Payson Roundup Randy Cockrell A note of thanks right up front: While out with the Payson Packers each Tuesday, I sometimes find myself hiking a portion of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, (AZT). Created and maintained by the Arizona Trail Association (ATA), this 800-mile beauty spans the entire length of the state from the U.S.-Mexico border to Utah. Here’s a […]

azcentral.com Gerry Kaufhold Kearny, which is 85 miles southeast of Phoenix along State Route 177 south of Superior, is a gateway community for the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Hikers love that Old Time Pizza in Kearny actually delivers to the trailhead. Gary Birkett, the proprietor of Old Time Pizza, is an avid hiker and a fanatical Chicago Cubs fan. On […]

Sierra Vista Herald Newly installed signs share Sierra Vista’s status as a gateway to the Arizona Trail, inspiring residents and visitors alike to explore this key outdoor recreation asset that begins at the international border with Mexico and meanders over 800 miles north to Utah. [To read the rest of this article, click here.]

Backpacker Magazine “Hike your own hike” is fine advice, but there are still a few other tenets among the thru-hiker tribe worth following. Here’s one: Don’t miss ancient ruins. Just as it’s understood that Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is a must-see off the CDT, so it is with the Salado cliff dwellings at Tonto National Monument off the 800-mile […]

CopperArea.com John Hernandez Mountain Vista 4th graders have been doing some classwork in the outdoors along the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Not only have they been learning about nature and the environment but the students have been working, picking up garbage and widening the trail. This is part of the Arizona Trail Association’s project “Seeds of Stewardship” program. [To read […]

KJZZ Lauren Gilger In the running world, there are marathoners and then there are ultra-runners. That means people who run races longer than the 26.2 miles of a marathon. They run 50K races … 100 milers … trail races … and from rim-to-rim across the Grand Canyon. And now, a Prescott man has completed a record-breaking run of the Arizona […]

Visit Phoenix Suzanne Wright From its origins at the Coronado National Memorial near the U.S.-Mexico border to its terminus at the Utah line, the 800-mile long Arizona National Scenic Trail spans the entire north-south length of the state. The variety of scenery and elevation is staggering. Completed in 2011, the trail passes through the Huachuca, Santa Rita, Rincon and Catalina […]

Partnership for the National Trails System Increased community awareness, volunteer recruitment, financial support, and in-kind goods and services are just a few of the benefits that fostering strong business partnerships can offer trails. For organizations to be successful in building those bridges, first establishing strong ties with trail communities is critical to identifying potential relationships, approaching businesses, and retaining their […]

Payson Roundup Connie Cockrell The stretch of the Arizona Trail between the Pine Creek trailhead and the Oak Springs trailhead offers a dose of fall color – including groves of maple. The trees have probably lost most of their leaves by now, but it’s still a spectacular hike – with 2,000 feet of elevation gain. [To read the rest of […]

Competitor.com Doug Williams Michael Versteeg was aware of the 800-plus miles he’d have to run, the mountains he’d have to climb and the lonely stretches of wilderness ahead. As he set out on Oct. 3 in his quest to set a speed record on the Arizona Trail, Versteeg had taken stock of all the obstacles. The Arizona Trail is a […]

Cronkite News Michael Boylan “I don’t envy myself for going through that,” ultra-runner Michael Versteeg said with a laugh. “That” would be his successful attempt at completing the 800-mile Arizona Trail, which stretches from Utah down to Mexico, faster than it has ever been done on foot. While most in Arizona were fast asleep on the morning of Oct. 19, […]

The Daily Sun Myles Schrag “Currently done with 456 miles after 9 days. I’ve slipped from my ideal circumstance pace but am still just above my realistic and happy pace of 50 miles a day…”. This is how Michael Versteeg characterized his speed on social media Oct. 11, just past the halfway mark of a journey that would lead him […]

Singletracks Nancy Anderson The 800 mile-long Arizona Trail spans the state, from Mexico north to Utah. It was conceived in the 1970s, by Dale Shewalter who, in 1985, walked it to check out the possibilities. Over the next 30 years, his concept became a reality and has gained National Scenic Trail status. The many people and entities who worked so […]

Backpacker Magazine Elisabeth Kwak-Heffernan As an official Arizona Trail Steward for the past four years, Chad Hummer roamed the Mazatzal Wilderness’s roughest terrain, checking route conditions and water availability for the Arizona Trail Association. But the born-and-raised desert dweller was already hooked on the Mazatzal’s magic. [To read the rest of this article, click here.]

Cronkite News Michael Boylan Running 800 miles may seem like insanity to some people, but Michael Versteeg knew he’d get around to trying it one day. “The Arizona Trail, I mean even before I started running, had always been a bucket-list item of mine,” Versteeg said. That day has arrived as the 31-year-old Arizona native and ultra-runner gears up to […]

Babbitt Times Review According to endurance runner Ian Torrence, trail running has become increasingly popular as athletes head to the woods to cover ground instead of city streets. This weekend, Sept. 24 and 25, more than 125 people are signed up to run the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stagecoach Line 100-mile solo ultra, the 100-mile relay, and the 55K. [To […]

Arizona Daily Star Emily Bregel The San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmental groups have filed two related lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service and Tonto National Forest supervisor Neil Bosworth, objecting to approval of a mining company’s plans to start preliminary activities on its proposed mine waste site. Resolution Copper Mining, a subsidiary of mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP […]

The Lumberjack Isaac Dudley Many war veterans experience anger, isolation and guilt after returning home from combat. On Sept. 11, the Arizona Trail Association premiered the award-winning documentary Almost Sunrise. The documentary follows two Iraq war veterans, Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, on their search for inner peace. Almost Sunrise follows Voss and Anderson as they walk across the country […]

Arizona Public Media Tony Paniagua Arizona is one of the few states that has a national scenic trail, and Tucson resident Sirena Dufault discovered it by serendipity. After getting hit by a car in the 1990s, Dufault developed fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that also caused her depression and fatigue. In an effort to improve her life, she started to […]

Green Living Magazine Michael Cohen There are many ways in which individuals can fight for conservation. Adopting sustainable policies at work, lobbying local politicians to pass green initiatives, or spreading helpful information can help tremendously. However, one of the best ways to create a positive impact on the local environment is simply to get out and volunteer. [To read the […]

Arizona Daily Sun Jack Welch On Saturday, Sept. 10, the celebration for the Arizona Trail Association will be held in Buffalo Park from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This event is sponsored in part by the Arizona Lottery and will appeal to anyone interested in the great outdoors. [To read the rest of this article, click here.]

PRNewsWire Cox Conserves Cox Communications and The Trust for Public Land named Shawn Redfield as Arizonas 2016 Cox Conserves Hero. The program is sponsored locally by Desert Botanical Garden, and as Redfield’s nonprofit of choice, Arizona Trail Association, will receive $10,000 on his behalf. [To read the rest of this article, click here.]

azcentral.com Mare Czinar This pleasant stroll links a short, lesser-known route with two of Flagstaff’s most popular trails. Offering a back door into a heavily used recreational corridor, Skunk Canyon Trail is a sleepy little gem accessible off Lake Mary Road that shares dirt with the Flagstaff Loop Trail and the Arizona Trail. [To read the rest of this article, […]

azcentral.com Mare Czinar Passage 28 of the Arizona Trail traverses some of the state’s most scenic territory. Packed with history and ever-changing exposure to creek- and canyon-riddled terrain, the 16.1-mile trek is a summertime favorite especially among hikers who like to camp. The route passes near several popular Mogollon Rim campgrounds including Moqui, Blue Ridge and Rock Crossing and there […]

Your National Forests The Arizona Trail begins in the Huachuca Mountains on the Mexican border and then bisects the state lengthwise for 807 miles until reaching the Vermillion Cliffs on the Utah border. The route traverses arid mountsins, deserts, scablands and the Grand Canyon, before entering the deep pine forests of the Mogollon Rim. [To read the rest of this […]

Arizona Daily Sun Corina Vanek A group of eight middle and high school students accompanied by four adults braved a trip on bicycles on the Arizona Trail from Snowbowl to the Grand Canyon earlier this month. “The purpose of the program is that we want the future of the Arizona Trail to be ensured,” said Sabrina Carlson, the Northern Arizona […]

Outside Online Aaron Gulley Jen and I are not people who sit still much. Less than a week after we picked up Artemis, we hatched our first adventure: head-to-head journeys across Arizona. Earlier in the winter, I’d briefly contemplated racing the 750-mile length of the Arizona Trail. The ride involves humping everything you need (clothes, camping equipment, food, water) over […]

Gore-Tex Blog Austin Aslan “If I die out there, you’re not responsible,” I told my wife, Clare. “Jeez,” she answered. Our hatchback flew over the high red desert north of the Grand Canyon. The face of Vermilion Cliffs flickered as a fierce storm lingered above the Kaibab Plateau. Our daughter and son, 10 and 6, were enduring a school night […]

Payson Roundup Connie Cockrell Sometimes a hike leader needs to check out a hike before deciding if it’s appropriate for the hiking group. May, Friday the 13th, was just such a day. I had been wondering why we never did the Arizona Trail from the Pine Trailhead to Oak Springs. It seemed like a no-brainer — lots of parking at […]

Bikepackers Magazine Lindsay Arne “I started riding about 6 years ago. I became frustrated by my early attempts at riding. I took a few months off from practicing and once I started again it just clicked in my brain. From there I was able to ride proficiently quite quickly. I didn’t love unicycling right away, but overtime it became a […]