The Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) runs 800 miles from Coronado National Memorial on the Mexican border to Stateline Campground in Utah (where Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments meet). The AZT has a cumulative elevation gain of more than 100,000 feet and goes above 9,000 feet in several locations, with the low point at 1,646 feet on the Gila River around Mile 270. Credit for developing and promoting the AZT began in 1985 with Dale Shewalter, a Flagstaff teacher who has a memorial in Buffalo Park on the urban alternate route of the AZT. There is also a mountain biking AZT that avoids Wilderness areas and an equestrian route that is mostly the same except for some road crossings and a loop around Flagstaff.
I completed the AZT northbound in spring 2026 and you can read my series of short daily blog posts here:
Huachuca Mountains, Mica Mountain, Upper Sabino Canyon, Gila River, Four Peaks Wilderness, East Verde River, Mogollon Rim, Anderson Mesa, Grand Canyon National Park
Must-Do Activity
Must keep moving! How many miles to do in a day is entirely up to the individual backpacker, but the less distance covered the more food carried. Water filtration is also a must-do activity because caches are few and far between, so springs, cattle tanks, and creeks provide the majority of liquid (the FarOut app is the most updated source of information). Popular resupply towns along the route are Patagonia, Tucson, Summerhaven, Oracle, Kearney, Superior, Roosevelt Lake, Pine, Flagstaff, Tusayan, and Jacob Lake.
Best Trail
My favorite section of the trail was west of Gordon Hirabayashi Campground in Coronado National Forest’s Upper Sabino Canyon at the base of the Santa Catalina Mountains (before it started steeply climbing up to Mt. Lemmon). The southernmost section that immediately ascends above 9,000 feet in the Huachuca Mountains was also surprising, pleasantly for the scenery and unpleasantly for the steep grades and loose rocks (and blisters).
Photographic Opportunity
The AZT goes from “spines to pines” and then back and forth between the two again and again. I was excited that after living in Arizona for 11 years of my life, I finally saw my first wild desert tortoise and two Gila monsters in the Sonoran Desert.
Peak Season
March and October
Fees
The only fee required is to pass through 18 miles of Saguaro National Park (an America the Beautiful pass also works)
Road Conditions
A few trailheads are on paved roads, but most require dirt roads and some are no longer accessible at all. A good but narrow dirt road climbs to Montezuma Pass at Mile 2, while House Rock Valley Road at Mile 800 requires a high-clearance vehicle (and can be impassable when wet). Shuttle services are available by reservation for thru-hikers at both ends.
Camping
If thru-hikers wish to camp in the 18 miles of Saguaro National Park that climbs Mica Mountain, they must pay to make a reservation at Grass Shack or Manning Camp. Grand Canyon National Park does not charge for thru-hikers to stay at the hiker-biker campsites on either rim or for a permit to camp at Bright Angel or Cottonwood Campgrounds at the bottom of the canyon. Stateline Campground on the Utah border is small but free with no water available.
Southernmost point on the Mexico borderHuachuca MountainsHorned lizardDesert tortoiseRoosevelt LakeRoosevelt LakeRaven with the San Francisco PeaksGrand CanyonColorado RiverRibbon Falls in Grand Canyon National ParkState Line Campground on the Utah borderCopper belt buckle for finishers that I ordered in AprilNorthern terminus marker in State Line Campground
Explore More – One of only 11 National Scenic Trails in the U.S., what year was the first official thru-hike on the AZT once the final gap was completed along the Gila River?
After completing the southernmost 713 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT) in March, I took 45 days off to wait for the North Kaibab Trail to reopen so I could finish hiking through Grand Canyon National Park and north to the Utah border. I had gone hiking in the time between, but was unsure how “backpacking ready” my body would be after the time off. I surprised myself by starting with a 26-mile day that included going to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and turning around, then following that up with a 31- and 37-mile day to reach where I left my vehicle parked at the end. Again, I could not have done this without assistance from my wonderful Mom who drove up north from Pine, Arizona with me.
This has been a wonderful experience, and I met some fascinating people even though I spent 95% of the trail miles alone. It has me excited about doing the 214-mile John Muir Trail in California’s Sierra Nevada in August. Now, I am fairly certain that I am not mentally ready to take on a multi-month-long trail at this point in my life.
Arizona Trail Day plus+1, Mile 721 to 713 to 730 returned to Ribbon Falls in the Grand Canyon where I made it day one on March 4. There were lots of people out on the trail early, plus trail crews working hard to fix and maintain the steep route. Today had a 7,000-foot cumulative elevation gain and 6,000-foot cumulative loss. However, thanks to my Mom, I just carried a day pack. Got to start hiking through part of the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire as I left the National Park and entered Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
Arizona Trail Day plus+2, Mile 730 to 761 on the Kaibab Plateau through the 2025 Dragon Bravo Fire. Started by climbing to 9,139 feet, the highest point on the entire trail. Big thanks to the sawyers who cut thousands of dead trees for safety in Kaibab National Forest. Saw mule deer, grouse, and my first Kaibab squirrel (with the long ear tufts), but no bison. Had a nice dinner at Jacob Lake Inn with my Mom and trail buddy Jake (“Earthshaker”) who I met today.
Arizona Trail Day plus+3, Mile 761 to 798 to finish at the State Line Campground on the Utah border for my highest mileage day of the journey. This was my 33rd hiking day, plus I took 6 zero days and 45 days off waiting for the North Kaibab Trail to open in Grand Canyon National Park. The scenery was epic the final two miles as the setting sun lit up the Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. A wonderful ending to an unforgettable adventure.
Grand CanyonNorth Kaibab Trail2025 Dragon Bravo FireKaibab squirrelThe salad plate at Jacob Lake Inn was shaped like the AZT logoRaven about the trailheadVermilion CliffsState Line CampgroundCopper belt buckle for AZT finishers that I ordered in April
Held the last full week of July, Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo is considered “The Daddy of ’em All” and has been held annually since 1897 in the state’s capital city. It is easy to spend several days exploring local museums and attending the free air show put on by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, four Western Heritage Parades, performances at Indian Village, and three free pancake breakfasts. Daily gunfights are put on throughout the summer by the Cheyenne Gunslingers near the Railroad Depot Museum.
If you need a break from the rodeo and concert crowds, head 40 minutes west on Interstate 80 to hike at rocky Vedauwoo Recreation Area. The National Forest also contains its namesake 12,013-foot mountain on the Colorado border. The Snowy Range Scenic Byway cuts across this rugged landscape and is a great place for outdoor recreation. If you pass through Saratoga on the west side of the peaks, soak at the free Hobo Pool, the town’s developed hot springs (with indoor showers).
Originally founded in 1834 for its strategic location at the confluence of two rivers, the fort was purchased by the U.S. military in 1849. In the summer, stop into the bar for a cold sarsaparilla or attend July 4th festivities. West of the fort, at Register Cliff and Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site pioneers left their marks along the North Platte River.
The newest State Park in Wyoming preserves a nuclear missile command center manned nonstop for decades by the U.S. Air Force. Underground tours are offered for a small fee.
Day 2
National Trails Interpretive Center
In Casper, this free museum is run by the Bureau of Land Management on a hill above where the Pony Express, Mormon Pioneer, Oregon, and California National Historic Trails all ran along the North Platte River in the 1800s. Fort Caspar Museum also celebrates its trail town history.
Mostly undeveloped for tourists, Weston Recreation Area is located 30 miles north of Gillette off Highway 59 with at least 15 miles of Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trails. Fishing for warm water species like smallmouth bass and bluegill is possible at several reservoirs. On moonless nights, the stars in this part of the state are epic.
Devils Tower was named the nation’s first National Monument by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. If you look closely, the vertical columns of the 867-foot-tall volcanic formation may hold a few rock climbers dwarfed by the scale. It is often easier to reach this northeast corner of Wyoming while visiting the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The Bighorn Mountains are crossed by three scenic byways: Cloud Peak Skyway, Bighorn Scenic Byway, and Medicine Wheel Passage. Located right off Bighorn Scenic Byway (Highway 14) is 120-foot-tall Shell Falls, while accessing the short trail to 600-foot Bucking Mule Falls involves driving about ten miles of dirt roads.
Devil Canyon Overlook and most of the 27 miles of hiking trails are in the Wyoming section of the park along with Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, Hillsboro Dude Ranch, and several tipi rings found along Bad Pass Trail, a route which has seen over 10,000 years of human use.
Day 4
Shoshone National Forest
Considered the first protected forest in American history dating to 1891, this National Forest encompasses incredible scenery, more than 1,300 miles of hiking trails, and tallest mountain in Wyoming.
Cody
Cody is the gateway to Yellowstone National Park’s eastern entrance and holds a nightly rodeo during the summer. It is also home to an excellent and eclectic museum called the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
Optional route on Beartooth Highway
U.S. Route 212 is an All-American Road that crosses a high-elevation plateau on the Montana border before entering the northeast corner of Yellowstone National Park. Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (Highway 296) connects Cody with the Beartooth Highway.
The world’s first National Park was created in 1872 and surrounds the giant 45-mile-wide caldera of a supervolcano. This geologic wonderland contains more than 50% of the world’s geysers and is a haven for wildlife that is best seen in the Hayden and Lamar Valleys. The park has countless waterfalls, including the 308-foot-tall Lower Falls that can be viewed from famous overlooks like Artist Point and Inspiration Point, or you can hike the steep, paved trail 600 feet down to the Brink of Lower Falls for unforgettable views of the canyon, especially on sunny days when a rainbow appears in its spray.
It can be hard to get a reservation to stay inside the park overnight, so many visitors cross the border into Montana to the towns of Gardiner or West Yellowstone. Campgrounds, dispersed camping, and backpacking are also options in Montana’s Gallatin National Forest.
Wherever you spend the night, make sure to visit Lower Geyser Basin the next day. This is where Old Faithful can shoot water up to 185 feet in the air. Since the occurrence of several earthquakes, it is no longer as consistent as its name suggests, but its eruptions can be accurately predicted every 60 to 110 minutes throughout the day. Nearby, Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin is definitely worth a stop, especially from an overlook along Fairy Falls Trail.
Jenny Lake sparkles below 12,325-foot Teewinot Peak and is the trailhead for popular Cascade Canyon Trail (you can take the shortcut aboard a shuttle boat for a fee). There are plenty of activities other than hiking, which include wildlife watching, boating, horseback riding, mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, or cross-country skiing in the winter.
Jackson
Crowded in the summer, Jackson is famous for its four arches in its town square that are built from shed elk antlers found in the National Elk Refuge. Horse drawn carriage rides into the middle of the wintering elk herds are a popular winter attraction in the refuge. Right in town in the summer, Bar T 5 offers wagon rides and chuckwagon dinners with live entertainment.
This is the road connecting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, so visiting here is not really optional, but stopping to hike to Polecat Hot Springs for a soak is worth the time.
Day 7
Teton National Forest
South of Jackson, you can drive to pretty Granite Falls, a 50-foot-tall and 100-foot-wide cascade that was featured in the film A River Runs Through It (plus the falls has a hot springs across the river at its base). There are many hiking and camping options available throughout Teton National Forest.
The visitor center displays fossil fish, turtles, and other species, and on the deck outside there is an awesome timeline that traces CO2 levels and life on Earth throughout geologic time. Take the steep steps up the Historic Quarry Trail to find fish fossils still in the rocks. Several companies on private property in the area allow visitors to pay to quarry their own fish fossils to keep.
From Pinedale, a 50-mile (partially paved) drive leads to the campground at Green River Lakes, which opens up into a beautiful valley that frames photogenic Squaretop Mountain. Starting from the lakeside campground, the Highline Trail is a 72-mile trek that traverses the Wind River Range, my favorite mountain range in the world.
South Pass City
South Pass City State Historic Site is a well-preserved ghost town with 30 structures where kids will appreciate the irony that the Sweetwater County Jail later served as a classroom. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail passes through the middle of the ghost town. Lantern-guided tours inside the nearby Carissa Gold Mine and Mill are available by reservation.
Some of the best dinosaur fossils in the world were found in Wyoming, and the little town of Thermopolis (home to the world’s largest mineral hot springs) has an excellent museum, plus visitors can schedule a trip to work alongside paleontologists at an active dig site in the summer.
Along 36 miles of the Green River (Seedskadee means “river of the prairie hen”), 220 types of birds have been identified, and other species seen include pronghorn, mule deer, and moose.
Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Green River straddles the Wyoming-Utah border in the northern portion of Ashley National Forest offering 360 miles of shoreline, five full-service marinas, whitewater rafting, and numerous boat launches and campgrounds.
Killpecker Dunes
North of Rock Springs is North America’s largest active dune field in a remote area called the Red Desert, home to the nation’s only herd of desert-dwelling elk. The Bureau of Land Management allows dispersed camping throughout the region, including near the dramatic Boars Tusk rock formation and further south around the badlands of Adobe Town.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway shares 82 miles of two-lane road that is U.S. Routes 89, 191, and 287 from Grand Teton National Park National Park north to West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Its name honors the conservationist and philanthropist who contributed to the creation of Acadia, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, and Virgin Islands National Parks. Originally part of Teton National Forest, this land includes the Flagg Ranch concession, which had its lodge, restaurant, gas station, and campground moved from along the Snake River to a point less visible from the road in 2002.
Highlights
Flagg Ranch, Huckleberry Hot Springs, Polecat Hot Springs
Must-Do Activity
Huckleberry and Polecat Hot Springs are easily accessed by walking less than a mile down a closed dirt road not far from historic Flagg Ranch. Polecat Creek Loop Trail can be completed as a 2.5-mile loop that is narrow and overgrown by vegetation in places. Be on the lookout for grizzly bears, black bears, elk, and moose. Trout fishing in the Snake River is also a popular activity in John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. The parkway is plowed to Flagg Ranch in the winter, making it a shared trailhead for snowmobilers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers.
Best Trail
Flagg Canyon Trail is a five-mile out-and-back hike along the Snake River with 340 feet of cumulative elevation gain after it crosses the busy parkway east of Flagg Ranch.
Photographic Opportunity
Driving unpaved and potholed Grassy Lake Road provides views to the south of the Teton Range.
The parkway is paved and closes for the winter at Flagg Ranch when the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park shuts down. Closed annually for grizzly bear migration until June 1, Grassy Lake Road heads 49 miles west to Ashton, Idaho (the easternmost 36 miles are a potholed dirt track for high-clearance vehicles that enters Targhee National Forest, which is popular for dispersed camping).
Camping
There is a lodge at Flagg Ranch, plus Headwaters Campground takes reservations and offers 34 tent sites, 97 full-hookup RV sites, and 40 Camper Cabins (open June 7 to October 4, 2026). Along rough Grassy Lake Road there are eight free camp areas with 14 first-come, first-served campsites equipped with vault toilets and bear boxes. There are also campgrounds in Teton National Forest and primitive dispersed campsites near Grassy Lake once the road enters Targhee National Forest.
I am about to head back out to finish the northernmost 100 miles of the Arizona National Scenic Trail (follow along live), so it seemed like a good time for this list. As is often the case when I start ranking the top 10 books in any given category, I thought to myself that I have not read enough books in the backpacking genre to really leave any off the list. And again, as usual, I remembered ones that I had forgotten and started making hard decisions about what got shifted to the Honorable Mentions. There are so many first-person narratives about hiking long trails in the U.S. that I have not really scratched the surface here. I hope you are inspired to pick up one of them, just as I was to recently read Heather Anderson’s Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home after reading reviews. The next backpacking book on my to read list is Carrot Quinn’s Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail. Click here to see all the Top 10 Lists.
If you or someone you love are interested in hiking or backpacking in the 155 National Forests, our travel guidebook Out in the Woodsmakes a great gift!
I read this autobiography before my own trip in the opposite direction on the Arizona National Scenic Trail where I spent the great majority of my hours walking alone.
At a library event in Wyoming, I got to meet this author and one-time record holder for the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
This is the book that inspired that part of Forrest Gump where he walks on roads for years. I was blown away when I read this as a teenager and I think it had a big impact on me (I even hiked with a Siberian husky like the author).
This book does not fit this list at all because it is the only one that is fiction and it is set in England, but I have not identified with a protagonist this much in decades.
All 400 miles walked on the railroad lines of the east coast during the 2020 pandemic were breaking trespassing laws, which gives this narrative an added sense of danger.
A well-researched investigation into the disappearance of a National Park Ranger in the rugged backcountry of California’s Sierra Nevadas also placed on the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in a National Park list.
An Honorable Mention for the Top 10 Non-Fiction Books Set in Alaska, most of this amazing journey was spent paddling on water, not walking under the weight of a pack raft.
Raven About The Parks 