By Michele Nelson ~ Payson Roundup   “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” That’s the question Jody Bartz put to Gabby, a middle school-aged girl attending the Gateway Community Girls Mountain Biking Camp in Pine the weekend of May 20-21. The two locked eyes over the front tire and handlebars of a mountain bike, Gabby in the saddle, Bartz […]

For time immemorial, trails have been an integral part of Indigenous life and wellbeing, serving as routes for migration, trade, everyday travel, connection, and communication with neighboring communities—and today, many of these ancient footpaths are part of the National Trails System, whose tracks stretch more than 89,000 miles across ancestral lands in the US. Yet many trail names honor European settlers […]

Public News Service (May 17, 2023) by Alex Gonzalez The Arizona Trail stretches 800 miles across Arizona, from Mexico to Utah. The trek is considered by many a “lifeline,” under threat with fire season fast approaching. Matthew Nelson, Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association, said the trail helps sustain communities such as Superior and Miami, Arizona, which benefit from […]

KNAU (March 21, 2023) by Bree Burkitt Arizona-born writer and journalist Tom Zoellner is out with a new book about his 46-day journey hiking the nearly 800-mile Arizona Trail. Rim to River: Looking into the Heart of Arizona is a collection of essays Zoellner created as a way to better understand his home state after years at odds with Arizona’s sprawling urban […]

ASU News (Feb 28, 2023) by Scott Bordow Award-winning author Tom Zoellner explores his relationship with AZ in his latest book Tom Zoellner was born in Colorado but he’s an Arizonan through and through. His great-great-grandfather was a cotton farmer on Homestead Act land near Papago Buttes. Zoellner went to elementary school and high school in Arizona, and later worked […]

Arizona Highways (February 2023) by Kelly Vaughn I’VE LOST ROB KRAR. Well, kind of. It’s midafternoon on a Thursday, and we’re running a segment of the Arizona Trail near the San Francisco Peaks. Krar detours into the woods. So, I am — if only briefly — outpacing one of the world’s elite endurance athletes. Within seconds, though, I hear him, […]

KVOA (Jan 7, 2023) by Gabrielle Parish Tomorrow marks the twelve-year anniversary of the January 8th, mass shooting that killed six people, and injured more along with former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Beyond kicked off its 12th annual walk to honor those impacted by the mass shooting that took place in Tucson on January 8th, 2011. “Gabe’s not gonna come back,” […]

Trail Runner Magazine (January 3, 2023) by Brian Metzler The FKT of the Year voting panel was asked to select the top five women’s FKTs of 2022 (from a pool of 22 finalists culled by the Fastest Known Time staff) and rank them in order from first to fifth. Katie Brown’s Arizona Trail FKT was second with 60 points. Brown […]

Las Vegas Sun (December 15, 2022) by Tim Stellar As you walk or drive along Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s new container wall on the border, it looks out of place in the wilds of Cochise County, but naggingly familiar. Is it a new amusement park — Containerland? No, something else … Then it hits: The wall looks like a long […]

The Travel (December 3, 2022) by Aaron Spray While Arizona may appear to be a regular rectangle, its northwestern corner is isolated and tenuously linked to the rest of the state, much like a panhandle. This vast arid region is called the Arizona Strip and is largely split off from the rest of the state by the Grand Canyon. The […]

Phoenix Magazine (December 2022) by Mare Czinar EPIC BACKPACK TRIP Over its remote 26-mile course, the Arizona Trail Passage 16: Gila River Canyon passes though some of the most stunning backcountry in the Copper Corridor, near the community of Kelvin. Getting There: For access points and up-to-date conditions, visit the Arizona Trail website. Become a member and gain access to additional data, […]

AZ Family (November 21, 2022) by David Caltabiano A Phoenix pastor has finished the Arizona Trail, a hike that spans across Arizona and from the Utah to Mexico Border two years after a boulder crushed him during the same hike in the Tonto National Forest. His daughter finished the journey in 2020, but he didn’t complete it until Monday morning. […]

VeloNews (November 21, 2022) by Betsy Welch A chance encounter with an old story I wrote about the Spirit World 100 reminds me that gravel is just the medium — the spirit is how we ride it In a tiny corner of the Patagonia Lumber Co. where people congregate over mugs of wine or coffee, a framed copy of a story I […]

AZ Family (November 18, 2022) by David Caltabiano A boulder crushed a Phoenix pastor who was hiking for charity in 2020. The hike ended up raising millions for the victims of Warren Jeffs’ polygamy in Colorado City. His daughter finished the journey in 2020, and now, the pastor is close to finishing it, too. For three weeks, Dream City Church […]

SaltWire (November 15, 2022) by Christopher Connors Colin MacDougall never even went camping until two years ago. However, that didn’t stop the Howie Centre man from setting out on an epic adventure in which he hiked more than 6,300 kilometres in 175 days, crossing five U.S. states and ascending nearly 2,000 kilometres in total elevation. “Honestly, I’m not sure why […]

Backpacker (November 10, 2022) by Jeff Garmire In the spring of 2022, emergency room nurse Katie Brown set the self-supported Fastest Known Time on the Arizona Trail, beating Heather “Anish” Anderson’s 2016 record by nearly two days. On the northbound attempt, Katie drew on her backpacking experience as a Triple Crowner to winnow down her pack weight to the bare minimum. […]

Outside (November 13, 2022) by Grayson Haver Currin In less than 800 miles, the Arizona Trail offers a steady string of stunning landscapes, uncanny animals, and changing circumstances. If your time is limited, it’s the national scenic trail to try. The most commonplace question about long-distance hiking is also the most complicated to answer: How do you find the resources—the […]

Tucson Weekly (November 10, 2022) by David Abbott 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 […]

The Travel (November 6, 2022) by Luana Ferreira Arizona is home to some of the most scenic landscapes in the country, and it’s a great destination year-round. The Grand Canyon alone would be an excellent reason to visit Arizona, but the estate offers many other incredible sites. Travelers can find perfect campsites, vibrant cities, ghost towns, national parks, and ancient tribal […]

To determine the Best of Tucson each year, readers of the Tucson Weekly are asked to vote for their favorites — from taco shops to barbers to outdoor adventures. In the Best of Outdoors 2022 category, readers named the Arizona Trail the Best Backpacking Trail! We are proud that of all the amazing backpacking options near Tucson, the AZT remains the […]

HJ News (October 14, 2022) by Shawn Harrison Michael McKnight is at it again. The Cache Valley ultra runner is taking on the Arizona Trail, beginning this weekend. While he wants to beat the FKT (fastest known time) for the 800-mile trail that runs from the Utah-Arizona border to the Mexico-Arizona border, McKnight is also running for Marianne. He wants […]

Trail Runner (October 14, 2022) by Drew Dawson In possibly the first of its kind, two ultrarunners will go head-to-head for the fastest known time (FKT). Literally.  Starting Saturday, October 15, at 8 a.m. Arizona Time, Mike McKnight will head south and Ben Light will head north on the 800-mile Arizona Trail in pursuit of the FKT. To do that, they’ll […]

Gila Herald (September 27, 2022) This month, staff from the office of Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) joined a volunteer forest conservation effort with Arizona Trail Association’s Veteran Engagement & Trail Stewardship (VETS), a program intended to give veterans the opportunity to practice conservation on Arizona’s public lands while building healthy, service-focused bonds within the veteran community. Derek Duba, a Wounded […]