All of us at the Arizona Trail Association wish you a healthy and happy New Year filled with outdoor adventures, inspiring landscapes, and quality time with friends. Remember, the Arizona Trail is your trail. We invite you to explore and enjoy it, and also to Join, Volunteer and Donate to support our mission to protect, maintain, enhance, promote and sustain the […]
Read moreArizona 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 […]
Read moreThe Trek (December 22, 2020) by Abigail Kessler Though it’s listed as the South Rim section of the trail, this passage mostly takes you through Kaibab National Forest and the back ways of Grand Canyon National Park, only occasionally hinting at the chasm to come. There’s plenty to enjoy about the trip, however– as well as a number of options […]
Read moreThe 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 […]
Read moreThe Bureau of Land Management’s Arizona Strip Field Office recently rescinded the fire closure order that has kept the Buckskin Mountain Passage off-limits since the Pine Hollow Fire started in July 2020. The northernmost 10.6 miles of trail between Winter Road and Stateline Campground are open again, but all Arizona Trail adventurers should use caution within the burn zone. Falling […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (December 6, 2020) by Sam McManis Something of an alchemic transformation, both magical and very much real, took place one recent morning behind the bright red door of a Flagstaff studio with a rich history of artistic imagining. Scooted forward in her big red chair, back ergonomically straight but neck craned over her workbench, Ryanne Sebern slipped […]
Read moreState 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, […]
Read moreSince March, more people have been heading into the great outdoors than ever before. We are proud that the Arizona Trail has received record visitation, and provides a safe outdoor space at a time when we need it most. If you’re among the many who have visited the AZT and Arizona’s public lands during the pandemic, we want to hear […]
Read moreAZ 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 […]
Read moreArizona 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. […]
Read moreArizona 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 […]
Read moreWe are pleased to premier our new Trail Skills Institute Video Series on the ATA’s Youtube channel. The videos were produced in partnership with Flagline Trails, American Conservation Experience (ACE) and Arizona Conservation Corps (AZCC) by Outdoor Evolution Media. They are being filmed in various locations across the state and include tips on trail maintenance in the wide variety of […]
Read moreThe 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 […]
Read moreSt. 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 […]
Read moreArizona 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 […]
Read moreTucson 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 […]
Read moreAfter a year of research and gathering input from Arizona Trail users like you, the ATA is proud to release its final report on Perceptions of Conflict Surrounding Future E-Bike Use on the Arizona Trail. This research was motivated by changes in how federal agencies are managing electric-motorized bicycles (e-bikes) and Secretarial Order 3376, which may allow e-bikes on non-motorized […]
Read moreTucson 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 […]
Read moreDisplay your love for the Arizona Trail with original jewelry handcrafted in Flagstaff. Backcountry guide and jewelry artist Ryanne Sebern has created a stunning line of silver earrings and necklaces with copper accents inspired by the AZT. She has also added stamped designs to appeal to hikers (boot print), equestrians (horseshoe), and mountain bikers (bike). Six different designs are available to choose from at […]
Read moreThe 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, […]
Read moreCopper 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 […]
Read moreLake Powell Life News by Halley Simpson FREDONIA, Ariz., September 16, 2020 — A significant portion of the Mangum Fire closure has been reopened to the public. The Kaibab National Forest has lifted some road closures as well as the nearly 80,000-acre area closure that spanned the northernmost part of the North Kaibab Ranger District. The Kaibab National Forest continues to […]
Read moreDid you know the Arizona Trail Association relies on you to understand current trail conditions? You’re the eyes, boots, wheels and hooves on the trail, and most of what we know about current trail conditions comes from trail users like you. That’s why we encourage you to communicate things like downed trees, blowouts from erosion, fallen signs, litter, bees, and […]
Read moreFlagstaff 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 […]
Read moreTravel 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 […]
Read moreArizona 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 […]
Read moreArizona 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 […]
Read moreThe 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 […]
Read moreArizona 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 […]
Read moreArizona 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 […]
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