Arizona Trail Association

08/30/2026

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE REQUESTED

The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash flood in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29.

If you know of hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, or if you had a campground reservation in the affected area, please contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch (ISB).

This includes people who may have been:
• Traveling the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch
• Staying at Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood Campground
• Traveling through “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch

📞 NPS ISB Tip Line: 888-653-0009
📧 Email: [email protected]

Please provide any information you have, including a person’s name, approximate location, travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description, or when they were last known to be in the area. You do not have to provide your name.

Full news release: https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/public-assistance-requested-to-account-for-individuals-following-grand-canyon-flash-flood.htm

08/30/2026

Arizona Trail CLOSED in Grand Canyon
Due to significant flash flood damage that occurred on And gust 29, the North Kaibab Trail is closed with Grand Canyon National Park (AZT Passage 38).

We will provide updates as we learn more about the extent of the damage and when it may be open again. For now, the Arizona Trail is not a continuous path and no reasonable reroutes exist.

08/29/2026

08/28/2026

08/28/2026

🦋 Metamorphosis Complete ⚒️

The Butterfly Trail on the Coronado National Forest is a daunting path, no matter what the trail conditions, but it had been badly damaged by the Aspen Fire in 2003 and the Bighorn Fire of 2020, as well as years of neglect. Five years ago, the Arizona Trail Association decided to make a concerted effort to improve this part of the AZT Pusch Ridge Wilderness Bypass and transform these six miles of remote singletrack to a condition where bikes and horses could indeed use the trail as intended. *The AZT’s Passage 11 is off-limits to bicycles and too dangerous for horses, so we developed a wilderness bypass in collaboration with the Santa Catalina Ranger District.

Thanks to hundreds of volunteers who contributed over 1,750 hours of brushing, tread repair, drainage improvements, sawyering, and rock work, the trail is in much better condition than it was when we started. We also want to acknowledge the leadership of Tasha Pontifex, ATA Field Coordinator, whose vision for a better Butterfly Trail motivated these efforts. Although the route of the wilderness bypass will change in the future, Butterfly will always hold a special place in our hearts as a challenging trail with amazing views.

Our gratitude goes out to everyone who helped with the Butterfly Metamorphosis over the years. If you’d like to help maintain this trail in the future, volunteer with us (https://aztrail.org/get-involved/volunteer/), TORCA-Tucson Offroad Cyclists & Activists, and other organizations providing volunteer opportunities on the Coronado National Forest.

08/27/2026

Calling all trail runners! 📢
Race fees go up on September 18 for the Colossal Vail 5050!
More info & register 👉 https://runazt.org/colossal-vail-50-50/

The Colossal Vail 50/50 is an adventurous ultra run on portions of the Arizona Trail near the community of Vail (24 miles southeast of Tucson). Starting and finishing at Colossal Cave Mountain Park, both the 55K and 50-mile courses feature some of the greatest high desert trail running opportunities in this part of the state. There’s also a spicy half-marathon distance in the morning, and a nighttime half-marathon — runners can do both for a full trail marathon (with a nice long break in the middle of the day).

08/26/2026

08/24/2026

Join us for a live podcast recording about the threats facing Arizona's public lands along the borderlands.

This event is part of the Center for Western Priorities' Keep Parks Public campaign. We'll be discussing the impacts of border wall construction on wildlife corridors and Indigenous sites, along with staffing and funding cuts at land management agencies, and rollbacks of environmental protections from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge to Coronado National Memorial and the San Pedro River.

The Center for Western Priorities has brought together an expert panel to discuss these issues, including Matthew Nelson with the Arizona Trail Association, Russ McSpadden with the Center for Biological Diversity, and Emily Burns with Sky Island Alliance, and a representative from the Tohono O'odham Nation. Aaron Weiss, Executive Director for the Center for Western Priorities (also a UofA graduate) is host of The Landscape podcast and will moderate the discussion.

After the panel, you'll have the chance to visit with representatives from these groups to learn more about fighting back against attacks on our public lands.

Please RSVP and join us at the Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre (738 N 5th Ave). Doors open at 5:30 pm, podcast recording starts at 6:30 pm. Event concludes at 8 pm.
📨 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/keep-parks-public-arizonas-public-lands-and-the-border-wall-tickets-1995475660417?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true&mc_cid=cebe420aeb&mc_eid=ff3ae48088

08/24/2026

4-weeks to go!

2026 Stagecoach finisher medals by the one and only Ron Hammett!

08/21/2026

📢 WINNER UPDATE: Katie Pollak IS THE WINNER! We have confirmed the common names with an expert, and you were the only one who got the Mexican Yellow Show (Amoreuxia palmatifida) correct! ~~~
🌻 NAME THAT FLOWER CONTEST! The southernmost end of the Arizona Trail has been getting a lot of rain this monsoon season! Wildflowers and grasses cover the landscape, and it's grand!
🏅 HOW MANY of these flowers can YOU name? The first person who names all 8 flowers correctly will win a Gossamer Gear pack! Thank you to our friends at Gossamer Gear for their support!