Cleaning Out the Sandbox

The box culvert under Highway 77 near the northern end of Passage 13 often fills up with sand, making it difficult for anyone over 5 feet tall to walk through (and it’s impossible for equestrians). The ATA recently procured a special permit from the Arizona Department of Transportation to allow Rob Bauer to remove a few tons of sand from under the culvert. Rob used a mini-excavator and a skid steer to remove the sand, and deposit it using natural contours into the arroyo and hillsides downstream. This will allow safer passage for all Arizona Trail users…until the monsoon season brings more sand from upstream.