Thruhiking the Arizona Trail – Superior to Flagstaff
We are having a blast hiking the incredibly beautiful Arizona Trail! We’ve been from the desert floor to alpine mountain tops and back again and have completed about 570 miles of nearly 800 miles in 23 days. Here’s our week 3 breakdown…
Day 14. A very sweet trail angel drove us from our hotel to the trailhead early in the morning after our much needed zero in Superior. We put in 26.9 miles climbing from the desert floor into the Superstition Wilderness.
Day 15. We got an early start and didn’t take much of a break for about 18 miles to Roosevelt Lake Marina. Somehow french fries and beer were already calling our names. Gusha and Hyrobics picked up their packages with enough resupply for the next 120ish miles to our next stop in Pine. Our hastily made resupply didn’t show – probably because I didn’t make one for Roosevelt Lake 🙄. Nice. So, we unexpectedly started hitchhiking to Globe nearly 25 miles away. Luckily, finding a ride didn’t take too much time, and we suddenly found ourselves inside a full size grocery store and made our hungry dreams come true. We ate, resupplied, and quickly got a ride back to trail prepared for the long stretch ahead. Crisis averted. 22.5 Miles.
Day 16. We spent almost this entire day climbing into the Four Peaks Wilderness. It was a trying and beautiful 31.5 Miles.
Day 17. Another long day that took all of our strength to hike 30.3 miles. At one point, I found myself frustrated facing the climb ahead. Then I quickly realized I didn’t have to go to work today, I get to climb a mountain, and even listen to my favorite tunes while doing so. Life is good.
Day 18. Yet another difficult day of climbing and navigating a trail cluttered with rocks. Our feet were screaming after 32.7 miles.
Day 19. We woke even earlier than usual to hike the 16.8 miles to Pine. We spent several hours attempting to dodge the rocks as we made our way into town. We arrived at the trailhead at 11 am stoked to check out the local brewery. After an Arizona Trail Ale, a trail angel came and picked us up, stopped by the grocery store, and took us back to his house. Ray and Julie provided a hiker’s paradise – showers, laundry, a place to chill, and homemade wine!! We spent several hours getting clean and tasting various wines, thrilled to be off our feet. We decided to walk back to the trailhead for an early start the next morning.
Day 20. The section before and after Pine was surrounded by, well, pine trees. We were noticing the changes that Northern Arizona was bringing. The temperatures dropped and the mornings became especially chilly. We were glad we made it back to the trailhead the night before so we could get a full 32.8 miles in. Thankfully, the trail was less rocky than before.
Day 21. The trail meandered through the pine forest with little elevation gain or loss. We were on track for a bigger day than usual, but missed a turn before lunch. Lucky us, we went about 2 miles in the wrong direction and backtracked with our heads held low. We managed 32.2 actual trail miles, though we probably hiked 36 that day.
Day 22. We had one more big day before our much dreamed about break in Flagstaff. The trail was again very easy with little elevation change and few obstacles. Most of the day we managed more than our usual 3 mph pace. We put in 34.5 miles leaving just a short 10 miles left to town.
Day 23. We started our day in near freezing temps walking quickly towards town. The AZT splits to an urban route that walks directly into town. After our quick, cold 10 mile walk, we were elated to arrive in a full service city and immediately began indulging in all the goodies town has to offer.
It’s hard to believe we’ve completed 570 trail miles already with just over 200 to go. I’ve been a mess of mixed emotions – some relief, some disbelief that this adventure is already coming to an end. I’m stoked for the Grand Canyon right around the corner, but unbelievably sad to say goodbye to my friends again.
But ready or not, here we go. Here’s to the final 200 miles of the AZT!
We are Sean and Bekah (Bigfoot and Micro) enjoying this adventure we call life out on the Arizona Trail with our friends Grant (Gusha @plantgrant) and Ashlyn (Hyrobics @ashybarne). Follow our story here or on Instagram.
Infinite Geography 
I just moved here from Tucson, and my gf and I are massive outdoor enthusiasts seeking a place to go shooting and hiking places. This place might be a good area on trails. Do you have any tips for off-roading? We are very interested.
There are tons of spots in AZ for off roading! The AZT is limited to foot, equine, and non motorized bike trail travel primarily. However, look into your local national forest for great off roading and hunting opportunities!!