Join us for the 28th Annual Meeting of the Arizona Trail Association at 10 am on Saturday, February 5th on Zoom and Facebook Live as we present accomplishments from 2021 and our big goals for 2022. You’ll learn how your contributions helped protect and maintain the 800-mile Arizona Trail, in addition to reports on Trail Operations, Volunteer Program, Youth Outreach […]
Read moreThe Trek (January 20, 2022) by Sam Getchell Back to the Trail Some time has passed since my presence in this community. When I last wore the title as “thru hiker” I lay in a bunk bed in Mammoth California, June 2017. That was to be the last day of my PCT thru hike, lack of funds pulled me off […]
Read moreEvery five years, the Arizona Trail Association develops a Strategic Plan to help guide staff and board strive as they fulfill the mission and vision of the organization. As annual work plans are developed and as issues arise, the Strategic Plan provides the framework for sound decision-making. Thanks to input from ATA members and the hard work of the Board […]
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, featuring the official critter of the Arizona National Scenic Trail: the Gila Monster. It’s the ultimate trail accessory — providing skin protection and a cloth face covering when you need it. Use it as a sun guard/wind […]
Read moreKOLD TV (January 9, 2022) The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue crews confirmed they rescued an injured hiker on Sunday, Jan. 9. Officials said a 35-year-old man lost the Arizona Trail between Miller and Lutz Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains. While he was trying to relocate the trail, he slipped and fell approximately 20 feet, injuring his head, […]
Read moreKJZZ (January 3, 2022) by Alisa Reznick The Arizona Trail runs from the U.S.-Mexico border into Utah. But its southernmost point has been closed thanks to the Trump administration’s border wall construction. After more than a year of closures, it’s opened to hikers again on Dec. 31, 2021. Nestled in the Huachuca Mountains, the Yaqui Ridge trail overlooks Mexico. Matthew Nelson […]
Read moreEast Greenwich News (January 31, 2021) by Jonathan Malone It was hot, it was dry, and I was afraid that I was running out of water. I had been hiking through the high plateau desert in Arizona for three days and I had seen only a handful of people, lots of cows, and a few horses. I had heard elk and coyotes, […]
Read moreThe National Park Service announced on December 30 that the southernmost mile of the Arizona Trail will reopen again on December 31 after a nearly 18-month closure. “We look forward to reopening the first passage of the Arizona Trail (AZT) this week,” said Southeast Arizona Parks Superintendent Matthew Carroll. “During the spring hiking season, many begin their northward journey at Monument 102 on the US/Mexico border within Coronado National Memorial. […]
Read moreWilliams-Grand Canton News (January 4, 2022) The National Park Service (NPS) announced Dec. 31 the temporary reopening of the Yaqui Ridge Trail, which is the southernmost part of the 800-mile Arizona Trail. The Yaqui Ridge Trail starts on the international border with Mexico in Coronado National Memorial. The trail was closed in July 2020 because of construction activities on the Border […]
Read moreThe Trek (December 2021) by Lyla Harrod Here’s a recap of my fall 2021 SOBO thru-hike of the AZT with Oliver aka “Bowie”. This post will cover from the Northern Terminus to Roosevelt Lake. I’ll put up another post covering the rest of the trail soon! I hope you find this useful if you’re considering a hike on the AZT, or just […]
Read moreArizona Daily Star (December 26, 2021) by Danyelle Khmara Trail runner Lydia Jennings decided to celebrate completing her doctorate with a 50-mile run on the Arizona Trail. A member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and an environmental microbiologist, she also did the run to honor 50 Indigenous scientists. She planned to start at the U.S.-Mexico border and run north — […]
Read moreRoute Fifty (December 21, 2021) by Andre Claudio From hiking to a lodge in California to riding a gravel bike in Arizona, Outside magazine composed a list of some of the best places to take a winter trip. Here are some of the places the magazine recommended: Hiking to a Scenic California Lodge If you want to backpack to a remote […]
Read moreFreehub Magazine (December 14, 2021) by Kait Boyle I winced, gritted my teeth and curled my fingers behind my brake levers as I pedaled straight into a thicket of pigweed, catclaw acacia and seedy grass. Thorns tore at my forearms and shins while the stickers of the pigweed rubbed against my open wounds and deployed their seeds onto every piece […]
Read moreThe 5th annual AZT Oracle Rumble presented by Summit Hut takes place on Saturday, January 29th near the beautiful, historic town of Oracle — located one hour north of Tucson in the shadow of the mighty Santa Catalina Mountains on the ancestral lands of the Tohono O’odham and Ndee (Western Apache). The trail running event is mostly singletrack around and […]
Read moreNative News Online (December 13, 2021) by Kyle Mittan When Lydia Jennings finally finished her doctoral program in soil microbiology, a lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic made celebrating difficult. But a national conversation on diversity and representation in many disciplines, including the sciences, presented an opportunity for Jennings, who had just earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Environmental Science in the University of […]
Read moreSingletracks (December 9, 2021) by Matt Miller The Arizona Trail Race started roughly 15 years ago, according to John Schilling, the ride director for the semi-official race. The AZT race is somewhere between 300 to 800 miles long, depending on the route. Participants sign up a month before lining up near the border between Arizona and Mexico, and over the […]
Read moreMen’s Journal (December 2021) by Berne Broudy The gear and apparel market is saturated with brands offering premium products. So how do you prioritize companies you want to support? We like to hone in on ones that boast premium goods and a sustainable model. One such company is Erem, a new desert performance boot brand founded by fourth-generation shoemaker Noah […]
Read moreTucson Lifestyle (December 2021) by David Abbott We often thank our military veterans for their service around the globe, but hiking enthusiasts in Arizona have another reason to appreciate vets — for their service as stewards of the Arizona Trail (AZT), through a new program designed to get them out into the wilderness. The Arizona Trail Association, a nonprofit established […]
Read moreJewish Insider (November 19, 2021) by Gabby Deutsch Growing up in an outdoorsy New England family, Noah Swartz didn’t have a choice when it came to hiking. The family business was Timberland, the footwear company known for its iconic brown boots, that his father sold for $2 billion a decade ago. But that didn’t mean the young Swartz was always […]
Read moreWe’re excited to introduce the Official Footwear of the Arizona Trail, created by our friends at Erem. Erem is the first outdoor brand designed from the ground up for desert performance and made with progressive environmental standards. Erem’s products are Biocircular™, meaning they only use materials with 100% proven paths back to nature and can be re-streamed at the end […]
Read morePayson Roundup (Nov 16, 2021) by Payson Roundup Staff Work is underway to improve the Highline National Recreation Trail (Highline Trail) on the Tonto National Forest. In September 2021, Tonto officials announced plans to improve and re-route portions of the Highline National Recreation Trail (Highline Trail) along with portions of the Arizona National Scenic Trail and trails in the communities […]
Read moreBackpacking Routes (Nov 8, 2021) by Hugh Owen Smartphone trail apps have become ubiquitous on hiking trails, providing real-time information about water sources, fire closures, hostels and shuttles to them. Their explosive growth raises a question: Are printed guidebooks on the way out? Not so fast, says Matthew J. Nelson, executive director of the Arizona Trail Association. “We have found […]
Read moreArizona Republic (November 2, 2021) by Mare Czinar Sometimes, surprisingly fine escapes can be found just steps from busy byways in right-under-your-nose places. Bushnell Tanks Road, off the Beeline Highway (State Route 87) roughly halfway between Mesa and Payson is one such find. Much of the road parallels part of the course of the Pine Mountain Passage 21 of the Arizona […]
Read moreFor the past four years, we’ve invited the Arizona Trail community to help us complete the entire length of the Arizona Trail in 24 hours through our ambitious AZT in a DAY initiative. This year, on October 9, at least 431 people participated. There were 357 hikers, 30 runners, 17 mountain bikers, and 27 equestrians. At least 91 family and friends […]
Read moreRunners World (October 25, 2021) by Taylor Dutch After dedicating years of intense study to earning a Ph.D. in environmental science, Lydia Jennings couldn’t wait to celebrate at her graduation in May 2020. But like most major events during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program’s ceremony at the University of Arizona was canceled. Instead of receiving her diploma […]
Read moreThe Desert Leaf (October 2021) by Linda Brewer Some people hike the Arizona Trail (AZT) in sections, called “passages,” accumulating a couple of hundred miles each year. Some people–the valiant thru-hikers–do it all in one go, with or without a support crew. Since 2017 there has been another way to complete the trail, the many-feet-walking method known as Arizona Trail […]
Read moreEarlier this year we asked active members of the Arizona Trail Association to participate in a survey to help inform our organization’s Strategic Plan for 2022-2026. A total of 763 ATA members took the survey (that’s more than 33%) and shared their thoughts and opinions about the greatest assets and challenges facing the trail and the ATA. Both quantitative and […]
Read morePhil Garcia 02/01/1968 – 09/25/2021 Phoenix, Arizona An avid hiker and trail steward, Phil Garcia enjoyed spending time in the outdoors of Arizona. Phil is survived by his wife Vikki, and children Cori and Wes. Phil was an avid traveler with his family, and loved hiking/backpacking, photography, DIY projects, and playing sand volleyball. He volunteered his time as a Phoenix Park Steward, […]
Read moreVelo News (September 29, 2021) by Betsy Welch On Christmas Eve of 2018, ultra-endurance mountain biker Kait Boyle wasn’t sure if she would ever walk again. Two years later, she set a fastest known time record (FKT) on the 137-mile Kokopelli Trail, a remote and arduous route between Moab, Utah, and Loma, Colorado. The new film Fastest For Now chronicles […]
Read moreThe Trek (September 28, 2021) by David Smith When you live in Phoenix, you escape what feels like endless summer by going to the mountains. Generally that means going to AZT country, either the Mongollon Rim or Flagstaff. A few days ago, we spent a few nights car camping near Mormon Lake, and I had the opportunity to do some […]
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