Tucson trail runners and mountain bikers rejoice! It's the season for riding the Arizona Trail.
The final link in a continuous Arizona National Scenic Trail across the state of Arizona was completed on Friday, December 16, 2011. The 817-mile trail is officially complete. A ceremony was held on a scenic and remote mountainside, overlooking the Gila River, not far from the communities of Kelvin and Riverside.
Mountain bike racers in the 2012 Arizona Trail 300 will be enjoy this new section of trail which cuts out some of the dreadfully boring and leg breaking "gas line" portion of the usual AZ Trail 300 route.For a mountain bike preview of the new White Canyon section of trail, check out the Diary of Scott Morris; he rode it last month.
If you want to celebrate the trail on your bike on January 7, join in the festivities of the annual Arizona Trail Jamboree. There are several ride distance options with all ending where Pistol Hill Road crosses the Arizona Trail in the Rincon Mountains east of Tucson.
The Arizona Trail Association and multiple agency personnel, trail workers and long time Arizona Trail supporters attended the event and constructed the final stretch of trail. Adjacent to the trail, the below brass cap commemorating the historic occasion was set in concrete. Friends of the late Dale Shewalter, the much respected and loved father of the Arizona Trail, inscribed his initials in the concrete.
The Arizona Trail was designated a National Scenic Trail in 2009. Construction has been coordinated by volunteers collaborating with land management agencies like the United States Forest Service, Arizona State Parks, Arizona State Land Department, and the United States Bureau of Land Management. In addition, private property owners and other conservation groups have been involved.
In the past, people on foot, on horseback, or on bicycles have had to navigate around incomplete portions of the trail. Now, all non-motorized users of the trail can follow the official Arizona Trail from Utah to Mexico.
The Arizona Trail Association has information about trail segments near Tucson:
The Arizona Trail Association will celebrate the completion of trail at its anual meeting on February 4, 2012, in Tempe. The event called "Celebrating the Arizona Trail--A Dream Come True" is open to the public. For more information about this annual meeting, click here.
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