Kicking around the idea of a thru hike

[mikeohio]

I might be on trail a few days after Easter but have a few questions. Doesanyone offer shuttle rides down to the southern trail head from Tucson? What are the best places to resupply along the trail. Will I have issues hitching into town for resupplies?

[Sredfield]

Shuttles are few and expensive, but some trail angels have been known to get hikers to the border. See the Az Trail Assoc. website http://www.aztrail.org/ for all the info you need, spend some time studying it. Hitching varies, the younger and prettier you are the better your chances But you don't need to get too far to resupply, several places along the way do mail drops, and you go near or thru a few towns--Patagonia, Vail, Oracle, Superior (the motel will come get you and take you back to the TH), Pine (Rimside Grill and rooms, <1 mi from the trail), Flagstaff, Tusayan, North Rim of the canyon, near Jacob Lake (minimal). The trail ends in the middle of nowhere, shuttle needed there but look up Betty Price in that region. Again, study the ATA website, with the topo maps now available there, I can't think of any info you need that isn't there, but I'm biased. ;)

[The_Eagle]

GPS tracks for virtually all of the Arizona Trail Passages are Available right here on HAZ. They come in any form you'd like from Satellite View, to 5 versions of TOPO maps.

Users triplogs for all of the Passages are a great source of current information also.

[blisterfree]

>>Pine (Rimside Grill and rooms, <1 mi from the trail)

As of last year the rooms were available for a minimum 2 night stay, and none too cheap at that. I was unable to talk them into offering an "Arizona Trail thru-hiker's special," ie their standard rate without the 2 night requirement. Then again, I wasn't thru-hiking the Arizona Trail that year, so perhaps I suffered from a lack of conviction. Maybe someone else could produce a better outcome. Instead I ended up at the cottages in mid-town which are pretty tatty and available seemingly at the whim of the proprietor, if by chance he's on premises any given day. Other than that, Strawberry - 3 miles farther up the road - has lodging, and not a lot else.

PS - For the latest GPS tracks and waypoints, best to become a member of the Arizona Trail Association and download the files directly from aztrail.org. Don't miss the new detailed mapset CD either, likewise available through the ATA website.

[azbackpackr]

Why would you use their mapset when you could use HAZ?

Just sayin...

[joebartels]

The ATA membership keeps the organization alive, which in turn helps keep the trail we all love maintained.

HAZ's interest is in creating awareness of the Arizona Trail through HAZ however reasonably possible. The ATA is welcome to plug it as they see fit.
Posting triplogs on HAZ could only increase awareness too

[blisterfree]

The Arizona Trail is something of a work in progress. OK, technically it's "finished" now, but the route has a rich legacy of change that will probably continue well into this decade. Is a long-distance trail ever really done? Apparently the venerable Appalachian Trail is *still* adding miles to its end-to-end tally, and it's been around since the state of Arizona was barely shedding its baby teeth. The bottom line is that the ATA's data - GPX tracks, waypoints, data book, and so forth - is constantly changing. The only way to keep up is to get that data straight from the source, and preferably soon before heading out the door.

The map CD is aimed at those looking to print maps and carry them in the field. I spent a winter on it, in collaboration with the ATA as well as the mapping gurus over at Postholer.com. Apparently it's selling like hotcakes, with all proceeds going to the ATA. I figure that's a cross-promotion we can all be happy about.

Thanks to Joe for hosting the AZ Trail discussion forum on this site. I can't think of a better place to trade ideas, as the knowledge base here practically predates the existence of the trail! My only concern is that the concentration-crippling animated smilies at page-right of the text box are gonna follow me into dreamland one of these nights. 8>)

[Tough_Boots]

Even though I don't have a lot of interest in hiking the complete Arizona Trail, I do hike on a lot of trails that would be in terrible shape without their hard work. They've organized a massive amount of trail maintenance. I hope the route continues to change so that some more forgotten and ignored trails might see a little TLC (I have a whole bunch of suggestions ). You guys rule!