The Arizona Trail is full of beauty from it’s start to the end.  You might notice that my Arizona Trail, Best Passages * are all north of the AZTR 300 finish. That’s not to say the 300 isn’t beautiful.  I had heat stroke and suffered from dehydration during first 300 miles so my opinion of the area is a bit askew.  With that said most people regard the first 300 miles to be the hardest of the whole trail.

If you asked me right after I finished my ITT (Individual Time Trail) I would have told you none of it was enjoyable.  The AZT is a very difficult trail.  At times it can be hard to take it in and appreciate it in the moment (See my Hardest Passages post).  After some time off the trail and time to reflect I realized there were some amazing pieces of trail between the Mexican border and Utah.

*Passages are designated sections of trail as determine by the Arizona Trail Association.  They help to make planning, maintaining, and navigating the trail easier.