A view from the Arizona Trail along the Gila River, near Kearny
Arizona Highways (Mar 28, 2026) Photo of the Day Photographer: Lance Goehring Photo Image Description: A view from the Arizona Trail along the Gila River, near Kearny.
Read moreCategory: Passage Updates
Want to know the condition of your favorite passage before you go on a hike or ride? On this page you will find trail updates for all of the Arizona Trail passages, in one place. The specific passage updates are also on each individual passage page.
AZT Vail Scramble Invites Runners & Volunteers on Sunday, April 12
The AZT Vail Scramble is back on Sunday, April 12. Trail runners and volunteers are encouraged to participate in this annual event, for the benefit of the Arizona Trail Association. The trail marathon, half-marathon and 10K traverses the valley between the Santa Rita and the Rincon Mountains. It offers spectacular, sweeping views and while the marathon has plenty of challenging […]
Read moreBlasting Planned Near AZT Southern Terminus
Customs and Border Protection just announced that the next round of detonations within the Huachuca Mountains will occur on March 25 from 11 am to 5 pm. The blast site is located 1,500 feet west of the southern terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail on lands managed by the Coronado National Forest. While the Arizona Trail is out of […]
Read moreTemporary Detour Near Summerhaven
The Coronado National Forest, Pima County, and Arizona Trail Association have announced a temporary detour of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) near the community of Summerhaven due to a construction project at the Marshall Gulch Trailhead. This detour will go into effect immediately and will remain in place until August 1, 2026. This impacts AZT Passages 11 (Santa Catalina […]
Read moreHow the Arizona Trail Association’s tribal-first approach flipped the script on trail design
Singletracks (Feb 26, 2026) by Greg Heil A new trail-building approach on the Arizona Trail puts indigenous consultation first — and the results are reshaping how singletrack gets built on ancestral lands. The Arizona Trail Association (ATA has been steadily chipping away at the 120 miles of dirt roads that once interrupted the 800-mile Arizona Trail, replacing them with purpose-built singletrack. Over […]
Read moreTrump admin dynamites national park site as part of immigration crackdown
SFGATE (FEb 18, 2026) by Amanda Heidt It was a cool, breezy morning in early December when Myles Traphagen, the borderlands program coordinator for the conservation nonprofit Wildlands Network, joined a handful of people atop Coronado Peak in Arizona. Less than a mile from the U.S.-Mexico border, the mountain lies within Coronado National Memorial, a 5,000-acre stub of public land marking […]
Read moreArizona Trail reroutes dirt road sections onto new singletrack as side-by-side traffic explodes
Singletracks (Feb 18, 2026) by Greg Heil “I won’t rest until [the Arizona Trail] is an 800-mile trail between Mexico and Utah,” said Matthew Nelson, Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association (AZTA). “So there’s about 80 miles right now that are co-located with dirt roads.” That 80-mile number used to be much higher. Over the past 10 years, Nelson estimates that […]
Read moreGrand Canyon Walk-Up Permits
Starting March 15, Grand Canyon National Park will be issuing walk-up permits for AZT thru-hikers at Bright Angel Campground. Here are the walk-up permit procedures, specifically for AZT thru-hikers: Head to the South Rim Backcountry Information Center, located within Grand Canyon Village. If it is March 15 or later, inform the Ranger that you are thru-hiking the AZT and would […]
Read moreThe Trail No One Can Finish
YouTube (Feb 8, 2026) by Eric Hanson The Arizona Trail is one of the most iconic long trails in the country, as it runs 800 miles from The US – Mexico border up to Utah. For any thru-hiker, hiking the Grand Canyon State is an incredible achievement. But as of January 2026, construction resumed along the border in the Huachuca […]
Read moreDanger: Concertina Wire Added to Fence at Southern Terminus
In November 2025, contractors for the Department of Homeland Security installed concertina wire at the U.S./Mexico border at the southern terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. This prevents trail users from accessing Border Monument 102 — the traditional “start” or “finish” of the AZT. In the interest of safety, please do not attempt to cross the wire for a […]
Read more25.5 Miles of Arizona Trail Closed Due To Wildfires
The Dragon Bravo Fire has forced 25.5 miles of the Arizona Trail to close from the Clear Creek Trail junction just north of Phantom Ranch to the Kaibab Plateau Trailhead at the Park/Forest boundary along Forest Road 610. Highway 67 is closed south of the Kaibab National Forest/Grand Canyon National Park boundary. Please avoid the AZT within Grand Canyon National […]
Read morePrescribed Burn Near Flagstaff Causes Temporary Detour of the AZT
The Coconino National Forest is planning prescribed fire operations near Flagstaff, and they estimate work to begin on Tuesday, November 4 and continue throughout the week as weather conditions allow. Prescribed fires to help reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities, infrastructure and natural resources from wildfires. This will impact segments of Passages 33 (Flagstaff Urban Route) and 34 […]
Read moreGrand Canyon National Park Announces Inner Canyon Trail and Campground Reopenings
Several upcoming changes to inner canyon operations will go into effect in the coming weeks at Grand Canyon National Park, including trail and campground reopenings and ongoing closures related to major infrastructure repairs and safety concerns. The updates are part of phased recovery efforts following the Dragon Bravo Fire and continued work on the Transcanyon Waterline. Phantom Ranch and Bright […]
Read moreAZT Reopens on North Kaibab
On October 1, the Kaibab National Forest reopened 11 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail between the Kaibab Plateau Trailhead at the Park/Forest boundary and Forest Road 213 near Telephone Hill Trailhead. Passage 40 is now completely open! However, 29 miles of the AZT between The Tipoff (4.6 miles north of the South Kaibab Trailhead) and the Park/Forest boundary […]
Read moreArizona National Scenic Trail Thru-Hiker Update for Autumn 2025
Arizona National Scenic Trail Thru-Hiker Update for Autumn 2025 After a dry winter and a parched spring, we all knew this could be the worst wildfire year in recent history. But we held out hope for a bountiful summer monsoon season. Instead, we keep seeing heat records being broken and rainstorms yielding just a few intermittent drops. Living in the […]
Read moreCamping Restrictions Within Washington Fire Burn Area
The Tonto National Forest is advising thru-hikers and visitors to avoid camping near drainages recently impacted by the Washington Fire along Passage 26 (Highline). This includes 2 miles between Chase Creek (AZT mile 477.1) and the two drainages to the east (mile 479.0). Beware of flash floods, debris flows and other hazards downstream of burned areas!
Read moreThe Grand Canyon Lodge opened Arizona wilderness to anyone who made the journey
Arizona Republic (July 27, 2025) by Greg Burton As the Dragon Bravo Fire climbed toward Grand Canyon Lodge, I tried to remember how many times I’d stood beside it. Was it five or six? I visited the North Rim as a boy, took my kids there and returned after they moved away. The lodge was both way station and gateway […]
Read moreCalifornia condors in Arizona: Where to see them
Arizona Republic (June 21, 2025) Click here for a gallery of images of California condors and where to see them in the wild, including along the Arizona Trail near Vermilion Cliffs National Monument!
Read moreFeds award $309M contract for 27 miles of border wall in Arizona’s Tucson sector
Arizona Republic (June 20, 2025) by Raphael Romero Ruiz U.S. Customs and Border Protection awarded more than $309 million to Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. to build 27 miles of border wall in Arizona’s Tucson Sector. This is the second contract for border wall construction awarded since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The new project will use […]
Read moreLittle America Hotel in Flagstaff closing access to social trails across property; Arizona National Scenic Trail to remain open
Arizona Daily Sun (June 11, 2025) by Sam McLaughlin Little America Hotel is in the process of rebuilding the fence line around its 530-acre property and will soon be closing off access to unauthorized but long-established social trails that crisscross the forested land. Tony O’Brien, vice president of operations for parent company Grand America Hotels and Resorts, said the change […]
Read moreBinational ‘border happening’ celebrates San Rafael Valley as DHS prepares to build new wall
Tucson Sentinel (June 5, 2025) by Paul Ingram As the Trump administration plans to erect 35 miles of new border barriers, environmentalists gathered last weekend in a Southern Arizona hamlet to trade food and songs during a bi-national “border happening.” Under the shade of large, decades-old cottonwood trees, a man from the nearby village of Santa Cruz, Sonora, played a […]
Read moreThe Arizona Trail: How to Avoid Norovirus on Trail
thetrek.co~ MAY 20TH : GOOD ZEN Part 9: Oracle to Kearney: The Prometheus of Poo Much of the land after Oracle is a flat expanse between mountains. A good place for music, audiobooks, or conversation. The trail flew by for once, and with Mt. Lemmon a recent memory, Ice Cream and I were grateful to have some cruisy ground to […]
Read moreGila River Water Quality Test Results
In response to recent concerns about gastrointestinal illness along the Arizona Trail and potential causes being the Gila River and Remote Rainwater Collector, the ATA took water samples to a local laboratory for analysis. Results can be found here: Gila River – Passage 16 Rainwater Collector – Passage 17 The only alarming result is the presence of E. coli in […]
Read moreArizona Revealed – Episode 3: Flagstaff
Visit Arizona (April 21, 2025) As the city where Pluto was discovered, Flagstaff is famous for its dark skies. And as this episode of “Arizona Revealed” shows, it’s also beloved as a four-season destination where the changing seasons set life’s cadence. Featuring the Arizona Trail, Lowell Observatory, Museum of Northern Arizona, and Arizona Nordic Village, click here to watch this […]
Read moreNorovirus Advisory for Trail Users
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes acute gastrointestinal illness and has recently affected hikers and bikers along certain sections of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT), particularly around Kearny, Superior and Roosevelt. This advisory is intended to help trail users understand the risk and take proper precautions. What is Norovirus? Norovirus spreads easily through contaminated food, water, surfaces, […]
Read moreGrand Canyon Camping Permits Update
Grand Canyon National Park has officially confirmed that walk-up backcountry permits will be available for spring thru-hikers in 2025 with the following date ranges: April 1 – May 14: Sites will only be available at Cottonwood Campground May 15 – June 11: Sites will also be made available at Bright Angel Campground If you are arriving before or after these […]
Read morePhantom Ranch Closed from Jan 2 – March 30, 2025
All Phantom Ranch operations are closed from January 2 to March 30, 2025, for the installation of new water and electric lines for the Transcanyon Waterline Project. Hikers can still access the North Kaibab Trail, however, the bypass route around Phantom Ranch may change. Please follow all closure signs and be aware that water will only be available at Boat […]
Read moreNew trail connects Flagstaff’s popular Buffalo Park with forested areas
KNAU (Jan 7, 2025) by KNAU Staff The non-profit Flagstaff Biking Organization and the Coconino National Forest say a new recreational trail has connected one the city’s most popular parks with forested areas. The realignment of the Lower Oldham Trail is part of the Arizona National Scenic Trail that extends from Utah to Mexico. The gravel path links Buffalo Park […]
Read moreUS Forest Service Video Features Arizona Trail VETS Program
On September 26-29, 2024, the Arizona Trail Veterans Engagement and Trail Stewardship (VETS) program volunteered to do trail work on Passage 32 of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. The event focused on building new connections within the veteran community while giving back to a the cross-state trail. Participants worked together to improve the trail from Little Elden to Weatherford Trailhead […]
Read moreVeteran Volunteer Work Weekend
Signals (September 17, 2024) The AZT VETS (Veteran Engagement & Trail Stewardship) and Coconino National Forest Service are hosting this Veteran Volunteer Work Weekend on Passage 32B of the Arizona Trail over National Public Lands Day, improving the trail corridor between Little Elden Mountain and Weatherford Trailheads. Most meals will be provided at no extra cost to participants. Pre-registration is […]
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