Arizona Trail (AZT)
Spring 2022
Arizona
– Northbound from Mexico to the Utah border –
Miles
Days
Miles / Day
About the Arizona Trail
Designated as a National Scenic Trail in 2009, the Arizona Trail (or AZT) is a roughly 800-mile trek across the Grand Canyon State from the Mexican border to Utah.
Because of the extremely dry and warm conditions in the desert Southwest, this trail is only safely hiked in the spring and autumn. Spring hikers begin their hike at the Arizona-Mexico border where they can begin with warmer temperatures, and hike north toward the Colorado Plateau and its higher (and cooler) elevations.
The AZT has been on my bucket list for the better part of a decade, but 2022 was finally the year I made it a reality. Below are my daily notes from my thru-hike, my gear list, and some of the many lessons I learned during this thru-hike!
Trail Journal
- Day 0: On My Way to Arizona!
- Day 1: Altitude Sickness (Mile 0 to 13.2)
- Day 2: Sunburned Calves (Mile 13.2 to 34)
- Day 3: Patagonia (Mile 34 to 49.5)
- Day 4: Windswept (Mile 49.5 to 74.7)
- Day 5: Thank You, Cooper (Mile 74.7 to 92.3)
- Day 6: First 100 Miles Complete (Mile 92.3 to 104.9)
- Day 7: Colossal Trail Magic (Mile 104.9 to 124.4)
- Day 8: Saguaro Natl Park (Mile 124.4 to 143.7)
- Day 9: A Little PTSD (Mile 143.7 to 158.8)
- Day 10: Canyons and Climbs (Mile 158.8 to 176)
- Day 11: Snowy Mt. Lemmon (Mile 176 to 193.4)
- Day 12: Oracle State Park (Mile 193.4 to 216.2)
- Day 13: The GET Bubble (Mile 216.2 to 242.1)
- Day 14: Kearny P.D. to the Rescue! (Mile 242.1 to 257.8)
- Day 15: A Zero in Kearny (Mile 257.8)
- Day 16: The AZT’s Low Point (Mile 257.8 to 276)
- Day 17: Margaritas All Around (Mile 276 to 294.3)
- Day 18: Into the Superstions (Mile 294.3 to 314.6)
- Day 19: I’m So Thirsty (Mile 314.6 to 334.8)
- Day 20: A Nearo at Roosevelt Lake (Mile 334.8 to 342.2)
- Day 21: The Four Peaks Wilderness (Mile 342.2 to 361.7)
- Day 22: More Margaritas! (Mile 361.7 to 378.7)
- Day 23: Halfway There (Mile 378.7 to 390)
- Day 24: Boxed Water on a Hill (Mile 390-409.7)
- Day 25: Losing Volt (Mile 409.7 to 430.6)
- Day 26: THAT Brewery (Mile 430.6 to 450.3)
- Day 27: Best Trail Magic EVER!! (Mile 450.3 to 466.4)
- Day 28: The Mogollon Rim (Mile 466.6 to 486.4)
- Day 29: An Unexpected Zero in Winslow (Mile 486.4)
- Day 30: It Took Us Three Hitches (Mile 486.4 to Mile 497.1)
- Day 31: We Made it to Mile 500! (Mile 497.1 to 517.6)
- Day 32: This is the Easy Part?!? (Mile 517.6 to 539.7)
- Day 33: Views of Humphreys (Mile 539.7 to 561.9)
- Day 34: The City of Seven Wonders (Mile 561.9)
- Day 35: Holy Post-holing (Mile 561.9 to 597.2)
- Day 36: Gone with the Wind (Mile 597.2 to Mile 625.5)
- Day 37: Oh, My Back Hurts! (Mile 625.5 to 651.3)
- Day 38: Brown-blazing to Tusayan (Mile 651.3 to Mile 676.3)
- Day 39: Sixteen AZT Hikers Ahead of You (Mile 676.3 to 682.6)
- Day 40: The Grand Canyon (Mile 682.6 to Mile 698.8)
- Day 41: Too Much Snow on the North Rim (Mile 698.8 to Hwy 67)
- Day 42: The Wind Will Not Win! (Hwy 67 to Mile 754.8)
- Day 43: Volt is Moving to Jacob Lake (Mile 754.8)
- Day 44: The Northern Terminus (Mile 754.8 to Mile 781.6)
- Post-AZT Thoughts
Other AZT Posts
My AZT Thru-Hike…By the Numbers
I’m back with a quick overview of the stats and metrics for the things I encountered on the Arizona Trail. My northbound (NOBO) hike began at Arizona’s southern border with Mexico on March 1, 2022....
Arizona Trail Packing List
I thru-hiked the Arizona Trail northbound from March 1st to April 13, 2022. This meant I started earlier than more spring NOBOs, so I needed to be prepared for freezing temperatures and snow at...
Why I’m Changing Packs for the AZT
It's been a few years now since started long-distance hiking. And over that time, I've made a lot of changes to my gear set-up. I moved from a sleeping bag to a quilt. I started with a...
Training for the Arizona Trail
I'm ashamed to admit this, but my training plans for thru-hikes always sucked! I would venture out on some overnight backpacking trips before my longer hikes. I'd try to figure out what was (and was...
Picking My Start Date for the Arizona Trail
January is quickly coming to a close and it's time for me to get serious about preparing for my upcoming hike of the Arizona Trail (AZT). My first order of business is picking a date for when I want...
The AZT’s Southern Terminus is Open!
Few things in trail news irritated me as much as learning that the southern terminus of the Arizona Trail (AZT) was closed off for no good reason. During the months running up to the 2020 election,...
PLANNING RESOURCES
- Overview of the Arizona Trail (AZT Association)
- Navigation for the AZT (Far Out App – formerly Guthook)
- Official AZT Guidebook (AZT Association)
- AZT Resupply Guide (Free Outside)
