Arizona Trail
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arizona Trail | |
---|---|
Length | 800 miles (1280 km) planned 744 miles (1197 km) completed |
Location | Arizona, United States |
Trailheads | Coronado National Memorial Arizona-Utah border |
Use | Hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, cross-country skiing |
Highest Point | San Francisco Peaks - 9600 feet (2880 meters) (This point is on a proposed section of the trail) |
Lowest Point | Gila River - 1700 feet (510 meters) |
Trail Difficulty | Easy to Strenuous |
Season | Year-round at lower elevations, Summer and Fall at higher elevations |
Sights | Santa Catalina Mountains, Mogollon Rim, San Francisco Peaks, Grand Canyon |
The Arizona Trail is a trail from Mexico to Utah that traverses the whole north-south length of Arizona. The trail begins at the Coronado National Memorial near the US-Mexico border and moves north through parts of the Huachuca, Santa Rita, and Rincon Mountains; then through the Santa Catalina north of Tucson and the Mazatzal Mountains before ascending to the higher elevations of Northern Arizona and the San Francisco Peaks, and then continuing on across the Coconino Plateau to the Grand Canyon. It terminates near the Arizona-Utah border in the Kaibab Plateau region. The Arizona Trail is about 93% complete as of mid-2007, and is planned to be about 800 miles long when completed. It is designed as a primitive trail for hiking, equestrians, mountain biking, and even cross country skiing. It showcases the wide variety of mountain ranges and ecosystems of Arizona. The idea for the trail was originally developed and promoted by Dale Shewalter, a Flagstaff, Arizona teacher in 1985.