HikeArizona.COM

[ Updated Mon 2018-07-16 ]
All land managed by the 6 national forests in Arizona are open and have no fire restrictions.
The only exceptions are temporary local closures due to weather or recent burn areas. As always check with the proper agency before you go.

Please note that each land management agency defines restrictions somewhat differently, and one agency may have restrictions while another a few miles away may not. It is our responsibility to know where we are, which agency manages the land we are on, and what restrictions that agency has in place. It can be very confusing.

A good overview is this website: https://firerestrictions.us/az/
Though I recommend visiting the website or social media site of the agency where you will be visiting.

Announced or in effect now:

Tonto National Forest
ALL AREAS OPEN: No Restrictions
Effective Wednesday, July 13 - https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/ne ... EPRD586727
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/ne ... EPRD587089
Previously:
Effective Wednesday, May 23 - 2 large areas closed - https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 581181.pdf
Effective Wednesday, April 18 - https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tonto/ne ... EPRD576665

Coconino National Forest
ALL AREAS OPEN! NO RESTRICTIONS!
Effective Wednesday, July 11 - https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino ... EPRD586542
Previously:
Effective May, 23: - Area Closures Implemented https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino ... EPRD580817
Effective Friday, April 27: - Stage II Restrictions https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coconino ... EPRD577593

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
All restrictions and closures lifted effective 7/16/18.
Previously:
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions in remaining open areas forest-wide
(No campfires, no smoking)
Effective Monday, April 23
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/asnf/new ... EPRD577026

Prescott National Forest
All restrictions lifted effective 7/13/18
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/prescott ... EPRD586857
Previously:
Partial Bradshaw Ranger District CLOSURE Begins Jun 1st
Stage 2 Fire Restrictions in remaining open areas forest-wide
(No campfires, no smoking, and no target shooting)
Effective Friday, April 20
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/prescott ... EPRD576679

Coronado National Forest
No Restrictions effective 7/13/18
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coronado ... EPRD586953
Previously: Effective Tuesday, May 1
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coronado ... EPRD577586

Kaibab National Forest
No Restrictions effective 7/16/18
Effective July 11 - Bill Williams Mountain now OPEN.
No Fire Restrictions on Williams and Tusayan Districts
Effective July 18, Restrictions lifted on the North Kaibab District
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/kaibab/n ... EPRD587249
Previously:
Effective Friday, May 11: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/kaibab/a ... ?aid=46421
Effective Friday, June 8: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/kaibab/n ... EPRD582675

Official Websites:
Tonto NF
https://www.fs.usda.gov/tonto
https://twitter.com/TontoForest
https://www.facebook.com/TontoNationalForest/

Coconino NF
https://www.fs.usda.gov/coconino
https://twitter.com/CoconinoNF
https://www.facebook.com/CoconinoNF

Apache-Sitgreaves NF
https://www.fs.usda.gov/asnf
https://twitter.com/A_SNFs
https://www.facebook.com/apachesitgreavesnfs

Prescott NF
https://www.fs.usda.gov/prescott
https://twitter.com/PrescottNF
https://www.facebook.com/PrescottNF

Coronado NF
https://www.fs.usda.gov/coronado
https://twitter.com/CoronadoNF
https://www.facebook.com/CoronadoNF/

Kaibab NF
https://www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
https://twitter.com/KaibabNF
https://www.facebook.com/KaibabNF

BLM
https://blm.gov/arizona
https://twitter.com/BLMAZFire
https://facebook.com/BLMArizona

What?!? Unholy pumpkins! Guess I am not going to the Prescott NF this weekend. Do I hike Humphrey, Elden or go to the Rim? I mean, I had thought I would do stuff like that in June, after I did some other things.

I see the Tonto is still untouched off the Rim, but I wonder if they will follow suit and closed portions adjacent to the Coconino?

i'm glad they're closing things off before memorial day
be interesting to see what tonto does
a lot of good stuff is off limits

https://azdailysun.com/news/large-swath ... e-latest-1

Apache Sitgreaves has announced that they will be closing some areas too. They just haven’t publicly identified which ones yet.

@chumley
I saw that, and am concerned that the Baldy area will be on their list.

And the Tonto . . .

So Chums, we can still go to your Beaver Turkey Ridge FR99 trail tomorrow?

@Alston_Neal
Yes. First, this all doesn’t start til Wednesday. Second that’s on ASNF which hasn’t yet announced closures. (Though I expect when they do that Area is included)

I thought so, but you're much more in tune. Be there tomorrow.

Tonto has announced that they will close "two areas" starting Wed. morning, May 23rd ... but when you click on the link there is no map of the closure. Anybody know anything? I will be wrapping up my visit Wednesday anyhow, but just curious. They should just close the whole thing before Memorial Day.

cactuscat wrote:Tonto has announced that they will close "two areas" starting Wed. morning, May 23rd ... but when you click on the link there is no map of the closure. Anybody know anything?

typical federal government

@DixieFlyer
Yes typical federal government, trying to protect our few remaining tracts of national forest, because people can't follow rules, ie; Wallow Fire, Tinder Fire, shame on them...

@friendofThundergod
you miss my point: I applaud them from being proactive in trying to prevent fires. My issue not with the closures; rather it is that their websites are full of broken links, so they are not being effective in providing information as to what is closed. That is not something that you would likely see a private business do.

@DixieFlyer
Oh I did miss your point! lol

Ya I think in general most FS pages could use a little work, I do notice however, that when I was clicking on a few over the last week to research some hikes, there was a survey related to quality of the website, so maybe they do acknowledge that they could use a little work...

Someone can call them Monday morning to see if they can fix the link to a map of the closure order. It's an internet link, not a botched order which contradicts itself in the same post. I'm more interested in knowing what is closed, and we can still get that information before the 23rd at 0600.

What about the Apach-Sitgreaves? Will the Baldy area be closed off?

cactuscat wrote:Tonto has announced that they will close "two areas" starting Wed. morning, May 23rd ... but when you click on the link there is no map of the closure.

The wording on their Facebook is all future tense leading me to believe their closure order isn't ready for release yet-- same situation as Apache-Sitgreaves.

So awful of the federal government to give us a heads up...

@Tough_Boots
Sorry I just don't see what good a heads up is without any actual information ...

@cactuscat
I'd rather know to expect closures and be able to come up with alternative plans than be blindsided I guess.

Based on past years, what is the Tonto likely to close? I never expected the Coco to close anything, they didn't for probably more than a decade now, I don't remember any closures like this when I lived there (2006 to 2011).

Also, what areas have closed in the past on the A-S, and for that matter the Prescott or Coronado. Mount Union area, Heliograph Peak, Baldy, it would be nice to hike these over the next 6 weeks.

The whole A-S closed 2011 and 2012, as I recall. Not soon enough in 2011....

And a fire off the 87. Potato Fire. Here we go.