7 Creepy Crawlies I Met on the AZT

The Trek (March 5, 2026) by Mechanic

The biggest curiosity I had before starting the Arizona Trail (AZT) last year: would I encounter any desert critters during my 800 mile trek? The answer: Yes! I was blown away by all the unique wildlife I had the opportunity to meet:

  1. This vibrant rattler shortly before entering the Mazatzal Wilderness (say that ten times fast!) :
     

  2. The legendary venomous Gila monster (pronounced HEE-lah)! I came across 2 – just before passing Picketpost Mountain and entering the Superstition Mountains:

3. A Giant Desert Centipede. I was shocked to see this massive crawler – 8” in length and thicker than my finger, prowling around some rocks, just before entering the Mazatzal Wilderness.

3. This scorpion that found shelter under my sleeping pad near Mt. Lemmon :

4. This tarantula fellow hiker “Dory Stovetop” photographed, near Redington Pass :

5. This Rattler, camouflaged near the trail just north of Oracle, AZ – ready to play I-Spy?

6. This Horned “Toad” Lizard on Mt. Lemmon (soo cute!) :

7. This docile Gopher Snake catching some sun on-trail near the Tortilla Mountains :

 

The only two creatures that alluded me were the javelina and the desert tortoise! But rumors passed down the trail from other AZT hikers.

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