This is the time of year when the Arizona State Legislature returns from recess to hammer out the final details of next year’s budget. We need your help to encourage them to dedicate funding for Arizona Trail maintenance and construction. There is a line item in our state budget for Arizona Trail Fund, and it is used to pay conservation […]
Read moreEnvironmental Defense Fund (April 29, 2026) by Christopher Kuzdas The state of Arizona’s annual budget provides an important opportunity to invest in strengthening public water security and community resilience. While community leaders have made historic progress to protect their local water supplies through new groundwater protections for the first time ever in Cochise, La Paz and Mohave counties, much of Arizona still remains vulnerable to […]
Read moreBeginning October 15, 2026, a section of the North Kaibab Trail in Grand Canyon National Park will close to all public access for critical pipeline rehabilitation work on the Transcanyon Waterline. The closure area will be between Redwall Bridge (2.5 miles north of Manzanita Rest Area) and the northern end of Cottonwood Campground. This hard closure will remain in place […]
Read moreGear Junkie (April 27, 2026) by Mary Andino In the ongoing public debate about border wall construction on public lands in the Southwest, there has been one critical resource for activists, local residents, nonprofits, and journalists: The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Smart Wall map. This interactive digital map, freely available on CBP’s website, showed where construction was planned and in […]
Read moreAudubon Southwest (April 23, 2026) by Haley Paul While there are many important needs that arise when crafting a state budget, legislators and the Governor must remember the essential natural resources that allow Arizonans to thrive here in the first place—our lands and waters. And it is vital that we maintain and protect them. To do so, Audubon Southwest has outlined three key budget provisions that […]
Read moreWhether you’re hiking, running, biking, riding, or rolling along the Arizona Trail, wrap yourself in one of these versatile and stylish neck gaiters. Our new design for Spring 2026 features a colorful pollinator motif, with hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and blooming wildflowers. It’s the ultimate trail accessory! Some of the many uses include: sun guard/wind guard for your neck and ears […]
Read moreArizona Republic (April 22, 2026) by Joan Meiners One week before Earth Day, on April 15, the Department of Homeland Security convened a Zoom call with the Arizona Trail Association to explain that the agency had ordered the southernmost mile of the Arizona National Scenic Trail closed so that contractors could blast and grade the earth through Coronado National Memorial […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (April 18, 2026) by Sam McLaughlin A coalition of conservation advocacy groups recently released a new report detailing the potential costs of transferring federally owned lands to the state. That report, announced on April 4 to coincide with Public Lands Day, found that the transfer of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands to the state would […]
Read moreAZPM (April 18, 2026) by Angela Gervasi A segment of the Arizona Trail is now closed to the public as border fence construction continues along the state’s southeastern edge. In a social media post Monday, the National Park Service said the closure was necessary to “ensure visitor safety” amid construction and blasting activity in the area. The closure, which applies […]
Read moreKVOA (April 16, 2026) A hiker in her 60s was rescued from the Arizona Trail after falling and injuring her leg, capping off a busy weekend of training for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team. The rescue call came in at approximately 10 a.m. on April 14. Extreme wind conditions made a helicopter extraction uncertain, and multiple […]
Read moreBackpacker (April 14, 2026) by Adam Roy The southernmost mile of the Arizona Trail (AZT) is closed indefinitely as the federal government forges ahead with plans to build a new section of border wall at the trail’s southern terminus, the Arizona Trail Association (ATA) says. In an update on its site on April 13, the ATA said that the Department of Homeland […]
Read moreGearJunkie (April 14, 2026) by Mary Andino The 800-mile Arizona Trail (AZT) is a premier thru-hike. It’s one of only 11 specially designated National Scenic Trails, and hundreds of people complete it every year. Now, however, it will be obstructed, and hikers will be unable to traverse its entire length. Recent border wall construction has blocked access to the final mile […]
Read moreArizona Daily Star (April 13, 2026) by Richard Boren I spent three wonderful yet unseasonably hot weeks in March hiking the Arizona Trail over Mt. Lemmon and enjoyed mingling with hikers from all over the world. The month had record heat reaching 100 degrees in Tucson on March 19. So. AZ is facing an existential threat due to climate change. […]
Read moreThe Trek (April 13, 2026) by Podcast M We were night hiking when I started to see the course markings. We were just outside of Oracle, AZ and we were continuing our northbound thru-hike of the AZT, but now the trail was clearly marked for an upcoming trail race. One of our trail friends noted, “This must be for a […]
Read moreArizona Highways (April 14, 2026) A hiker continues on the Arizona Trail near Picketpost Mountain after a night of rain. Photographer: Lance Goehring To see the image online, click here.
Read moreBeginning Monday, April 13, the Arizona National Scenic Trail is closed between the southern terminus at Border Monument 102 and the Joe’s Canyon Trail junction at mile 1.0. Due to construction activities associated with Dept. of Homeland Security’s border wall within Coronado National Memorial, the southernmost mile of the AZT is closed until further notice (likely through the end of […]
Read moreSun City Independent (April 4, 2026) Sun City resident Art Karts Huseonica is making progress on his 800-mile/1,287km thru-hike of the Arizona Trail. He has completed over 490 miles/790km while negotiating challenging terrain and varied weather patterns. On what has been branded as the Dale Shewalter Tribute Hike in honor of the founder of the Arizona Trail, Huseonica is hiking […]
Read moreIn celebration of Arizona Public Lands Day this Saturday, April 4, conservation leaders are urging residents to take a closer look at what’s at stake for the state’s public lands. A newly released report, Fiscal Impact of Transferring Federal Lands to Arizona, raises awareness about the significant economic and fiscal risks associated with state legislative proposals to transfer federally managed lands to state […]
Read moreArizona Daily Star (Mar 31, 2026) by Matthew J. Nelson National parks are our most treasured resources. From Saguaro to Grand Canyon, the Congressional designation of a national park is a point of pride for Arizonans, and a bucket list destination for Americans and international visitors alike. Filmmaker Ken Burns made famous the sentiment that national parks are “America’s best […]
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