Valdosta Daily Times (March 12, 2021) KB Home today announced the grand opening of Silver Ridge, a new, gated community of single-family homes in Rocking K, one of Tucson’s most highly anticipated master plans. Silver Ridge at Rocking K, nestled in the picturesque foothills of the Rincon Mountains, is located within the community of Vail, southeast of downtown Tucson. The […]

The Fence Post (March 2021) by Matthew Nelson Hiking, biking or horseback riding along the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) has always been a challenge. Through deserts, canyons, mountains and forests, the AZT climbs and descends over 110,000 feet in 800 miles between Mexico and Utah. Ask anyone who has completed the entire trail— either all at once or one […]

Backpacking Routes (February 23, 2021) by Hugh Owen Seven months after the southernmost mile of the Arizona Trail (AZT) was closed because of border wall construction, open trenches, unstable soil from blasting, and abandoned construction areas continue to make the trail unsafe for hikers. The AZT (also the Yaqui Ridge Trail) from the Joe’s Canyon Trail junction south to Border Monument 102 […]

Outside Magazine (February 13, 2021) by Grayson Haver Currin The first night Magpie asked Constantine to make out, he demurred—at least initially. The two long-distance hikers had met ten days or so into a thru-hike of the remote Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT). For three weeks they burned through the miles and, that night, crammed into a double bed in a stranger’s house in Washington, they […]

Arizona Republic (December 25, 202) by Karina Bland Pastor Luke Barnett stood at the pulpit at Dream City Church in Phoenix, dressed in blue jeans and a black sweater, his smile big. You’d never know anything was wrong. “I’ve missed you so much,” he said into the microphone. The 3,600-seat church was more than half full, his parishioners on their feet, their […]

The Trek (December 21, 2020) by Abigail Kessler Who is this and what are you doing? Hi friends! My name’s Abigail, and I’m hoping to tell you about my experience section hiking the Arizona Trail (AZT). I’m trying to make it as a local journalist, but I’m pretty outdoorsy too. I moved to Arizona from the midwest last summer and […]

State Bicycle Company (October 21, 2020) To put their latest creation to the test, State Bicycle Company sent a team of professional cyclists to saddle up and push the new 6061 All-Road bikes to the limit, riding trails and dirt roads from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon via the Arizona Trail. The rocky-route, most appropriate for hikers and mountain bikes, […]

AZ Family (November 10, 2020) by Max Gordon A hike for a good cause nearly turned deadly for a Phoenix pastor and his daughter while the two were trekking on the Arizona Trail. Dream City Church Senior Pastor Luke Barnett and his daughter, 20-year-old Annalee, were hiking the 800 miles to raise money for the Colorado City Dream Center, which helps […]

Arizona Daily Sun (November 8, 2020) by Julie Hammonds Larry Phoenix is on a quest to run the 800-mile Arizona Trail. Now the regional supervisor at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Kingman office, Larry spent 22 years as a field supervisor here in Flagstaff. I met him through work, but we bonded at Tuesday night Team Run Flagstaff workouts. […]

Arizona Daily Sun (November 3, 2020) by Sam McManis Leave it to the Germans, known for their precision with language and most everything else, to come up with just the right word to describe the ineffable feeling of being alone in the woods, both the pleasures and the loneliness experienced therein: waldeinsamkeit. Come to think, the Japanese have a phrase that […]

The New York Times (November 1, 2020) by Laiken Jordahl Saguaro cactuses, some nearly a century old, in shards on the desert floor. Jaguars, lost, because a metal wall has blocked their migratory path. Endangered species homeless because their critical habitats have been destroyed. Living and working along the U.S.-Mexico border means watching the surreal, slow-motion leveling of the wild […]

St. George News (October 26, 2020) by Aspen Stoddard On Sept. 27, Luke Barnett, head pastor of Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, and his daughter Annalee Barnett set out on the Arizona Trail to hike approximately 800 miles to the Mexico border in an effort to raise $1 million for the Short Creek Dream Center. Luke Merideth, director of […]

Arizona Daily Sun (October 25, 2020) by Julie Hammonds The other night, I was sitting at my computer searching for real races to enter: the kind with a finish line and aid stations and post-race parties. I appreciate the flexibility of virtual races, but I miss the thrill of measuring myself against others on the same course on the same […]

Tucson Weekly (October 22, 2020) Best Backpacking Trail – Arizona Trail How lucky are we to live in a place where it’s hard to decide what the best local backpacking trail is? The 800-mile Arizona trail links biomes ranging from deserts to forests to mountains across Mexico, Arizona and Utah. It’s divided into 43 individual passages, each with its own […]

Tucson Weekly (October 5, 2020) by Joe Giddens Senate candidates Martha McSally and Mark Kelly laid out their visions of public land management for Arizona on Friday in two separate online forums hosted by the Arizona Trail Association. The online forums took place ahead of their only scheduled debate on Tuesday and today’s voter registration deadline. Climate change starkly contrasted […]

The Wickenburg Sun (September 28, 2020) The Arizona Trail Association (ATA) has arranged a special online “Trailhead Talk” with United States Senate candidates Martha McSally (R) and Mark Kelly (D) on Friday, October 2. These one-on-one conversations will provide each candidate an opportunity to share their personal connection to the Arizona Trail and speak about the importance of public lands, […]

Copper Area News (September 16, 2020) by Staff Eight hundred miles is a long distance to attempt to drive in a day. If traveling by foot, bike, horse or any other self-powered means, it’s impossible within 24 hours.   Or is it?   On Saturday, Oct. 10, hundreds of outdoor enthusiasts from across Arizona will cover one of over 100 […]

Flagstaff Business News (September 2, 2020) by Bonnie Stevens In the shade of a thriving alligator juniper tree in Buffalo Park on a sunny August day, Dr. John Hildebrand and historian Jim Babbitt sat on a polished rock bench dedicated to their friend, Dale Shewalter, founder of the Arizona Trail, and reminisced about the journey since the ‘70s when the […]

Travel Awaits (September 1, 2020) by Cindy Barks Truthfully, every season is gorgeous in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. In the spring and summer, the banks of babbling creeks erupt with wildflowers, and in the winter, the rugged peaks and sloping meadows are blanketed in sparkling white. But it is perhaps in autumn that the White Mountains are at […]

Arizona Republic (August 24, 2020) by Salma Reyes Pima County officials discovered the body of a dead man along the Arizona Trail on Monday. The body was discovered near Redington Road just before noon by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department helicopter crew while conducting a routine training flight, according to a release from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. The remains, recovered by search and […]

Arizona Republic (August 20, 2020) by Mare Czinar It feels like everyone is heading to Arizona’s high country this summer, and no wonder. With record-breaking heat in Phoenix and people curtailing their activities because of the new coronavirus pandemic, a change of scenery is more refreshing than ever. Here are three Flagstaff hikes that are at their best in summer. The masses […]

The Fountain Hills Times (August 12, 2020) by Congressman David Schweikert Arizonans know the importance of maintaining our national parks’ beauty and accessibility. Recently, congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act, legislation to improve infrastructure and access to our national parks and public lands, while also promoting new job growth. I am pleased to report this legislation has been signed […]

Arizona Daily Sun (August 11, 2020) by Sam McManis Mornings after monsoons, it’s best to choose your trails carefully lest you fall prey to the mistake I made last month and get stuck in the very definition of the word quagmire. Now, let me preface this by saying there are many trails in greater Flagstaff that can handle a little […]

Arizona Daily Sun (August 4, 2020) by Sam McManis Out on the open range, so far north of Flagstaff that the San Francisco Peaks can barely be peeked at in the distance, a newly cut swath of singletrack trail 20 years in the making was unveiled over the weekend. A 15-mile stretch of the Arizona Trail, the state’ outdoor recreational […]

Arizona Daily Sun (August 4, 2020) by Sam McManis here are no boring trails, only boring people. John Muir said that, I think. Or, if he didn’t, he should have. I entertained that thought — so, so deep and incisive — as I was traveling on the 5.7-mile Deer Hill Trail east of the Peaks, from Little Elden Springs Horse […]