Anyone have recommendations for the best guide and maps to acquire for the AZT? Thanks!
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Anyone have recommendations for the best guide and maps to acquire for the AZT? Thanks!
I simply printed out the topo maps and databook from the Arizona Trail Association. They also have info on each section of the trail and key gateway communities that you might need for resupply. I supplemented the ATA's material with Fred Gaudet's water report....definitely download the water report as it will give you a sense of where you can reasonably expect to find water and where you'll be rolling the dice if you choose to go with a light carry. The topo maps, databook and Fred Gaudet's water report were excellent.
As a bit of advice, I would also carry with me some sort of GPS capability. The trail is well marked, but from time to time, you will get confused due to the multiple tracks created by cattle, or burnt trail markers in forest fire areas, or just plain careless navigation. Even a basic GPS in your mobile phone enables you to geo-locate and determine whether you are still on the right track. I used my GPS about one time every two days. In most cases, it confirmed that I was still on the trail, but in a couple of cases, I had wandered a half-mile or so in the wrong direction. The GPS track is downloadable from the ATA too.
We carried the ATA maps plus the Guthooks smartphone app on our SOBO hike last fall. When we resupplied on the South Rim we decided to quit carrying the maps - we weren't using them much at all. Guthooks is excellent and never failed us. I would suggest carrying the latest water reports as well.