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 […]

Fountain Hills Times (Mar 28, 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 […]

KVOA (Mar 26, 2026) A 61-year-old hiker was rescued from the Arizona Trail near Pat Scott Peak on Thursday morning after experiencing severe medical symptoms more than five miles from the nearest road. On March 26, the woman called 911 around 7:55 a.m. while suffering from a serious medical condition, according to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). She had […]

Associated Press (March 21, 2026) Parts of California and Arizona faced extreme heat warnings again Saturday, with unseasonably warm weather reaching as far north as Nebraska just a day into spring. Forecasts predicted temperatures at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 C) in the Southwest, marking the end of a week characterized by record-breaking heat. Experts anticipate that April, May, […]

The Prescott Times (Feb 17, 2016) As Arizona prepares to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, the Arizona America250 Commission is inviting veterans, active-duty service members, military families, and community members across the state to participate in Operation Freedom March, a year-long initiative in partnership with the Arizona Trail Association running through July 4, 2026. Launched on July 4, 2025, Operation Freedom […]

The Trek (March 5, 2026) by Mechanic The biggest curiosity I had before starting the Arizona Trail (AZT) last year: would I encounter any desert critters during my 800 mile trek? The answer: Yes! I was blown away by all the unique wildlife I had the opportunity to meet: This vibrant rattler shortly before entering the Mazatzal Wilderness (say that […]

Arizona Republic (Feb 19, 2026) by Joan Meiners As a new poll shows overwhelming voter support for public lands, an Arizona bill proposes $500,000 for the Arizona Trail to offset federal funding cuts. Advocates say state funding alone is not enough to counter federal rollbacks of conservation rules. The Trump administration is reviewing or repealing several environmental regulations, including the […]

Arizona PBS (February 3, 2026) On February 19, 2026, a new documentary will premiere at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts titled “Trailblazers” about two brothers who walked across Arizona in the 1980s. Back in 1982, the Gillenwater brothers set out a plan to walk across Arizona with two mules. Their quest to pursue the frontier helped inspire what became […]

Arizona Republic (Jan 29, 2026) by Roger Naylor An extraordinary array of national park units — 34 in all, which include national monuments and historic sites in addition to parks — blanket Arizona from border to border. This is where we keep our most exquisite scenery, our storied history and wide-open spaces. Parks range from the volcanic sprawl of stone […]

AZ Family (Jan 28, 2026) by Michell Koch The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is set for a phased reopening this year after a devastating wildfire in 2025. Authorities closed the North Rim last year as the Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed about 145,000 acres, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. Grand Canyon National Park officials announced Wednesday that they will take an […]

Arizona Republic (Jan 25, 2026) by Shaun Mckin­non Every night for about eight weeks last fall, my phone buzzed with a text that its sender – Repub­lic cli­mate reporter Joan Mein­ers – called her “proof of life.” Some­times the texts were from here and included updates on her day; some­times they were sent by a satel­lite ser­vice that worked where […]

KGUN (Jan 11, 2026) by JJ McKinney 15 years after the January 8th shooting in Tucson, dozens of community members gathered in Vail to honor the life and legacy of one of the victims who lost their lives that day. On January 8, 2011, a lone gunman opened fire at a constituent meeting, shooting 19 people, including then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. […]

Arizona Republic (Jan 10, 2026) by Sarah Lapidus Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords spoke to a group of hikers and community members in front of an image of a smiling, bearded young man who was killed 15 years ago in a mass shooting that almost took Giffords’ life. The man, Gabe Zimmerman, was one of the six people killed when […]

AZPM (Jan 12, 2026) by Thatcher Warrick Hess Gabe Zimmerman was the community outreach director for former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in 2011 and was killed in the January 8 shooting. He was 30 years old. Alongside his passion for politics, Gabe was a soccer player and athlete. His father Ross Zimmerman explained that he would hike with anyone who asked him. […]