The Wave in the North Coyote Buttes: The Perfect Skatepark?

By April 25, 2008March 8th, 2020Arizona, The American Southwest, The Wave

Before X-Games and Tony Hawk, nay even before Bahne skateboards, Chicago trucks and Cadillac wheels, there was the Wave. Formed in the days before mankind walked erect, indeed before there was a mankind, God created the ultimate skatepark, one that has yet to be improved upon. The Wave has waited through the eons as man developed lungs, legs, self-awareness, bipedal balance and, finally, sufficient disregard for his own survival to Ride the Board. Hidden in the parched desert of northwestern Arizona, the Perfect Skatepark has been gently, slowly, delicately carved by the winds and sands of time, eroded into unsurpassed contours of verticality that beckon those Most Evolved Humans, the ones who heed the call to bend gravity through a 720° mobius. On Any Given Sunday only a fortunate 20 are chosen to visit by The Man. I have finally lain eyes upon the Perfect Skatepark and my Skate Perspective will never be the same. Ride on bro.

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, 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.
Image ID: 20614
Location: North Coyote Buttes, Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona, USA

Photos of the Wave, North Coyote Buttes

About Phil Colla

I am a natural history photographer. I enjoy making compelling images in the ocean, on land, and in the air. I have maintained the Natural History Photography blog since 2005 and my searchable Natural History Photography Library since 1997. Here are some tear sheets and behind the scenes views. Thanks for looking!