Notice for anyone planning a long-distance hike or ride on the Arizona Trail:

While the trail can be a great place to practice social distancing to avoid potential exposure to COVID-19, there is still a risk of transmission, particularly in high-use areas like trailheads and off-trail gathering areas, such as hostels and within gateway communities. While you yourself may fall into a lower risk category for developing a serious case of COVID-19, all of us at the Arizona Trail Association (ATA) are writing because we are concerned for your safety as well as the safety of those who live and work in Arizona Trail gateway communities.

These communities are home to vulnerable populations, including the elderly and those without health insurance, and many have limited medical facilities that could become easily overwhelmed by even a small number of COVID-19 cases. If you are planning to begin a long-distance hike or ride on the AZT in the next six weeks, you must be prepared – mentally and financially – to self-quarantine in a private hotel room for at least two weeks if you think you are exposed to the virus and/or begin to develop symptoms.

Traveling home from the trail to self-quarantine would endanger those around you and people on your route home.

We understand that finances are often already tight on a long-distance hike and that preparing for such an outcome may be impossible for you. If you are unable to budget for the possibility of paying for a hotel room, food delivery, and medication for two weeks in the event that you are exposed to COVID-19, we urge you to consider postponing your AZT journey until the situation improves.

We understand that this may be upsetting – many of you have been planning this journey for years, and we know that an opportunity to spend months on the AZT is life-changing. However, in issuing this guidance, we are thinking of the elderly man working part-time at the checkout counter of the grocery store where you will resupply, and the woman without health insurance who cleans your hostel or hotel room. We are thinking of the fact that many trailside communities along the AZT are small and isolated, and may be hours away from the closest COVID-19 testing center or, more importantly, the closest hospital equipped to treat patients in severe respiratory distress.

This article includes an easy-to-follow explanation of who should self-quarantine or isolate as of March 13, 2020; however, as the situation continues to evolve, we encourage you to consult CDC guidelines for up-to-date information about who should self-quarantine and for how long.

Additionally, we recommend that AZT travelers take extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 along the AZT. These include washing your hands often (at least 200 feet from water sources), staying home if you’re sick, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, and avoiding unnecessary skin contact with others.

We are encouraging at-risk individuals to postpone their travels. On March 5th, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated public guidance encouraging those older and/or with underlying medical conditions to stay at home to minimize all interactions with the public. The ATA is encouraging greater safety for those that require heightened protection from COVID-19. If you’re not in an at-risk category, we are not suggesting that you cancel your trip – simply that you be adequately prepared to take necessary steps to protect those around you in the event you become sick.