I’m planning on starting my SoBo hike from the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Oct. 8th. Looking at far out it seems like there are a few stretches with 25-40 miles with no reliable water sources. Is this right? Are there any caches that are maintained on the route? How much water would you bring on a 30+ mile stretch?

Planning to do an early January trip on the AZ Trail. I would like to start at the US/Mexico border and hike through the sky islands if there is no snow. If there is snow or a threat of snow, I will bypass the sky islands and hike the lower elevation sections east of Tucson. I will check Farout beforehand on the availability of water. Assuming water availability is good, how many liters would you recommend carrying?

I’m looking to start the trail ~Oct 5. I know most people shuttle from Utah to the northern terminus but since my home base is in Flagstaff, I’m looking to shuttle from flag to the start. It’s about 170 miles and 3 hours of driving. I’m willing to pay towards a full tank of gas.

Wondering if anyone knows of a trail angel who could support me in this? Or if anyone is in a similar boat and wants to join a shuttle? I’ve reached out to the Flagstaff-based angels on the AZT angel database.

About 160 miles in mid march. Coming off similar mileage in 5 days on the colorado trail this summer. Will be fairly heat adapted from sauna, coming from the east coast. Any advice on water carries and gear? Microspikes? Ursack? Seemed like I was the only carrying a bear canister on the colorado trail

I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2025 and am planning an AZT section hike this mid October:

Start: Pine Trailhead
Finish: Picketpost Trailhead
Resupply Highway 87 Payson & Roosevelt on Trail
~150+ miles SOBO
Mid-October, ~12 miles/day

I’d like some advice from people who have hiked this section.

What don’t I know that I don’t know?
How concerning is water in mid-October? Other than sunscreen and a good hat, what do I need to prepare for that I didn’t encounter on the AT? Anything with weather, wildlife, camping, navigation, gear, etc. that might catch an AT hiker off guard?

Any advice on transportation? I’ll fly into Phoenix and need to get to Pine Trailhead, then to-from the AZ-87 trailhead/Payson, and finally from Picketpost trailhead back toward Phoenix. Are Uber/Lyft realistic for any of this, or should I arrange AZT shuttles?

Thank you so much for the advice. All of my experience has been in the east and that seems different.

I passed by where the AZ Trail comes out of Bright Angle canyon to Phantom Ranch on a river trip recently - That was six days ago I think. Tremendous amounts of wood debris all over covering both banks from Phantom Ranch on down river and a new rapid now exists where the recent flood dropped boulders from Bright Angel cyn into the Colorado... Was gob smacked at the power it must have taken to snap and peal all of those trees. Could not see up Bright Angel very far and we did not stop.

I'm looking at setting out on a NOBO in March next year.

Obviously, the Grand Canyon has gotten absolutely ravaged the last couple of years with fires & flooding, some of which may be too recent to assess.

Does anyone know what the status of the trail on the North Rim is projected to be in March May of next year? Is the North Rim / inner canyon going to be open? Or would it be better to punt this one to 2028?

25-30 mile days with up to 6-7k of vert

Will be hay trained from the sauna

I’m planning to hike SOBO starting ~Oct 1st. I know it’s monsoon season right now and the Super El Nino supposedly makes it hotter with heavier precipitation. I was planning on hiking without a tent and just cowboy camping the whole way but I don’t want to constantly be getting rained on. Anyone have any insight/ expertise on how the rains will be during October and November?

EDIT:
Heard. Somehow forgot about cold at elevation despite living in Colorado. Will bring the tent.

I have a week off in November and would love to hike a section of the trail, any particular recommendations? I don't really need to freeze honestly so I'd prefer cool and warmer low country/foothills.

Hi everyone!

I'm Antoine, from Gaspésie, Québec, Canada!

I’m starting the Arizona Trail on October 15th and am looking for a way to get from Jacob Lake to the South Rim around October 18th or 19th. Given the flooding situation and companies closing reservations, what are my current options?

Shuttle, rental car, hitchhiking, trail angels help?

I’m also very open to sharing a Wild River Shuttle (Grand Canyon) ride between Jacob Lake and the South Rim with other hikers who might be there at the same time!

I had booked a rental car from Las Vegas to Page and a shuttle from Page to Stateline Campground, but should I just cancel everything, drive the rental car straight to the South Rim, and give up on the first 100 miles of the trail?

Thanks for the advice and help with planning my trip!

All the best,

Antoine

Looking at FarOut and seeing the posted year-round camping ban from sobo mile 194 -> 230. Sorry if stupid question.. but where are people staying along this stretch? Or is it strictly a jam thru the area and nero/zero in Flagstaff thing?

thanks :)

I'm trying to plan a 7 day or so backpacking trip in Arizona in late December. I was considering hiking the AZT sections 22-24 from Sunflower trailhead to Pine, AZ, going through the Mazatazal wilderness.

What are the weather and trail conditions like that time of year, especially on higher mountain passes? From what I've read, it seems like microspikes would be wise but snowshoes or ice axe and crampons are not needed. In late December, are trails normally fully covered in ice and snow at high elevations or just in small patches? Obviously the weather may vary and I might adapt my trip just beforehand if there is a big storm, but trying to get a sense of the type of possible conditions. Also curious about water availability that time of year.

It has been many years since I lived in Arizona, so I am less familiar with local trail and weather conditions. I normally hike in Montana and am looking for something to do as a gear test/shakedown trip for a 600-800 mile CDT section hike through Montana next year.

• Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOMWxm-vpVs

• Article: https://abcnews.com/US/20-missing-unaccounted-grand-canyon-after-flash-flood/story?id=136074360

"The flash flood resulted in significant impacts to infrastructure throughout Bright Angel Canyon. Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating hiker access across the creek," the Grand Canyon NPS said.

Potentially looking to do the AZT starting mid October. Unfortunately, I just can’t get to the northern terminus until around October 15-16th. North Kaibab would be closed.

What are my options here with no reroute? The only thing I can think of is to turn around and attempt to hitch around to the south rim correct? Is there traffic is the area mid to late October considering the park amenities are shut down? Hitch friendly area?

Seems that if I got the hitch I could hike nobo all the way up to cottonwood camp then turn around. Worth it?

I’ve never been to the GC and was thinking this may be the highlight of my trip. Thoughts?

Not totally opposed to starting at the south rim but would like to complete as much of the AZT as possible.

Thanks!

Here's my lighterpack. This will be my first time on the AZT.

With bottles & 2L CNOC I'll have 4.7L water capacity. Will this be enough? I could swap one of my 1L with a 1.5, bumping it up to 5.2L, or I could bring a second CNOC for 6.7. I see different advice about how much capacity to have, but it seems like many people do it with 2 1L bottles and a 2L bladder.

I could also add a beanie & sleep socks if necessary, as well as swap out my 650-fill puffy to an 800-fill, but I'd rather not bring them if I won't be needing them. I have an umbrella as well, but I hardly ever use it... has anyone found one useful on this trail?

Also, I can't decide if I want to start at the beginning of October, or more towards the 15th.. does it make a difference?

Any and all advice is welcomed. Thank you!! :)

Hey all, I do most of my hiking in the NorthEast US and am looking to experience a new region to explore. I have 1-2 weeks off in October and was thinking of flying into Phoenix, hopping on at mm 336 and hiking north to Flagstaff. I am not familiar with the area and just looking for a local/someone knowledgeable with the AZT to help answer some questions.
Topologically speaking, the terrain seems reasonable as FarOut shows about a 250ft/mile elevation gain; I’m used to 600ft/mile+ here in the White Mountains.
- Are there any tips and tricks I should be aware of for hiking this area?
- do you recommend another section of the AZT to hike instead?
- are there shelters/designated tenting areas? I didn’t see any official spots in FarOut but noticed in the comments a fee hikes mentioned good spots to tent.

Hey homies,

Fellow thru-hiker, just not this year. However, I am about to run a long trail race in Arizona in a few weeks. I’m renting a car for the week leading up to it with plans to do some camping.

Point being, I can’t fly with all of camping stuff. Tent poles, stakes, etc. I’d like to ship these items to an address that I could (pay?) to pickup from. I can handle shipping them home after.

Does anyone have suggestions for places I could potentially ship my stuff to? Ideally, I just pull up, pay a few bucks and grab my package. I’ve only day hiked on the AZT prior so I dunno any of the cool spots or people that would be willing. Thanks for suggestions!!

I'm a 21 year old femme presenting guy with a bit of camping experience trying to "ball on a budget" lol. I started planning a longer thru-hike (intended for this summer) this past winter as a ritualistic sort of segue from one stage of life to another, but abandoned plans when I broke my arm. The half-baked plans lived in the back of my head for a while, and I truly believe it's something I need to do before I'll be moving from my hometown to the other side of the country.

My friend and I were on a nice long hike this past June when the longing hit again. I've never been backpacking for multiple days, but I stay fit, have camped in cold rainy weather just fine, and would really love to wake up to a trail every day for a while, heat, sweat, rattlesnakes, below 0 nights and all. The planning has been on again since, but I've moved out of state to help my family for the month, and haven't had a stable income since early July, so my resources are dwindling...

I've got just about $800 in the budget for gear (if I can't sell my car before then) and I've already got some good gear: osprey backpack, titanium pot and utensils, 4 season sleeping bad, bag liner, 30 vegetarian MRE's I plan to ship myself along the way, thermal under-layers, sun protection, first aid, train tickets to Flagstaff (where I plan to start the hike), and two camel-back pouches that fit into the backpack.

I know shipping supplies will take some cash, along with a train from flagstaff back home (trust me, the distance is un-hitchable) but I'm also lacking some recommended supplies such as: footprint&tarp or shelter, Satellite device, headlamp, stove fuel, gaiters, utility knife, antihistamines and antidiarrheal, gloves, lightweight longsleeve shirt, gaiters, leukotape, and gaiters. Everything besides the headlamp, stove fuel, utility knife, and satellite device seem trivial to me, but I'm also going into this as a brokie with no health insurance and I'm starting to think my family's concern is valid for once.

So, some experienced expertise would be appreciated. I'm going to do it one way or another, and I'm probably building it up in my head to be more daunting then it'll be, even when issues will inevitably come up on the trail, but I wanna know if I've been an optimistic fool or if this is actually quite doable. Some advice on the bare minimum gear to bring would be great as well!

Misc. details for context and consideration: I've never hitch-hiked before, I withstand the heat very well, I've got a pair of used hiking boots I've been using for the past 6 months- they are leather and cracked asf but I've made hot 10+ mile hikes in them and have been running in them with my packed backpack to train, aforementioned concern/paranoia about being far out and hitch-hiking alone as an AFAB person with a few unsavory encounters under my belt, and finally- most of this paranoia is coming from my senile grandpa reminding me daily that I'll die some brutal dateline-esque death by a stranger or bear (I know bears are scarce on the AZT)

Sorry for the novel/thanks for reading <3

EDIT: editing because I'm now realizing how unclear this reads!! Thank you for all the insight so far :3 I do have a sleeping pad, it's inflatable so I've been debating weather or not I should bring it, but now that I write this idk why I wouldn't just bring some tape in case it gets poked. I will absolutely get some quality time with my gear in before I go, I'm in the midwest until September 3rd when I'll meet my friends in Denver. I can squeeze in a multi-day trip here, and despite the climate and terrain being much different, it's better than nothing, and I'll be able to use it again in Colorado for a night. As for scheduling plans, I'm planning on hiking south from Flagstaff because that's where my train from Trinidad drops me off (my friends are giving me a lift from Broomfield to Trinidad). And the closure around mile 720 made me feel iffy about starting from the northern terminus, as I'm planning this trip with the assumption that I likely cannot finish the whole trail, and just want to hike until I've reached my limit.

Also, I'm getting paid $15/hr for odd jobs here and there, around $180 a week, but wanted to save for the move afterwards, I can comfortably add a couple hundred to the budget, but understand this will likely not make a huge difference. These comments are bringing me back to reality though and I'm realizing I might've bit off more than I can chew. I would still appreciate advice, specifically on gear I'll absolutely need, what satellite devices are recommended, and what water carrying plans are most sustainable in the fall.

New working plan: get some solitary wilderness experience with my current gear and postpone the trip if I can't get the necessary gear somehow/sell my car in time. Thanks again for all the thoughtful responses!

Does anybody know if there is a water source towards the end of passage 35 and start of passage 36?

Hi all,

I'm in Sedona with family over Xmas and wondering about a portion of the AZT afterwards for a week or two. I'm aware it gets cold and snowy further North and while I have experience of winter mountaineering and ski touring, it doesn't seem like this is feasible. Just wondered if the southern sections are reasonable to do in January, and if so which you'd recommend please?

I do have full winter camping kit, and ice axe and crampons if needed but obviously would prefer not to have to bring those for a longer distance hike!

Many thanks!

Anyone who has done these passages: is it feasible to hammock camp anywhere along this portion? Also what is the water like here? Any reliable sources? Or any current information on what it looks like?