Hiking the Arizona Trail

A gate separates grazing land along Santa Rita Mountains portion of the Arizona Trail.

For the past few weeks, Keith and I have been hiking sections of the newly completed Arizona Trail.  This winding pathway stretches from Mexico to Utah and passes through extremely varied life zones.  To the south, gangly Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir rise from the higher, cooler mountains while yucca, mesquite, cholla, and saguaro dot the Sonoran desert landscape.  Further north, the trail rises to the Mogollon Rim, circles Flagstaff, skirts Arizona's highest peak, then runs through the Kaibab plateau and Grand Canyon to the sage flats of the Utah border.  Its 817 miles were completed in 2011, and it was designated a National Scenic Trail in 2009.  Envisioned by Flagstaff schoolteacher Dale Shewalter in 1985, the trail became a reality due to the generosity of individual land owners, corporations, local, state and Federal agencies, and many volunteers. 

Hiking the trail makes me think of the Appalachian Trail back East.  While the Arizona Trail cannot  compare with the Appalachian's length, it packs a considerable amount of scenery, culture, and community within a relatively small span.  Mountain bikers, equestrians and skiers share the trail with hikers.  No motorized vehicles are allowed, including ATVs.



Mariposa lilies bloom wild along the trail.  They remind me of tulips.

Our treks along the trail have been in the Santa Rita Mountain section.  Our hikes have taken us through steep canyons populated with cliff roses and sycamores, rolling bajadas of alligator juniper and yucca, to rocky washes and mountainsides.  On one trip, we came across patches of bright yellow mariposa lilies and desert dandelion, the first time I'd seen these flowers in the wild.  Birds have ranged from kraaking ravens to trilling five-striped sparrows.  We've wandered past old mines and water tanks as well as free-ranging cattle. 

We've enjoyed our journeys on this wonderful national treasure.  Over the next few weeks, you might find us rambling about, high in the Santa Ritas.

View along the trail.