KNAU (September 7, 2018) by Aaron Granillo This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Trail System Act. The legislation cleared the way for a series of national trails, aimed at preserving “the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the nation.” The Arizona Trail is part of that system. It stretches more than 800 miles from the US-Mexico […]
Read moreArizona Public Media (September 26, 2018) by Tony Paniagua After retiring as a national park ranger, Green Valley resident Stephen Chaffee decided add a major journey to his life — literally. He hiked the Arizona Trail twice — more than 1600 miles total — and he wrote a poetry book about his adventures. Each poem celebrates the individual 43 passages of […]
Read moreArizona Highways blog (October 1, 2018) by Kirsten Kraklio Author Rodo Sofranac is passionate about Arizona’s diverse environment, children’s literacy and giving back to his community. Those passions unite in his latest project: the children’s book The Red Tail Tale on the Arizona Trail, which he wrote with his wife, Susan. The book is divided into three parts. The first part educates young readers about […]
Read moreOn September 27, 2018, 17 students from the Montessori Charter School of Flagstaff’s Middle School made a visit to Little Spring and Bismark Lake near the San Francisco Peaks Passage of the Arizona Trail. We had a full day of learning and outdoor experiences. Using the Jr. Explorer Handbooks students learned about C. Hart Merriam’s Life Zone theory that […]
Read moreOn September 26, 2018, 38 students from Flagstaff Junior Academy’s 5th grade visited Picture Canyon along the Elden Mountain passage of the Arizona Trail. Students hiked a 3.5 mile round trip removing invasive weeds and learning about the local area as we went. A few days earlier during a classroom visit, the students had been introduced to the idea […]
Read moreOn September 25th, 2018, 7 students from Flagstaff High School’s Outdoor Discovery class went for a hike on the Arizona Trail San Francisco Peaks passage. The goal of the day was simple. Students wanted to hike 5 miles total and experience the beauty of the mixed conifer forests at a higher elevation than town. Prior to setting out on […]
Read moreOn September 9th, 2018, 19 students from Mountain Vista Elementary School gathered for a rugged adventure into Catalina State Park. This was the first expedition of the semester, and the students were more than excited. Some of the kids were nervous to go on a hike, worried about snakes, ants, bees, and all of the other wild animals in the […]
Read moreOn September 21st, 2018, 16 members of the Flagstaff Junior Academy Mountain Biking Club gave back to the Flagstaff community by doing trail maintenance on the Arizona Trail Elden Mountain Passage. As mountain bikers, and some of them as returning trail builders, they have developed a great sense of how to sculpt a drain for good water flow and […]
Read moreOn September 20th, 2018, 8 students from the Pre-AP Biology class at Flagstaff High School headed to Little Elden Trail at Elden Spring Road to finish off a section of trail that had recently been rerouted. Little Elden Trail, which is also the Arizona Trail Flagstaff Equestrian Bypass section, has for years followed unsustainable fall line paths up and […]
Read moreBetter Homes and Gardens (October 2018) by Marty Munson Happy 50th anniversary to the National Trails System! Soak in nature, experience American history, and get exercise with a visit to one of the thousands of trails across the country. Arizona Trail The 800 miles link deserts, mountains and forests. The northern section includes a stretch along the Grand Canyon. You’ll […]
Read moreOn May 16th, 2018, 10 students from Miami High School set out for a day of trail work on the Arizona Trail north of Picketpost Trailhead. Only 14 days since our last trip in the snow, this expedition was under a bright and hot sun. Our mission was to drive nearly 5 miles north on Happy Camp Rd to a […]
Read moreOn May 2nd, 2018, 6 students from Miami High School saddled up for a massive adventure. Our mission was to hike to a remote place called Hells Hole in the Salome Wilderness, discuss the variety of biomes and their many species of plants, and explore the rumored pools and waterfalls that are said to exist in the depths of this […]
Read moreOn February 13, 2018, 11 students from Miami High School in Miami, Arizona made the very long journey to our side of the Santa Catalina Mountains. We went to the tip top of Mt. Lemmon to hike and explore the amazing Sky Islands. This was their second trip with Seeds of Stewardship. We hiked about 5 miles round trip via […]
Read moreOn September 11th, 2018, 80 students from Mount Elden Middle School’s Alpine Academy took a short walk from their classrooms to learn about the science of phenology and take a baseline observation. Phenology is the study of seasonal changes in plant and animal life throughout the year. It is the timing of the budding of flowers and the changing […]
Read moreAward-winning local author Rodo Sofranac just released the first-ever children’s book celebrating the Arizona Trail! The Red Tail Tale on the Arizona Trail is a full-color book featuring photographs, illustrations, and tons of educational material in 62 exciting pages. The book follows Rowen, a young, red-headed explorer, and Rojo, a clever, red-tailed hawk. The two meet, bond, and experience a wonderful adventure on […]
Read moreOne September 10, 2018, 120 students from The Mount Elden Middle School APEX program visit Picture Canyon in Flagstaff along the Arizona Trail Elden Mountain Passage. With such a large group we need to divide things up. So one group started the day with a tour of the Wildcat Hill Wastewater Treatment facility where they learned about the process […]
Read moreOn September 5th, 2018, 25 students from Ms. Esparza’s 5th grade class had an introduction to the Arizona Trail and a short hike from school to the urban trail near their school. We learned about trail courtesy and Leave No Trace practices that are expected on our SOS outings and had a chance to practice on our short hike from […]
Read moreOn September 4th, 2018, 25 students from Mr. Caslin’s 5th grade class had an introduction to the Arizona Trail and a short hike from school to the urban trail near their school. We learned about trail courtesy and Leave No Trace practices that are expected on our SOS outings and had a chance to practice on our short hike from […]
Read moreArizona Daily Sun (Sept 2, 2018) by Nancy Wiechec – Hiking the Arizona National Scenic Trail is an experience “full of pleasure and pain,” said 64-year-old Ellen Shopes, a lifelong backpacker who has hiked its 800 miles three times. Shopes will join the Arizona Trail Association and other trail friends for Arizona Trail Day at Buffalo Park next Saturday, Sept. 8, […]
Read moreOn August 30, 2018, 27 students from Flagstaff Arts and Leadership Academy’s Outdoor Explorations classes walked from their school towards the Schultz Pass trailhead to study edible plants local to our area. We examined sunflowers and learned to tell when the seeds would be ready for harvesting. We looked at lambs quarters and pigweed, both of which have edible […]
Read moreOn August 29, 2018, 39 students from Mr. Ross and Mrs. Chapman’s 5th grade class at Flagstaff Junior Academy visited Wupatki National Monument near Flagstaff, Arizona. Students put on their social scientist hats to look for evidence of how the residents of this monument would have met their fundamental human needs like shelter, food, water, defense, community, art and […]
Read moreRocks removed between spring box and rock wall exposing clear water spring. The new collector box is located directly below the large rock left of the tree in the center of the photo. The cavity between the collector box opening and the spring source was filled with small rocks. These rocks and the collector box were […]
Read moreOn March 29th, 2018, 9 students from Mansfeld Middle School embarked on a rugged adventure into the Santa Catalina Mountains. This was the second of three expeditions, and on this day, we planned to hike Sunset Trail to explore the secret flowing pools of water that crown this area. Our goal was to discuss the relationship between desert Sky Islands […]
Read moreOn 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 […]
Read moreOn 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 […]
Read moreOn 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 […]
Read moreOn 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 […]
Read moreOn 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 […]
Read moreOn 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 […]
Read moreOn 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 […]
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