canyon 1100-feet deep, Page, Arizona

Horseshoe Bend. The Colorado River makes a 180-degree turn at Horseshoe Bend. Here the river has eroded the Navajo sandstone for eons, digging a canyon 1100-feet deep.

 Sarah's Swirl, a particularly beautiful formation at White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument

Sarah's Swirl, a particularly beautiful formation at White Pocket in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.

 Sandstone "fins", eroded striations that depict how sandstone -- ancient compressed sand -- was laid down in layers over time. Now exposed, the layer erode at different rates, forming delicate "fins" that stretch for long distances, Navajo Tribal Lands, Page, Arizona

Sunset on sandstone fins, Navajo Tribal Lands, Arizona.
Hiker in Buckskin Gulch. A hiker considers the towering walls and narrow passageway of Buckskin Gulch, a dramatic slot canyon forged by centuries of erosion through sandstone. Buckskin Gulch is the worlds longest accessible slot canyon, running from the Paria River toward the Colorado River. Flash flooding is a serious danger in the narrows where there is no escape, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona

Hiker in Buckskin Gulch, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona.

 Lower Antelope Canyon, a deep, narrow and spectacular slot canyon lying on Navajo Tribal lands near Page, Arizona, Navajo Tribal Lands

Lower Antelope Canyon, Navajo Tribal Lands

 Brilliant red striations around the base of this pinnacle are responsible for its name: the Lollipop, White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

The Lollipop, White Pocket, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
Buckskin Gulch hiker. A hiker moves through the deep narrow passages of Buckskin Gulch, a slot canyon cut deep into sandstone by years of river-induced erosion. In some places the Buckskin Gulch narrows are only about 15 feet wide but several hundred feet high, blocking sunlight. Flash floods are dangerous as there is no escape once into the Buckskin Gulch slot canyons. This is a panorama made of sixteen individual photos, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona

Panorama of a hiker in Buckskin Gulch, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona.
Brain rocks and clouds, sunset, White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Brain rocks and clouds, White Pocket, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona.

 Lower Antelope Canyon, a deep, narrow and spectacular slot canyon lying on Navajo Tribal lands near Page, Arizona, Navajo Tribal Lands

Slot canyons are formed when water and wind erode a cut through a (usually sandstone) mesa. Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona.

 Pedestal rock, or hoodoo, at Stud Horse Point. These hoodoos form when erosion occurs around but not underneath a more resistant caprock that sits atop of the hoodoo spire, Page, Arizona

Pedestal Rock Hoodoo At Stud Horse Point
Pedestal rock, or hoodoo, at Stud Horse Point. These hoodoos form when erosion occurs around but not underneath a more resistant caprock that sits atop of the hoodoo spire, Page, Arizona

Stud Horse Point hoodoo, Arizona.

 Lower Antelope Canyon, a deep, narrow and spectacular slot canyon lying on Navajo Tribal lands near Page, Arizona, Navajo Tribal Lands

Hiking and photographing, Lower Antelope Canyon, Page, Arizona.

 Sandstone "fins", eroded striations that depict how sandstone -- ancient compressed sand -- was laid down in layers over time. Now exposed, the layer erode at different rates, forming delicate "fins" that stretch for long distances, Navajo Tribal Lands, Page, Arizona

Sunset On Sandstone Fins, Navajo Tribal Lands
White Pocket, sandstone forms and colors are amazing, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Sandstone and storm clouds, White Pocket, Arizona.

 Lower Antelope Canyon, a deep, narrow and spectacular slot canyon lying on Navajo Tribal lands near Page, Arizona, Navajo Tribal Lands

Lower Antelope Canyon, Navajo Tribal Lands

 A hiker admiring the striated walls and dramatic light within Antelope Canyon, a deep narrow slot canyon formed by water and wind erosion, Navajo Tribal Lands, Page, Arizona

Inside the entrance to Antelope Canyon Slot Canyon, striated walls and light beams, Page, Arizona.
Antelope Canyon, a deep narrow slot canyon formed by water and wind erosion, Navajo Tribal Lands, Page, Arizona

Scalloped walls and striated sandstone, water erosion, deep narrow slot canyon, Southwest.

 Geometric joints and cracks form in eroding sandstone, North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona

Geometric joints and cracks form in eroding sandstone, North Coyote Buttes, Arizona.

 Desert cottontail, or Audobon's cottontail rabbit, Sylvilagus audubonii, Amado, Arizona

Desert cottontail rabbit, or Audobon's cottontail rabbit, Sylvilagus audubonii, Arizona.
The Wave, an area of fantastic eroded sandstone featuring beautiful swirls, wild colors, countless striations, and bizarre shapes set amidst the dramatic surrounding North Coyote Buttes of Arizona and Utah. The sandstone formations of the North Coyote Buttes, including the Wave, date from the Jurassic period. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Wave is located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness and is accessible on foot by permit only

Brilliant sandstone patterns, The Wave, Arizona.
Monument Valley panorama, a composite of twelve individual photographs

Monument Valley