Arizona Daily Sun (May 30, 2021) by Eric Newman A group of five girls, in grades fourth through eighth, spent a recent Saturday morning picking up trash in the forest, working on their respective mountain bikes and riding the Arizona Trail. The Gear Girls, a girls-only outdoor group, formed in 2017 with the intention of giving young girls a safe […]
Read moreAZ Central (May 24, 2021) Click here to read about the top 14 things to do around Flagstaff this summer, including hiking, running or riding on Flagstaff’s world-famous trails — many of which connect to the Arizona Trail! Beautiful photos accompany all of the activities within the Arizona Trail’s premier gateway community.
Read moreOctober 4th, 2020 was the inauguration of the Arizona Trail Association’s Ambassador Program. The ATA Ambassador Program is an 8-month internship for High School Seniors who are interested in becoming Environmental Educators and advocates for the Arizona Trail. Our first trip began at the Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead, Passage 7. This was the first time the group of 10 met in […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (May 21, 2021) Check out all the great things to do in Northern Arizona here, including a mention of the Arizona Trail: 14. The Arizona Trail. For either a short jaunt or an expansive adventure, the Arizona Trail has been many years in the making and stretches 800 miles from Utah to Mexico, with several miles of […]
Read moreCronkite News (May 10, 2021) by Hunter Hippel Arizona is not just a desert. The state boasts six national forests, tied for the ninth-most for any state in the country. Approximately 15 percent of the state’s land is designated as forest, including the largest ponderosa pine forest in North America. Mountainous grassland and chaparral in the state’s “transition zone” separates the true desert and the woods, […]
Read morePayson Roundup (May 11, 2021) by Michele Nelson After six months, a grant, a donation, and hundreds of volunteer hours, the Arizona Trail Association has completed a re-route of one of the most disliked portions of the Arizona Trail — Passage 25. The Arizona Trail marches up the middle of Arizona. It starts in the south at the Mexican border, […]
Read moreIf you love mountain biking and want to help make mountain biking a more equitable sport, consider joining our team as a Lead Coach! Gear Girls coaches serve as instructors and role models for the next generation of young women riders. Coaching with us is an opportunity to share your skillset, positively influence girls’ lives in your community, and combine […]
Read moreViewOn Magazine (May 10, 2021) by Karen Monsen The Triple Crown of Hiking includes the Appalachian Trail (3,193 miles), Pacific Crest Trail (2,653 miles), and Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles). The much shorter Arizona Trail (817 miles) offers stunning views, spectacular night skies, hiking, biking, equestrian, and volunteering opportunities. Plans for an Arizona Trail (AZT) began in the 1980s when […]
Read moreThe Transylvania Times (May 10, 2021) by Jacob Myers After a series of national park closures last year due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Transylvania County native Jacob Myers shelved his long-awaited Appalachian Trail thru-hike once reaching the Great Smoky Mountains. While discouraged, Myers pivoted to another long-distance effort in the great American Wilderness: The Arizona Trail. Spanning a length of approximately 800 […]
Read moreCollege Times (April 29, 2021) Tempe-based artist/musician Joey Gutos released his video “Everything (That I Need),” for Arbor Day to honor the source of the song’s inspiration – Arizona’s extraordinary and diverse natural environments. When Gutos first independently released the song on Arbor Day, April 24th, 2020, he vowed that he would plant a tree for every 1,000 streams the […]
Read moreKJZZ (April 26, 2021) by Michel Marizco There’s arguably no more divisive infrastructure project in the U.S. right now than this border wall I’m standing in the shadow of. I’m here with Kate Scott of the Madrean Archipelago wildlife center in Arizona’s Cochise County. We’re in the Pajarito Mountains west of Nogales where most of the work stopped on the […]
Read moreCanadian Trail Running (April 20, 2021) by Ben Snider-McGrath Washington state’s Joe McConaughy recently completed a nearly two-week-long run along the Arizona Trail, running close to 1,300 kilometres right through the state from border to border. McConaughy’s final time of 13 days, three hours set the fastest known time (FKT) on the Arizona Trail, beating the previous record by almost three […]
Read moreOutside Online (April 20, 2021) by Megan Michelson With pandemic-fueled use on the rise, it’s a good thing trail builders have been busy opening new pathways for you to hike, run, and bike Last year the American Hiking Society reported a 200 percent increase in trail usage in U.S. cities than in 2019. It seems Americans are letting off their pandemic stress […]
Read moreWe are excited to share the latest Arizona Trail Commemorative Mug! Handmade by Deneen Pottery, this fourth mug in the series features a scene of Grand Canyon National Park from the South Kaibab Trail portion of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, complete with a pair of California condors. These robust vessels are finished with a colored glaze inspired by the […]
Read moreDemotiX (April 12, 2021) by Biljana Denic Camping is one of the most enjoyable activities that you can do. One of the best ways to experience camping is by putting all of your camping gear in a backpack and hiking into the backcountry! This is known as backpacking. Backpacking connects us to the pioneer spirit that embodied many of the settlers […]
Read morei Run Far (April 9, 2021) by Meghan Hicks In March and April of 2021, Joe McConaughy aka Stringbean set a new men’s supported fastest known time (FKT) of 13 days, 3 hours, and 21 minutes on the Arizona Trail, which spans the state of Arizona north-to-south over the course of 800-ish miles of desert and mountains. The previous record of 15 […]
Read moreGear Junkie (April 12, 2021) by Mary Murphy With trails like these, something always goes wrong. Luckily, the Stringbean pushed through an ankle injury and miles of snow to complete the Arizona Trail in record time. Last week, accomplished thru-hiker Joe McConaughy (trail name “Stringbean”) finished his latest FKT attempt, running nearly 800 miles. He started south of Tucson, Ariz., up […]
Read moreAZ Family (April 12, 2021) by Nick King Every year, a couple of hundred ambitious hikers tackle the entire length of the Arizona Trail, which traverses 800 miles through the state, from Mexico to Utah. This year, that includes a Valley professional athlete. “I’m a little nervous, but honestly just excited as hell,” says Ryan Lay, in a video he […]
Read moreBackpacker (April 13, 2021) by Mary Beth “Mouse” Skylis What does hiking 800 miles in less than two weeks do to your body? Ultrarunner and FKT holder Joe McConaughy hit the Arizona Trail to find out. Thru-hiking a long trail is one of the harshest tests of endurance out there. Doing it in record time, like Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy did […]
Read morePR Newswire (April 14, 2021) In mid-2020, Instagram model Ona Artist’s partner of 12 years was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer and given a 50% chance of survival. Then when his intensive chemotherapy regimen made him unable to work and the medical bills started piling up, she knew she had to do something. So, she joined OnlyFans. Now […]
Read moreThe Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) at the University of Arizona invites you to join them in exploring the Arizona Trail during the month of April while also recognizing the ancestral lands upon which we hike, run, pedal and ride. To participate in this wellness challenge and cultural education initiative, post a photo from your AZT adventure on Instagram, […]
Read moreBikepacking.com (April 1, 2021) by Logan Watts Yesterday evening at 9:22 local time, 35 year-old Timon Fish from Albuquerque, NM crossed the Picket Post Trailhead to finish the ~280-mile AZT 300 course. Timon started at 6:30 AM on Monday giving him a finish time of 38h 52m (1d 14h 52m) and besting the former record held by Kurt Refsnider by […]
Read moreSignals (April 5, 2021) The 300-acre McMillan Mesa Natural Area is one of the last intact native grasslands within the city of Flagstaff and provides habitat for deer, prairie dogs, American kestrels, and other fauna. To preserve the native grassland, the city of Flagstaff’s Open Space Program will work with partners to remove invasive trees, starting on April 7, 2021. […]
Read moreWANE-TV (March 25, 2021) by Fernie Ortiz Rescue crews plucked a woman from the rugged Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona after she broke a leg while hiking alone, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release. The Cochise County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team requested air support to get the woman to safety after she became stranded on […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (Mach 23, 2021) by Adrian Skabelund After a decade, a new windfarm appears to be moving forward on an area about 30 miles north of Flagstaff. The project, by the Florida-based company NextEra Energy Resources, hopes to bring about 61 wind turbines and between 400 and 600 acres of solar panels, as well as a battery storage […]
Read moreYour support is needed to help us reach our fundraising goal this Spring to support construction of the Temporal Gulch Reroute Project. Please DONATE securely online today! Our goal is to raise enough money between March 22 – April 3 to sustain the next phase of trail construction. This project will remove the AZT from 17 miles of paved and […]
Read moreCanadian Broadcasting Corporation News Radio (March 19, 2021) by Carol Off As It Happens talks with Arizona Trail Association Executive Director about the recent border wall construction and its impacts to the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Listen to the news broadcast here.
Read moreNew York Times en Español (16 de marzo de 2021) Por Simon Romero y Zolan Kanno-Youngs La prisa para construirlo duró hasta el último día del mandato del expresidente. El esfuerzo dejó secciones raras e incompletas de una barrera cuyo destino está ahora en manos del presidente Biden. Durante mucho tiempo, los excursionistas que completaban el Sendero de Arizona, una ruta de 1287 kilómetros que […]
Read moreAfter the hottest, driest year on record, precipitation has finally returned to Arizona, blanketing much of the state with rain and snow over the past week. As hundreds of individuals make their journey north on the Arizona Trail, this surprise springtime weather will be a blessing — replenishing natural water sources, sustaining wildlife, and giving every plant clinging to life […]
Read moreNew York Times (March 16, 2021) by Simon Romero and Zolan Kanno-Youngs A last-minute rush to build lasted through Donald J. Trump’s last day in office. The effort left odd, partially completed sections of a barrier whose fate President Biden must now determine. The sweeping view of undefiled wilderness on the border with Mexico long rewarded hikers who completed the Arizona Trail, […]
Read more
