AZ Trail News

On February 14, 2018, 10 students from Mansfield Middle School in Tucson, Arizona headed outdoors to explore their local public lands. This was their first expedition with the Seeds of Stewardship program. Welcome, Mansfield Middle School! We hiked about 4 miles in total via the West Yetman Trail in Tucson Mountain Park. We also incorporated some off-trail hiking as part […]

On February 1st, 2018, 13 students from Imago Dei Middle School embarked on an adventure into Kings Canyon in Tucson Mountain Park. Our goal was to explore the anthropological significance of this area by observing petroglyphs and culturally important flora and fauna in this area. The students were very excited for another desert hike and the chance to adventure through […]

On January 23rd, 2018, 13 5th grade students from Imago Dei Middle School embarked on an adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. This was the 3rd of 5 expeditions planned with Imago Dei this semester, making these students seasoned outdoor adventurers. On this expedition, we planned to explore passage #11 on the Arizona Trail in the Santa Catalina Mountains. Partnered […]

On January 29, 2018, 11 from Empire High School in Vail, Arizona, traveled to the nearby Santa Rita Mountains. Previously, the students studied Sky Island ecology by exploring desert arroyos and rocky grasslands of The Little Rincon Mountains. On this trip, we fully immersed ourselves in Sky Island ecology by climbing high to Josephine’s Saddle. This particular trip presented the […]

On February 20th, 2018, 14 students from Empire High School geared up for an adventure into the Ironwood National Monument. Our goal was to explore the natural history and the anthropological significance of the area, but that is far from how this expedition turned out. Instead, we learned how to make the most out of spontaneous obstacles, how to dig a […]

On January 30, 2018, 9 students from Empire High School in Vail, Arizona, traveled to the nearby Santa Rita Mountains. Previously, the students studied Sky Island ecology by exploring desert arroyos and high rocky grasslands in the Little Rincon Mountains. On this trip, we fully immersed ourselves in Sky Island ecology by climbing high to Josephine’s Saddle. This particular trip […]

On March 27th, 2018, 20 students from Empire High School from Vail Arizona set out for a day of stewardship on the Arizona Trail. Using Gabe Zimmerman Trail Head, we hiked north toward Cienega Creek to do trail rehab and narrowing work. This portion of the trail used to be a two-track leading to the creek. For the last two […]

On March 13th, 2018, 13 students from Edge High School set out for a rugged adventure into the Little Rincon Mountains. This area is off the beaten path and rarely traveled, allowing us the chance to truly leave other humans behind and explore a wild place. For nearly two months, this area has received decent rains, and our hope and […]

On February 16, 2018, 9 students from Edge High School in Tucson, Arizona, headed to Oracle State Park on the north side of the Santa Catalina Mountains. This was their second expedition with Seeds of Stewardship. We hiked about 4 miles in total via the Granite Lookout Trail, Bellota Trail, and Mariposa Trail. Our main goals for the day were […]

On May 19th, 2018, the Coronado Youth Corp set out for another work day on Mt.Lemmon. We were asked to help repair and restore sections of Butterfly Trail, which is a connector route to the Arizona Trail and is a beautiful detour. This trail is on a northern slope and is lushly smothered with vibrantly green foliage. Hiking through here […]

On March 17th, 2018, Coronado Youth Corps officially began with its first trail work expedition. 12 crew members signed up for the Coronado Youth Corps, excited to work on the Arizona Trail. Our first work day was set to take place in passage 13 beginning at Tiger Mine Trailhjead, hiking 2 miles north to our project location. This season all […]

On March 8th, 2018, 13 students from City High embarked on an adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains for a snow day. In Tucson, bright sunshine poured down with warm temperatures, but with an hour drive from the school, we found ourselves in a winter wonderland. The students had been looking forward to this all semester, and I was happy […]

On January 11, 2018, 16 students from Bisbee High School embarked on an adventure into the Little Rincon Mountains. This was the third of five expeditions this semester, allowing this group to be seasoned and prepared explorers. Our goal was to hike the canyons and study the flora, fauna, and geology of the area. This area provided off-trail exploration opportunities, […]

On February 10, 2018, 8 students from Basis North Tucson completed a stewardship project along the Arizona National Scenic Trail. More specifically, we worked on the AZT Section 5 between Gardner Canyon and Oak Tree. This was our 5th trip.  We hiked about 2 miles round trip to get to the work site, and we worked on a .25 mile-long […]

On January 20th, 2018, 19 students from Basis North adventured into the Coyote Mountain Wilderness. These rugged mountains offered missive monolithic views, deep ravines, and anthropological wonders to explore and learn from. Together we trekked through areas with an abundance of archeological artifacts, played in tall grass fields, and ventured into wilderness that knew no trails and held our imaginations to […]

    On June 11th, 2018, the Coronado Youth Corps assembled to undertake a massive project near Happy Jack Arizona. An 18-mile reroute has been designated for the Arizona Trail, a project that is estimated to take three years to complete. They are the first of many Youth Corps and volunteer groups to come on this 3-mile reroute, intended to […]