TRAVEL

Arizona hike: Connecting dots on Arizona Trail

Movies have inspired long-distance hiking, but you don't have to tackle the AZT all at once.

Mare Czinar
Special for The Republic
Yaqui Ridge along Arizona National Scenic Trail.

If you're reading this, you might have been inspired by such movies as "Wild" and "A Walk in the Woods" to take a good long trek. These films romanticize long-distance hiking, but it's important to do your homework and manage your expectations before hitting the trail.

Here in the Southwest, the obvious draw for a marathon hike is the 817-mile Arizona Trail.

Like many people with a day job whose long-term plans include hiking the entire route from Mexico to Utah, I've been chipping away at the miles in opportunistic grabs and passage-long chunks.

Turns out, this bit-by-bit style is the way most hikers approach the Arizona Trail. Sirena Dufault, AZT Gateway Community Liaison, says, "You don't have to hike the entire AZT to enjoy it. It's a 'choose your own adventure,' where you decide how much of a challenge is comfortable for you. Hikers who have completed the trail range from age 19 to folks in their 70s. Some have done it in 21 days while others section-hike it for a decade or more."

Shawn Redfield, AZT Trail Director, concurs.

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"A through-hike is nothing more than a bunch of section hikes done in series with resupply breaks in between. Preparation is critical, though. There is a small portion of hikers who are not prepared and as the popularity of long-distance hiking grows, fueled by recent movies based on it, this translates into hikers who become a danger to themselves and the people who will come to help them."

Redfield adds that research and conditioning for a though-hike can take months and that it's vital to understand the AZT's special challenges of water scarcity, heat, elevation change and remote terrain where rescue is not an option. (Join the Arizona Trail Association to get tons of current trail information, water data and opportunities to speak with others who have conquered the route.)

On Oct. 24, I stood at the U.S.-Mexico border where a simple sign denotes the beginning of the AZT. It took me 12 years to get there. Having hiked parts of Passage 1 from Montezuma Pass through Miller Peak Wilderness (with a side trip to the 9,466-foot peak) and on to Parker Canyon Lake, this last mile was one of several glaring holes on my progress map.

Prior attempts had been rained out, burned out or thwarted by schedule conflicts, so I vowed to bite the bullet and hike rain or shine to bridge this gap by the end of 2015. Rather than starting at the traditional Montezuma Pass trailhead, I chose to approach from the Coronado National Memorial visitor center by hiking 2.4 miles on the Joe's Canyon Trail, then 1 mile south on Yaqui Ridge Trail to the border.

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This exceptional trek begins with a 1,400-foot ascent up a rugged drainage to Smuggler's Ridge, a knife-edge saddle with see-forever views overlooking Sonora, Mexico. The final mile makes a 600-foot descent to a border monument that marks the beginning (or end) of Arizona's most epic journey.

Next up in my gap-plugging adventure: the Mazatzal Divide.

Length: 6.8 miles round trip.

Rating: Moderate.

Elevation: 5,006-6,493 feet.

Getting there: Take Interstate 10 past Tucson to Exit 302. Go south on State Route 90 to Sierra Vista. Connect with State Route 92 and continue 16 miles to Coronado Memorial Drive. Follow it 4.7 miles (it becomes Montezuma Canyon Road) to Coronado National Memorial visitor center (open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas). Trail begins a few yards up the road beyond the center. Parking is free. Restrooms are available.

Details: Coronado National Memorial: www.nps.gov/coro. Arizona Trail Association: www.aztrail.org.

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