The Trek (July 30, 2020) by Zach Citing multiple trail closures with “no safe or reasonable detours,” in addition to Arizona being a COVID-19 hotspot, the Arizona Trail Association is discouraging both thru-hikes and thru-rides on the Arizona Trail for the remainder of 2020. Trail closures include: AZT Passages 10-12 through the Santa Catalina Mountains and Pusch Ridge Wilderness Bypass […]

Arizona Daily Sun (July 28, 2020) by Sam McManis Going on fire roads sure would be more enjoyable, and certainly less monotonous, if they were all as spectacular as Hart Prairie Road, aka FR 151, running west of the San Francisco Peaks. Hart Prairie, especially the two-mile stretch between FR 418 and FR 627 (the turnoff for the Bismarck Lake […]

Arizona Republic (July 21, 2020) by Rafael Carranza U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency overseeing the planning and construction of physical barriers along the Arizona-Mexico border, said work has begun to raze and widen a large swath of protected land within a national park to prepare for border wall construction. CBP released more details about the project and its […]

Arizona Public Media (July 17, 2020) by Tony Paniagua Tony Paniagua visited Sasabe and the Coronado National Memorial, where projects are underway. Click here to watch the 5-minute video coverage.

The Trek (July 17, 2020) by Jean Taggart It’s July 2020 and COVID is still upon us. Summer has arrived, the weather is warm, and some folks have even resumed thru-hikes. The Arizona Trail (AZT) beckons. But the official word on the Arizona Trail website is as follows: “The CDC currently recommends all Americans avoid discretionary travel. If access to the Arizona […]

Arizona Daily Sun (July 14, 2020) by Sam McManis Let’s face it, not all of the 800-mile Arizona Trail is Instagram-worthy. No, not even the Flagstaff segments. Jewel that it is in these parts, the AZT is not all stately Ponderosa pines and quaking aspens and brisk alpine ascents. By necessity and design, some of the trail that runs through […]

Arizona Republic (July 10, 2020) by Rafael Carranza Preparations to begin installing 30-foot steel bollards through pristine mountain wilderness along the Arizona-Mexico border south of Sierra Vista will begin as early as Monday, according to conservationists critical of border wall construction in protected federal lands. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday they would close access starting on July 13 to a popular […]

KJZZ (July 10, 2020) by Michel Marizco The Arizona Trail’s start along the U.S.-Mexico border will be closed for months beginning Monday so the Trump administration can finish building a border wall in the area. The U.S. government has several ongoing border wall projects throughout Arizona. Some along tribal lands, others across rivers and now it’s about to begin a two-mile […]

Payson Roundup (July 9, 2020) by Alexis Bechman After winds initially pushed the Polles Fire northeast for a few tense days, crews on Thursday reported marked containment on the 572-acre fire west of Payson. As of Thursday morning, the fire was 61% contained. There has been no reported growth on the fire since Sunday evening. After a helicopter pilot was […]

July 3, 2020 (City Sun Times) Residents looking for a big goal to keep them healthy and motivated during a time of social distancing are invited to sign up for the Arizona Trail Virtual Adventure. This do-it-yourself event encourages participants to hike, run or ride anywhere and accumulate miles toward completing all or a portion of the 800-mile Arizona Trail. […]

June 8, 2020 (Wisconsin Gazette) The Trump administration wants to build a border wall across the terminus of the 800-mile long, federally protected Arizona Trail. A 30-ft steel barrier could soon rip through the rugged Huachuca Mountains, stopping migrating jaguars and ocelots in their tracks and changing the experience of thousands of hikers forever. Watch Matthew Nelson of the Arizona […]

Arizona Republic (June 24, 2020) by Mare Czinar Since prehistoric times, the fertile forests around Mormon Lake have served Native peoples, wildlife, commerce and recreationists. The geologically complex area of volcanic landforms and natural lakes is situated among historic travel corridors that have been used for centuries by early inhabitants, loggers and ranchers. Gooseberry Springs, which sits at the base […]

The Trail Show (May 26, 2020) by Lawton “Disco” Grinder The Trail Show, America’s greatest hiking podcast, features a conversation with Arizona Trail Association Executive Director Matthew Nelson about how a border wall and infrastructure would impact the southern terminus of the AZT. You can listen to Episode #94 here. The Arizona Trail segment begins at 1:25:42 into the podcast.

Arizona Republic (May 18, 2020) by Rafael Carranza Kimberly Lea and Kimberly Knebel hiked around Phoenix for months, carrying weights and monitoring their water use, in preparation to start hiking the first section of the Arizona Trail. The scenic 800-mile-long route stretches from the Arizona-Utah state line south to the Coronado National Memorial, 4,750 acres of protected mountain landscapes and grassy plains on the […]

Bikepacking.com (May 15, 2020) by Lucas Winzenburg A new 74-mile segment of the border wall between the United States and Mexico is threatening the southern terminus of the 750-mile Arizona Trail, and the Arizona Trail Association is seeking public comments through the end of today. Read more here, with details on what’s at stake and how you can help… Customs […]

KNAU (May 15, 2020) by Ryan Heinsius The Hopi Tribe says the Trump administration’s plan to build 74 miles of barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border would disrupt a ceremonial migration route. According to Hopi Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva it would cut off the Palatkwapi Trail, which the tribe uses to maintain cultural and ceremonial connections to Indigenous groups in Mexico […]

Latin Post (May 13, 2020) by Danielle Ong Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf recently toured Southern Arizona’s borderlands to inspect the ongoing wall construction projects. He also gauged his department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wolf began his tour with a visit to the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales-a critical crossing point for millions of manufactured products and immigrants. He […]

KNAU (May 12, 2020) by Ryan Heinsius The Arizona Trail Association says the Trump administration’s plan to expand its border wall would destroy one of the trail’s most important sites. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports. The proposed 74-miles of new border barrier would cut through the southernmost section of the Arizona National Scenic Trail in the Huachuca Mountains and Coronado National […]

Associated Press (May 12, 2020) by Astrid Galvan Tess Mullaney remembers looking at endless rolling desert hills, covered in a thin layer of white snow just as the sun was rising the day she embarked on a 2½-month journey through the Arizona Trail, an 800-mile system that starts at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona and ends at the Utah one. […]

Payson Roundup (May 12, 2020) by Peter Aleshire So, here’s an unusual way to prepare for a harsh political campaign: Hike 800 miles in two months through the Arizona wilderness — mostly all alone. While you’re at it, throw in a torn ligament and bloody, infected blisters. Hiking the Arizona Trail might not suit most political candidates, but it gave […]

Phoenix New Times (May 12, 2020) by Ray Stern The southern end of the 800-mile Arizona Trail is a wonder of open space running across the international line from the Coronado National Memorial to a vast, desert area of Mexico far from any paved roads. It could also soon be the site of two miles of Trump’s border wall, along […]

KJZZ (May 12, 2020) by Michel Marizco The Trump administration wants to build a new section of border fence through the Huachuca Mountains in Cochise County. The Arizona Trail Association says that would destroy the trailhead to the legacy hiking path. Customs and Border Protection is taking public comment through May 15 on the project. It wants to build an […]

El Inde (May 10, 2020) by Devyn Edelstein Patagonia has a lot of visitors who walk a long way to spend a short time there. Former professional cyclist Chuck Veylupek is one of them. He passed through Patagonia in February, eight days into a four-month, 800-mile trek on the Arizona Trail. Veylupek, 51 years old, has a beard, grey hair, […]

The Trek (May 11, 2020) by Hugh Owen The Arizona Trail Association is speaking out against a border wall project that it says would “significantly impact the Southern Terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, transform the landscape and its visual resources, and forever alter the Arizona Trail experience.” The federal Customs and Border Protection agency plans to build 30-foot-tall […]

Tucson Weekly (May 8, 2020) by Austin Counts The Arizona Trail Association is hoping the community will voice concern to help to stop construction of the border barriers near its southern trailhead through the Huachuca Mountains in Cochise County. And fast: The deadline is May 15. Customs and Border Protection officials announced plans to continue a 30-foot steel barrier across […]

Payson Roundup (April 27, 2020) by Alexis Bechman Searching for a new spot to hike recently led to a wonderful discovery west of Payson. With many developed trailheads closed and looking for something outside the popular Payson Area Trail System (PATS), we set off down Main Street to the City Creek trailhead, near the Doll Baby Ranch. While I have […]

Chicago Tribune (April 27, 2020) by Melanie Radzicki McManus Fat drops of rain tap out a mournful melody on the nylon ceiling stretched over my head. Peeking out from under a thick down quilt, I watch tiny rivulets of water drip down the sides of my tent and sigh. It’s not supposed to be raining here, at the entrance to […]

The Trek (April 6, 2020) by Effie Drew Through the Great Southwest is a newly released documentary film in which Darwin Rakestraw makes his directorial debut, in partnership with the Arizona Trail Association. The film follows the community behind the 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) that spans the length of Arizona, between Mexico and Utah. A trail deeply diverse in […]

Flagstaff Business News (April 4, 2020) by V. Ronni Tierney Marathon hours of river running and hiking in the Grand Canyon can stir up more than just endorphins. For field biologist and outdoorswoman Lindsay Hupp, sweltering heat and canyon sweat inspired her to create a nutrition bar that is making a lot of people happy. The epiphany for nutritional fuel […]

USA Today (March 31, 2020) by Nicquel Terry Ellis and Weldon B. Johnson As social distancing guidelines continue another month and temperatures warm up in some regions, many Americans will search for safe outdoor activities. Medical experts say hiking is safe as long as you do it alone or with someone from your household at a trail or park that isn’t crowded. Some […]