On April 19th. 2018, 18 students from Peaks School traveled to the Flagstaff Loop Trail near Woody Mountain Road to help complete a new alignment and improve existing tread. This day with this group was so incredibly significant. When we first started working with this class they balked a the idea of eating lunch sitting in the dirt and […]
Read moreOutside Online (April 18, 2018) by Aaron Gulley Despite sizzling conditions, with temperatures in the high 80s, this year saw a slew of fast times at the 760-mile Arizona Trail Race and the shorter AZT300, with new records at both events set on the trail that traverses Arizona from the Mexico to Utah borders. Read the entire article here.
Read moreThe Arizona Trail Association has two proven strategies for significant trail improvement—the “cast-of-thousands” one-time work event and multiple, regularly scheduled smaller events. Mazatzal Mountains Regional Steward John Matteson organized the latter this year, taking on several tasks along the trail within the region but adventuring beyond as the opportunity arose. A core group of volunteers joined in this year and […]
Read moreOn April 18th 2018, 24 students from Mr. Doerfler’s 5th grade class from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School made a visit to Red Mountain in the San Francisco Volcanic field north west of the San Francisco Peaks Passage of the Arizona Trail. It was an absolutely magical day of learning, hiking and bonding. On our 4 mile round trip hike […]
Read moreCopper Area News (April 13) – On Saturday Oct. 6, 2018 more than one thousand people will participate in AZT IN A DAY throughout the state of Arizona. Hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians will be staged on various parts of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) to complete its entire length, over 800 miles, in one day. This will […]
Read moreOn April 12th, 2018, 38 students from Ms. Esparza’s class at Sinagua Middle School traveled to Kelly Pocket to put in some work on the Kelly Canyon trail network. This brand new set of trails had been roughed in by machine and required significant hand smoothing and polishing to finish the work. Students leveled tread, improved outslope and naturalized […]
Read moreOn April 11th 2018, 22 students from Mr. Caslin’s 5th grade class from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School made a visit to Red Mountain in the San Francisco Volcanic field north west of the San Francisco Peaks Passage of the Arizona Trail. It was an absolutely magical day of learning, hiking and bonding. On our 4 mile round trip hike […]
Read moreOn April 10th 2018, 23 students from Ms. Elphic’s 5th grade class from Kinsey Inquiry and Discovery School made a visit to Red Mountain in the San Francisco Volcanic field north west of the San Francisco Peaks Passage of the Arizona Trail. It was an absolutely magical day of learning, hiking and bonding. On our 4 mile round trip […]
Read moreThe 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 […]
Read moreThis year’s TSI Module on Stone Maintenance Structures was held near Flagstaff on the Lakeview Connector Trail on Passage 30, Anderson Mesa. This connector trail was built by the ATA to allow users to access the Lakeview Campground, and to allow campground users better access to the trail, which is just at the top of the mesa beyond a short […]
Read moreTrail Groove Magazine (Issue 36 – 2017) Part 1: Sky Island Tour – Drew Smith hiked the Arizona Trail in 2017 and said it was, “The sort of hike that anyone might want to do again.” Read the article by Drew Smith here.
Read moreSometimes the most powerful way to help people understand the impact of intentional damage to our public lands is to let them experience first hand all that is at stake and how difficult mitigation can be. On April 5th, 2018, 18 students from Flagstaff Montessori had the opportunity to do just that. Rangers from the Coconino National Forest Flagstaff […]
Read moreThe Arizona Trail and local craft beer was recently featured in the popular food and culture magazine Bouillon! published monthly in the Netherlands. You can see the original article from Eline van Nes here, complete with outstanding photographs. If your Dutch is a tad rusty, click here for the English translation of the article. More photos from Eline’s journey across Arizona in […]
Read moreOn March 27, 2018, 60 students from Flagstaff High School’s Pre-AP Biology class headed out to the Deer Hill Trail from Little Elden Horse Camp to learn about trail design, hydrology, and perform some trail construction on a reroute in the area. With such a large group it is imperative to divide up the students. 30 students headed out […]
Read moreThe skills training offered by the ATA in partnership with American Conservation Experience (ACE) has become hugely popular, and many classes are selling out well in advance. Such was the case with the Module 1&2 training scheduled for Superior on March 17th. Fifteen volunteers gathered near the Picketpost Trailhead to learn about trail context, how to study the effect of […]
Read moreOn March 15th, 2018, As preparation for future excursions I met with the 75 students of the Pre-AP Biology class at Flagstaff High School Alpine program to learn about the watershed of Flagstaff. Over the course of 4 class periods, all 75 students learned to delineate ridges, drainages, and the outer boundaries of our Flagstaff watershed on laminated topographic […]
Read moreArizona Republic (March 9, 2018) Kearny is a proud Arizona Trail Gateway Community that provides respite for long-distance hikers in need of a hot shower, a cold drink and a good meal while taking a “zero day” (rest day without hiking) from the 800-mile trek. Read the article by Mare Czinar here.
Read moreSaddleBrooke Progress (March 2018) It’s fun to build new trail, especially when recent rains have softened the desert floor. Read the rest of the article by Elisabeth Wheeler here.
Read moreBrandon N. of Scout Troop 938 in Surprise, AZ completed his Eagle Scout project today. He organized a work event to replace the four deteriorated trail signs at Oak Spring. ATA provided the signs and equipment and Brandon marshaled the forces needed for the work. The group met at the trailhead on Hard Scrabble Road, carefully sorted tools and gear […]
Read moreColonel Devin Rehab Project-The Last Hurrah! Several years ago Arizona Trail Association embarked on an ambitious project to realign the trail off a utility road to a scenic walk through the woods. A great deal of preparation and back office work came to fruition in 2017 with a nice grant through Arizona State Parks and enthusiastic support from volunteers. The project […]
Read moreAmerican Hiker (Volume 1, 2018) Impacts to Vermilion Cliffs National Monument could be detrimental to the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Read the article on pages 6 and 7 here. and use the password AHSmember
Read moreOn March 7th, 2018 one hundred students from Mount Elden Middle School’s Apex program traveled south from Flagstaff to meet up with me at the Picketpost Trailhead on the Arizona Trail near Superior, Arizona. This long distance outing has become an annual tradition and a great way to introduce the students of Flagstaff to the ecosystem of the southern part […]
Read moreOur Spring Steward Conference was a great success. Eighteen stewards from all over Arizona gathered at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Vail to celebrate stewardship and learn from local experts. The training included a half-day first aid session taught by Todd Nardi; Aaron Seifert presenting on the GIS maps available to Stewards; and an overview of the Temporal Gulch Reroute […]
Read moreYourValley.net Sun City resident Art Huseonica began Feb. 26 an attempt to hike the 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail. Read the article here.
Read moreTucson News Now TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – A Maryland man plans to hike the Arizona Trail to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. Blake Gardner arrived in Tucson on Tuesday, Feb. 27, and traveled to the US-Mexico border early Thursday morning, 3/1, to start the long trek. The trail is 800 miles long and runs from the border […]
Read moreIt’s fun to build new trail, especially when recent rains have softened the desert floor! Nineteen SaddleBrooke hikers braved 30-40 degree temperatures to develop a more user friendly re-route of the Oracle Passage of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. Teams dug out shrubs and smoothed the trail tread for a better hiking, biking and equestrian experience. SaddleBrooke hikers cheered a […]
Read moreOn February 15th, 2018 thirty-six students from Mr. Hershey’s 6th grade class at Sinagua Middle School visited the Wildcat Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant and nearby Picture Canyon. Our goal was to compare and contrast how modern and ancient humans interacted with their environments and how that relates to the adaptation of animals in the natural world. We started our […]
Read moreAztec Press Online Tucson is home to some amazing hiking trails. Head out in almost any direction, and you can find a meandering path through the desert or a strenuous journey that is more rock climbing than hiking. Because there are so many choices in Tucson, it might be hard to choose which trail to head down. Here is a […]
Read moreThe February 2018 issue of The Desert Leaf features an article on the fastest known hikers on the Arizona Trail. Read the full article here.
Read moreOn January 25th, 2018 twenty-six students from Ms. Esparza’s 6th grade class at Sinagua Middle School visited the Wildcat Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant and nearby Picture Canyon. Our goal was to compare and contrast how modern and ancient humans interacted with their environments and how that relates to the adaptation of animals in the natural world. We started our […]
Read more
