Welcome to the Arizona Trail

As you gaze in awe at the wildflowers and enjoy a memorable hike, run or ride along the Arizona Trail, please help us celebrate by donating today in support of our important Spring Fundraiser! During the month of May, a $25 donation will get you a one-year Arizona Trail Association membership and this special edition retro sticker. This classic Southwestern design was created at a time when a complete path from Mexico to Utah was still just a dream. Decades of dedication...

On April 6, Arizona Trail Association staff and volunteers completed installation of a Remote Rainwater Collector along a particularly arid segment of trail on Passage 15 in Pinal County. This unit is located north of the Freeman Road Trailhead on the ancestral lands of the O’odham and Western Apache, and holds 1,500 gallons of water. This is the second remote collector the ATA has developed in an effort to provide a reliable source of water in areas that have been...

Yesterday, tribal leaders of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, joined by Congressman Raúl Grijalva and Senator Kyrsten Sinema, launched an effort to call on President Biden to use his authorities under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. Baaj Nwaavjo means “where tribes roam” for the Havasupai Tribe, and I’tah Kukveni means “our footprints” for the Hopi Tribe. The proposal builds on the tribes’ longstanding effort to permanently protect the region....

  The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will open on Friday, June 2 at 6 a.m. to mark the official start of the 2023 season. Following a record-setting snow season, this delayed opening is necessary to ensure the safe plowing of State Route 67 and allow staff to reopen visitor facilities on the North Rim. Key changes this 2023 season include: April 12-June 2 Closure of the North Kaibab Trail (Arizona Trail) from Cottonwood Campground to the North...

If you weren't able to join us at the Desert Botanical Garden for the Arizona Trail Association's 29th Annual Meeting on Sunday, March 5, please check out the video on our YouTube page here. Thanks to Craig Baker for capturing video and photographs from the big day!

Tom Zoellner walked across the length of Arizona to come to terms with his home state. But the trip revealed more mountains behind the mountains. Rim to River is the story of this extraordinary journey through redrock country, down canyons, up mesas, and across desert plains to the obscure valley in Mexico that gave the state its enigmatic name. The trek is interspersed with incisive essays that pick apart the distinctive cultural landscape of Arizona: the wine-colored pinnacles and complex spirituality...

The Arizona Trail Association acknowledges our support for the federal climate and clean energy investments as part of The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to encourage Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, the new Office of Resiliency, state agencies, and Arizona’s elected leaders to deploy these investments to ensure they are getting to the communities that need them the most.  The Arizona Trail is a vital resource for our state and nation. But in recent years we have seen...

In December, a multi-modal survey from TargetSmart engaged adults registered to vote in the state of Arizona to assess top priorities within the Grand Canyon State. Over 800 individuals participated via phone, text and online platforms to share their thoughts on policy priorities relating to our economy, environment, border issues, healthcare, education, partisanship and more. The poll has a credibility interval of +/- 3.5%. Some key findings related to the Arizona Trail and Arizona’s outdoor recreation economy include: 89% support...

Current members of the Arizona Trail Association are asked to please take just one minute to vote in our annual Board of Directors using this simple online ballot. Your vote will help elect community members who are interested in guiding the future of the Arizona Trail Association as volunteer board members. There are four prospective Board Members interested in serving a three-year term on the Board: Karen Gresham (Phoenix), David Rabb (Tucson), Shawn Redfield (Pine), and Clark Tenakhongva (Polacca). Please...

Our 29th Annual Meeting is happening on Sunday, March 5 at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, and you are invited to attend. ATA Board and Staff will highlight some of greatest accomplishments from 2022, honor outstanding volunteers and agency partners, hear from guest speakers, and much more. The event is scheduled from 10 am – 1 pm and will include breakout sessions where you can participate in important conversations about organizational priorities and plans for 2023 and beyond. Then, we...

We encourage you to tell your Arizona Trail story with the help of this new membership perk – an Arizona Trail word magnet. Put it on your refrigerator or other metallic surface at home and let the creativity flow! Haiku, limericks, prose, inspirations and memories are all encouraged. Mix it up daily or weekly, and get stoked to get back out there on the trail. Anyone joining the Arizona Trail Association or renewing their membership at $35+/year or $5/month will receive this...

On Friday, December 16 the Arizona Trail Association celebrated the grand opening of the Oak Tree Canyon Trailhead on the Coronado National Forest near the town of Sonoita. After having been closed for nearly 20 years due to natural and cultural resource impacts from off-highway vehicles, we were delighted to have been granted permission to construct a trailhead at this scenic location. In addition to earthwork and steel fence construction, the trailhead also includes two steel gates and an interpretive...

The Pinyon Plain Mine (formerly Canyon Mine) appears to be gearing up for uranium mining operations fewer than 10 miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and less than four miles from the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Hundreds more uranium mines could eventually be developed on public lands near Grand Canyon National Park if the Senate fails to pass Senate Bill 387, the Grand Canyon Protection Act. Operators of the controversial uranium mine recently posted a job ad...

Celebrate Giving Tuesday with a donation to the Arizona Trail Association. Through your ongoing generosity we are able to maintain the treasure that is the Arizona National Scenic Trail and protect it for future generations. Since 1994, the Arizona Trail Association has accomplished incredible things – all with support from members, donors, business partners and others who believe in our mission. People like you! At the ATA, we encourage a life filled with outdoor activities, making meaningful connections with people and landscapes, and embracing the ethics of...

Caring for our military veterans is an awesome responsibility, particularly toward vets who may be dealing with the after-effects of combat or other stressful service, and while we might think of the Veterans Health Administration as the vehicle for that care, there are other ways to help. That is where the Arizona Trail Association (ATA) enters the picture. For nearly two years, the ATA, a nonprofit established in 1994 to manage the 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT), has administered a...

The Arizona Trail Association recently announced a partnership with Pin Drop Travel Trailers that will support stewardship of trails, public lands, and the people who enjoy them. “We are so excited to be able to partner with a local business that’s created the ultimate travel trailer for adventures in Arizona’s wild outdoor spaces,” said Matt Nelson, Executive Director of the ATA. “Our Pin Drop trailer will support staff, volunteers, conservation corps and others as we work together to maintain the...

The recently completed Walnut Canyon Reroute is officially open! This important initiative to take a few miles of the AZT off old forest roads south of Flagstaff, was a successful collaboration between the Arizona Trail Association, Coconino National Forest, Arizona Conservation Corps, Arizona State Parks & Trails, Flagline Trails, and awesome volunteers. If you haven’t experienced this new ribbon of trail between Fisher Point and Old Walnut Canyon Road Trailhead, get out there and enjoy it on foot, mountain bike...

The ATA is proud to announce a partnership with Copperstate Farms, a vertically integrated Arizona cannabis operator. As a Premier Legacy Partner, Copperstate Farms is donating $20,000 to support new trail construction and maintenance. “Copperstate Farms is proud to be a locally owned company, and we love this state,” said Fife Symington IV, CEO and co-founder at Copperstate Farms. “Arizona is filled with natural beauty, and the Arizona Trail is one of the best ways to discover its wonders. As...

During the summer of 2020, the Mangum Fire scorched 71,450 acres on the Kaibab National Forest and significantly impacted three miles of the Arizona Trail within Orderville Canyon along Passage 42 (Kaibab Plateau North). Since the trail was located within the canyon bottom and the fire burned at high intensity, this segment of AZT has been closed for two years in the interest of public safety. Trail users have been rerouted along forest roads through blackened forest nearby. But thanks...

Due to significant precipitation received across the Coconino and Kaibab National Forests of northern Arizona, fire restrictions and certain area closures will be lifted starting at noon on Tuesday, June 28. Fire-related area closures will remain in effect around the perimeters of the Pipeline and Haywire fires but have been reduced in size. The decision to lift fire restrictions was made based on the amount of precipitation both received and forecasted across both forests. While a ban on campfires and smoking has...