The Arizona Trail (AZT) This trail is the fifth-longest trail in the Thru-Hiker’s Guide to America, clocking in at just less than 800 miles in length. When fully completed, it will wind its way from the northern terminus at the Utah border all the way to the Coronado National Memorial, near the United States-Mexico border town Nogales. It will take you deep into desert territory, a landscape unfamiliar to most of us.People sometimes imagine the Southwest as a barren land, mostly composed of sand, minor hills, and flat desert. Although the AZT travels through these types of terrain, this trail throws in major mountain ranges (with major climbing) more reminiscent of California’s Sierra Nevada or Utah’s Uinta Mountains.The AZT has not been completely marked as of yet, and sections of unmarked terrain, especially south of Flagstaff, can be confusing. But this trail is thru-hikeable, if you examine maps carefully and don’t mind some road walking. Grand Canyon National ParkWhile there are many memorable sites on the AZT, none can quite compare with Grand Canyon National Park. Covering nearly 2,000 square miles, with 277 miles of the Colorado River at the bottom, the canyon is as wide as 18 miles and as narrow as four miles, and is roughly one mile deep. This national park is a jackpot for those seeking a variety of natural wonders. If you look hard enough and long enough, you could spot more than fifty species of reptiles, nearly ninety different mammals, hundreds of flowering plant varieties, and more than three hundred types of birds. This canyon certainly deserves its ranking as one of the natural wonders of the world.
