The view from Chicken Point after hiking the Broken Arrow Trail makes all those Pink Jeeps worth it. The Broken Arrow Trail is one of the most popular in the Sedona, AZ region. The round-trip hike is three miles with an elevation change of just 350 feet. The trail is unshaded and traverses slick red rock and thickets of ancient foliage. The Broken Arrow Trail runs...
Learn MoreIt appears little is free from graffiti vandalism, not even age-old saguaro cacti at Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona. Park Superintendent Darla Sidles reports that at least eight saguaros and some boulders along the Douglas Springs Trail in the park’s Rincon District were tagged by the spray-paint-wielding vandals sometime last weekend. Some of the...
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Hikers who are beginning or ending a trip on the Bright Angel Trail at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park can soon do so in a much more pleasant and attractive setting. The park and the Grand Canyon Association will dedicate the renovated trailhead for the Bright Angel Trail with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2013. Located in the heart...
Learn MoreSedona, AZ and its array of stark red sandstone formations provide a backdrop of magnificent beauty for any activity in the Verde Valley region of Northern Arizona. One of the best ways to enjoy the spectacular landscape is to get out into it; in other words, take a hike and discover what nature has to offer. There is a vast range of trails available to interested...
Learn MoreIt’s been snowing in Tucson, so you may not want to be out hiking. But snow is rare in this Sonoran Desert city. Hiking trails aren’t. They are just about everywhere. These are the author’s best 10 places to hike around Tucson. These are places, not trails. You could spend days hiking at most of them. Top 10 list…...
Learn MoreOne of the Valley of the Sun’s hiking hotspots will close January 28th and it’s not going to reopen for at least six months because of a major makeover project. The project includes new bathrooms being built at Echo Canyon on Camelback Mountain, but the signature improvements are trail renovation and extending the Echo Canyon route by a third of a mile from...
Learn MoreAn Arizona man marked his 78th birthday in a bittersweet way. He spent it atop his favorite mountain, a hike he’s taken several times a day for nearly 40 years. “I’m still limber. I’m still fine,” said Sam Wagman, while celebrating his 78th birthday exactly where he wanted: trekking Camelback Mountain. “So I’ll call this my last...
Learn MoreGilbert Jimenez knows his way around Sentinel Peak. He has hiked on the little mountain on Tucson’s west side and helped maintain its trails for more than 70 years. Now, in recognition of his long devotion to the peak that’s also known as “A” Mountain, a trail there is to be renamed in his honor. The Sentinel Ridge Trail will be renamed the...
Learn MoreNew signs on Camelback Mountain’s hiking trails in Phoenix warn hikers that there are bee hives in the area. There have been two bee attacks this week alone. One of them was fatal. A trio of hikers was attacked by bees while climbing off the trail at Echo Canyon. One hiker fell about 60 feet to his death while trying to fend off the swarm. The others hunkered down...
Learn MoreArizona voters have a big decision to make this November. Really big. Arizonans will vote next month on a ballot proposal to give the state control over the Grand Canyon – the latest move in the so-called “sagebrush revolt” in which western states are trying to reclaim federal land. The issue was put on the ballot after the proposal passed the Republican-controlled...
Learn MorePrescott, AZ has the perfect ingredients for constructing trails using mostly free labor. This “volunteer” labor comes in all shapes and sizes ranging from schools, church groups, and non-profits to”‘non-voluntary” community service and restitution programs. There are also more specialized trail building groups such as the local mountain biking,...
Learn MoreHikers, bikers and horse riding folk will have eight miles of new trail to troll after the Forest Service recently concluded an environmental assessment, green-lighting the project. The new trail will start near the Strawberry trailhead and connect with the Pine Canyon Trail, weaving through the ponderosa pines just north of Pine, AZ. The trail will act as vital...
Learn MoreAs the weather begins to cool down, more and more folks are getting out of the house and enjoying the city’s numerous hiking trails. With the number of hikers increasing, it’s even more important that people respect the laws and their fellow hikers. One Phoenix, AZ woman recently reminded everyone of the importance of obeying the rules and staying respectful. After a...
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With a lifetime of navigating complicated trail systems behind him, Nigel Reynolds is no stranger to maps. In fact, he views maps the same way others might view a good novel. “I’ve always loved maps,” Reynolds said. “I like reading a map as much as I like reading a book.” So it was a natural for Reynolds – a longtime member of the...
Learn MoreThe National Trails Awards are sponsored by American Trails to celebrate the leaders of our national system of trails for their outstanding contributions. This is the opportunity to recognize an outstanding person, project, or organization with America’s most prestigious trail awards. A new International Trails category is being introduced this year. Winners will...
Learn MoreOf all the ways one could see the Grand Canyon, one of the best is to hike across it, rim to rim. It is a tough physical hike, and the logistics are complicated, as you need to get camping permits in advance and arrange transportation from the destination rim back to the trailhead where you presumably left your vehicle. But the payoff is one of the peak experiences of a...
Learn MoreApache County’s forest-stewardship agreement with the U.S. Forest Service was held up at a congressional hearing Friday as a model for other governments trying to tame the growing problem of wildfires. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Flagstaff, said programs like Apache County’s contract to help thin the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest should be part of a national strategy of...
Learn MoreOn a dry day in May 2002, Arizona Gov. Jane Dee Hull boarded a Blackhawk helicopter in Show Low with her forest and wildfire advisers and Wally Covington, director of the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University. As the chopper flew over the White Mountains, along the Mogollon Rim and on toward Flagstaff, Covington plotted out, with the help of a...
Learn MoreThe author had the rare opportunity to go hiking with a couple dozen scientists. A mix of natural and social scientists, the group included botanists, ecologists, geologist, linguists, geographers, archeologists, and experts from many other disciplines. The common thread among them was the geographical focus of their research: the Sonoran Desert. That, and the invitation...
Learn MoreA young German reached the summit of Elaine Castle on October 11, 1982. He was engaged in an epic trek, determined to be the first person to hike the length of Grand Canyon on both sides of the river. Before starting out, Robert Benson had overstayed his visa and taken an American name from a tombstone. With a raven feather stuck in his cap, he descended from the summit...
Learn MoreThere are plenty of reasons to visit Sedona, and those red rocks are right at the top of the list. Formations in hues of red, orange and white jut up from the high-desert floor, creating a mesmerizing setting that changes with the light. Don’t just admire this geological wonderland through a car windshield. Explore it slowly, on foot, and savor the technicolor...
Learn MoreMarch, April and May, are known as bee season in the Valley of the Sun. And rescue personnel from the Phoenix Fire Department say they are responding to an increasing number of calls from hikers being attacked by bees out on the trails. “It’s safe to assume that most of the bees we encounter are Africanized bees. And what that means to us is that when they...
Learn MoreA group of Chicago Cubs fans – and their goat – hope to reverse the “Curse of the Billy Goat” that has hampered the franchise for the past 65-plus years. But at the same time, the group is looking to raise money for cancer research. Five Cubs fans – who have named their group Crack the Curse – are on a 1,900-mile hike, from Hohokam...
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. My regular hiking companions have designated me the lead hiker, so I suppose that makes me the slowest Meanderthal. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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