WAVE HIKING PERMIT CHANGES ON THE WAY

November 5, 2021 by admin
Policy/Legislative

(BLM Release) The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Arizona Strip Field Office, in coordination with the Kanab Field Office (Utah) and Recreation.gov, are  preparing to transition the in-person lottery for next day hiking permits to the Wave in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness to a mobile based geofence system.

The mobile geofence system allows for applicants to apply for a permit to hike the Wave from their cell phone or other mobile device. This maintains elements of the legacy “walk-in” system, as the location-based service to apply for a permit will only be available to those within the small, intentionally set boundaries near one of the permitting offices located in Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona.

Successful applicants will be required to pick up permits and attend an in-person safety briefing within an allotted time. Applicants may return to apply for multiple days, which would continue to provide gateway communities with the economic benefits of overnight stays in the local area.

Gateway communities will also benefit as applicants will have more time to take advantage of other recreational opportunities within the geofence area while using and awaiting the results of the mobile-based system.

The change is a business administrative action and does not require review through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) since it would not impact public lands resources.

With this change, only the method of permit application and the availability of an additional site for pick-up would be different. BLM has been working with Kane County, Utah and Coconino County, Arizona to help define the geofence boundaries.

The change also promotes public health and safety as it would eliminate the need for large groups of people to physically gather to compete for a permit minimizing face-to-face exposures.

BLM will determine and announce the locations and details of the geofence area boundaries in January of 2022. The mobile based system will
be made available February 1, 2022.

https://www.lakepowelllife.com/the-wave-will-now-involve-page-too/