The Arizona Trail Association is proud to share our 2019 Annual Report with you. The Annual Report includes highlights of our most successful projects from throughout 2019 as well as our top priorities for 2020. The Annual Report was given to everyone who attended the Annual Members Meeting on February 1 at the Desert Botanical Garden, and it’s now available […]
Read morePayson Roundup (January 31, 2020) by Alexis Bechman On a sunny Sunday in January, I joined Mike Brandt, president of Pine Strawberry Fuel Reduction, Inc. (PSFR), at the Pine Trailhead. We took a leisurely three-mile hike, made possible because Brandt, the PSFR board and volunteers are diligent in educating the community about fire protection and fuel reduction, creating partnerships and […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (January 26, 2020) by Anne McGuffey “Can I go to sleep now?” That’s what Helen Galerakis most wanted, after running the final stretch to the Mexico border. I was with Helen on that mild afternoon in early November, along with Rob Krar, her ultra-running coach. Bright sunshine and puffy clouds graced the Sonoran high desert landscape. She […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (January 19, 2020) by Anne McGuffey I woke at 4:30 a.m. to discover the bivvy sack was torn open down the side — no wonder I’d been feeling cold. After four hours of sleeping on the ground beside Helen Galerakis, it was clear the support crew wouldn’t reach us at this challenging access point near Superior in […]
Read moreThe Woodbury fire destroyed a great many things, some of which were the trail signs. Given the rapidly growing use of the AZT, the seriously altered landscape and the popularity of the AZT route through the Superstitions in general, replacing those signs is an Arizona Trail Association priority. Volunteers have been working on replacing the burned and deteriorated signs for […]
Read moreSaddlebag Notes (December 27, 2019) by Seana Kobak Zach MacDonald, Assistant Trail Director for the Arizona Trail Association, had big plans for the work session on Wednesday, November 20. He was finally going to replace the rickety wire fence at the culvert where the AZT crosses under Oracle (route 77) at Tyger Mine Road. Zach told our Saddlebrooke crew, “I’ve […]
Read moreKJZZ (January 3, 2020) by Lauren Gilger LAUREN GILGER: 2019 was not the year of nuanced takes on life in Phoenix and Arizona in general. There were headlines like 100 Degrees For Days: The Looming Phoenix Heat Wave That Could Harm Thousands from Vox and As Phoenix Heats Up, The Night Comes Alive from the New York Times that, despite some lovely photography, really seemed […]
Read moreThe popular Arizona Trail Topo Maps are now available through the Avenza mobile app. All 129 of the detailed topo maps can be downloaded from the Avenza store and stored to your mobile device. Once they’re downloaded, the maps work offline and without cell phone connectivity. You can use the maps to find your exact location along the trail using […]
Read moreWhite Mountain Independent (Nov. 29, 2019) by Peter Aleshire Let’s thin and burn a million acres. And let’s do that in the heart of some of the most heavily used national forests in the country. Count on lots of logging trucks, processing sites and smoke. Now, maybe that doesn’t make it sound like treating the forest will improve the weekend […]
Read moreAZ Family (November 13, 2019) by Lindsey Reiser An Englishman broke the record for the fastest time on the Arizona Trail. It extends from the Utah-Arizona border to our border with Mexico. Most people take their time, 40 to 50 days, with rest days in between. But not Joshua Perry. He completed the 800-mile trail is 14 days, 12 hours, and 21 minutes. […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (November 13, 2019) by Sam McManis Want to start an argument among local trail runners and hikers, get their heart rates zooming as if they’ve just sprinted up Humphreys Peak? Ask them which section of the Arizona Trail, the segments wending their way through Flagstaff and environs, is the best. By best, we mean the most enjoyable […]
Read moreJust when you thought 800 miles couldn’t be accomplished any quicker, a 24-year-old super hiker from Yorkshire, United Kingdom recently completed the entire length of the Arizona National Scenic Trail in 14 days, 12 hours, 21 minutes. He averaged over 55 miles per day without a day of rest and overcame a stress fracture in his tibia to become the […]
Read moreThe Coronado National Forest has a closure order in effect until Feb 20, 2020. This closure does not allow entry by any means (vehicle, foot, horse, etc) on the last 2 miles of FR72 to Temporal Gulch TH. Trail users should follow detour flagging and use Guthook App to follow route which leaves AZT at MP 54.9 and rejoins the […]
Read moreArizona Republic (September 14, 2019) by Molly Duerig Their trail names are “Iron” and “Sour Patch.” And they’re ready to break some records. Michelle “Iron” Bernstein-Schultz, 34, and her son, Blaine “Sour Patch” Schultz, 7, are preparing for what Bernstein-Schultz describes as “probably the biggest challenge” of her life. They’ll embark on March 16 to hike the entire length of […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (September 8, 2019) by Sam McManis Off the trail and in captivity at the Kickstand Kafe, Darwin seems slightly uneasy, perhaps yearning for a return to his native habitat. His piercing blue eyes dart around when a big truck rumbles up North Humphreys Street, and he stops moving altogether when an ambulance, siren wailing, zooms past. “So […]
Read moreOn August 30-31, a dedicated crew of eight Arizona Trail Association volunteers joined Assistant Trail Director Zach MacDonald to venture into a particularly remote segment of the Arizona Trail to install an AZT Rainwater Collector. This unit is the first of its kind and was designed by the Arizona Trail Association and metalsmith extraordinaire Rob Bauer in consultation with sustainability […]
Read moreErin Margaret Taylor, 28, passed away on May 30, 2019. Erin was born in New Mexico and raised in Casa Grande, AZ. Erin was a loving mother of two children Lyanne and Jax of Casa Grande. She was a caring daughter and sister and will be remembered for her laughter, smile and determination. She loved to cook and bake, especially […]
Read moreThe Valley Toyota Dealers recently donated a 2019 Toyota Tacoma to the Arizona Trail Association. We are excited beyond words! The 4×4 Toyota Tacoma can haul up to four people plus lots of tools and gear, and can easily tow a trailer into those hard-to-access areas. Look for it at a trailhead near you…the custom topo map wrap makes it […]
Read moreAdventure Journal (August 14, 2019) by Laura Jean Schneider “Any day now, calves should be hitting the ground, but until then, it’s the two of us, working toward our vision of productive, healthy rangelands, good cattle and good horses, trying to make a go of it.” This sentence started a 20-month chronicle of the inception and progress of a New […]
Read moreAZ Central (August 13, 2019) by Rich Leveille To experience the state’s groundwater threat in the flesh, one only needs to hike the Arizona Trail. Arizona’s landscape has made me keenly aware of how water can impact rock, soil and life. In a matter of minutes, a desert rain shower can transform the black, desiccated, inorganic-looking crust on otherwise naked […]
Read moreSierra Magazine (June 2, 2019) by Megan Hill Before Jean Taggart left home to conquer the 800-mile Arizona Trail last year, she made a detailed spreadsheet to organize her resupply provisions. To update friends and family on her progress, she bought a Garmin inReach Mini, which is a GPS and satellite messenger. She poured over hiker blogs and absorbed detailed […]
Read moreWe are delighted to offer the third in a series of commemorative mugs celebrating the natural beauty of the Arizona National Scenic Trail! This handmade mug features a scene from the Kaibab Plateau Passage of the AZT near the North Rim of Grand Canyon, including lush meadows, dense fir forests, and an American bison. This was the first segment of […]
Read moreBackpacker Radio (May 24, 2019) Episode 38 In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio, myself plus a very special guest co-host are joined by Legend. He’s back, and does he have new stories to share. We chat all about his previous year, which was arguably busier than anyone in the backpacking world, including his Great Western Loop, a 7,000 mile hike, […]
Read moreJournalAZ.com (May 21, 2019) by John Hecht In 2009, the Arizona Trail became a National Scenic trail, finalizing a project to connect many of the trail systems in the state that had been first proposed in 1985. Traversing Arizona from Mexico to Utah, the Arizona Trail crosses over 800 miles of the Grand Canyon State. Now, the idea of another […]
Read moreThe Fountain Hills Times (May 19, 2019) by Bob Charzuk Almost halfway through his 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail, John (Jay) Waters, a 30 year career Army man, spent two nights dining with local veterans and enjoying a comfortable bed and shower. By the time Waters arrived May 6 at Lakeshore Hotel and Suites, he had been on the […]
Read moreBACKPACKER Magazine (May/June 2019) by Ryan Wichelns We talk about solitude like its last bastions are disappearing. But there’s a place where isolation still rules and evidence of the last travelers is erased before the next ones arrive. You just have to head west to the vast wilds held by the Bureau of Land Management. There are few permits, fewer […]
Read moreOutdoor Evolution (April, 2019) by Heidi Blankenship, Stephen Chaffee & Sarah Jansen Three authors share their three different experiences on one trail… Inspiration on the Arizona Trail by Heidi Elizabeth Blankenship The Arizona Trail: Passages in Poetry by Stephen N. Chaffee Pedaling Home on the Arizona Trail by Sarah Ruth Jansen To read the complete article, click here.
Read moreGear Junkie (April 23, 2019) by Nate Mitka Jeff Garmire hiked and ran the 800-mile Arizona Trail, which stretches across the entirety of Arizona, faster than anyone else. For the feat, he averaged more than 50 miles per day. Verified by FastestKnownTime.com, Garmire set the self-supported and overall fastest known time for the Arizona Trail on April 21, 2019. He completed […]
Read moreSunset Magazine (April, 2019) by Dina Mishev An epic backpacking trip is one way to see the Arizona Trail. But a chill hiking weekend in the throwback town of Superior will do just fine, where you’ll find frontier ruggedness mixed with a Mayberry-in-the-desert vibe. The Arizona Trail, the Southwest’s answer to the Appalachian Trail, stretches from the state’s Mexican border […]
Read moreWCAX (April 8, 2019) A Vermonter is recovering after a hike in Arizona turned into a trip to the hospital. Kaija Johnson planned to spend two weeks hiking the Arizona Trail but halfway through her journey, she was bitten by a rattlesnake. She says it happened deep in a canyon and the snake never gave any warning before striking her […]
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