Bikepacking (May 20, 2026) by Daniel Jessee Much continues to happen regarding public land management and access in the United States. In this update, we summarize four significant issues that have made headlines in the last few months… As has become common over the last 15 months, it’s almost impossible to keep up with all the changes within the agencies […]

Tucson Sentinel (May 18, 2026) by Paul Ingram Contractors carving a border wall through the Coronado National Memorial may have ignited a wildfire last week that consumed around 60 acres of the protected landscape. Around 1:17 p.m. on Thursday, the Yaqui Fire was first reported near a wall construction area on the southern edge of the Huachuca Mountains, less than […]

Arizona Highways (May 16, 2026) by Annette McGivney After yearsin a demanding state goverment job and a lifetime of frigid Minnesota winters, Mary Jo Kvidera was ready to move someplace warm and peaceful when she retired. In February 2018, she bought a home in Superior, having been drawn by the town’s mild climate and scenic location at the foot of […]

Arizona Daily Sun (May 16, 2026) by Larry Hendricks The wind blows, but we’re protected by the trees. The pines and leafless aspens creak and groan amid the knocks of woodpeckers and flickers rooting out bugs from the trunks of grayed snags. The deer grass, browned and flattened from winter snows, is about to burst alive in vivid green. The […]

KTAR (May 17, 2026) by Serena O’Sullivan Visitors returned to Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim on Friday for the first time since the Dragon Bravo Fire scorched the area last year. The fire burned about 145,000 acres over more than two months, becoming the seventh largest wildfire in Arizona history. Because of safety concerns tied to the fire, the National Park […]

Arizona Republic (May 14, 2026) by Brandon Loomis A fire near the U.S.-Mexico border south of Sierra Vista has closed a mountain pass through the Coronado National Memorial, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office. The department released a statement in the afternoon on May 14 saying it was closing Montezuma Canyon Road from the memorial park’s entrance to Montezuma Pass as firefighters were en route […]

KGUN-TV (April 20, 2026) by Kenny Darr A project aimed at easing long-standing parking issues on Mount Lemmon is now in its final stages, with new spaces expected to open just in time for the often busy summer season. While parking may not be a problem on a quiet weekday, business owners and visitors say that’s far from the reality […]

Environmental 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 […]

Gear 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 […]

Audubon 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 […]

Arizona 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 […]

KVOA (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 […]

Backpacker (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 […]

Arizona 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. […]

The 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 […]

Arizona 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.  

Sun 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 […]

Arizona 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 […]

The Trek (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 idea,” […]

KOLD TV (Mar 24, 2026) by Tolulope Ajayi Arizona veterans, troops, and community members are just over 100 days away from crossing the finish line of a statewide trail challenge. Operation Freedom March is a yearlong initiative encouraging people to hike, bike, and ride horseback along the Arizona Trail by America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Operation Freedom March uses […]