County gets right-of-way to complete Arizona Trail

The dream of a former Flagstaff school teacher is almost complete.

In 1985 Dale Shewalter traversed Arizona on foot – from the Mexico border northward to the Utah border. Over 20 years later, his dream of a formal, multi-use corridor is now a reality. The 817-mile stretch of hiking, horseback and mountain bike pathway is known as the Arizona Trail.

Nearly 100 miles of the Arizona Trail is in Pinal County.

On Nov. 10, Pinal County took a huge step in completing the Arizona Trail by purchasing the right-of-way for the final 50 miles of the project.

“We had a special land use permit through the State Land Department that was close to expiring,” said Kent Taylor, Senior Planner for Parks, Open Space and Trails. “The Arizona Trails Association approached the county about creating a more permanent corridor protection. This made a lot of sense to us since the Arizona Trail is one of the three trails identified in our Open Space and Trails Plan.”

Taylor said Pinal County was eager to assist the Arizona Trail Association by contributing for survey work as a step toward acquiring the right-of-way from State Land. The Arizona Trail Association worked with the Arizona State Parks Department to identify funding for recreational multi-use trails.

“This has been a process that has been underway since 2005,” Taylor stated. “The land that the county acquired is a 15-foot wide corridor stretching about 50 miles from Oracle to the Florence-Kelvin Highway.”

The purchase price of the right-of-way was $105,887.

Supervisor Bryan Martyn (District 2) was on hand for the auction to purchase the right-of-way from State Land. He said the acquisition of the property is important for everyone who wants to enjoy the scenery of Arizona.

“We needed to get this land so we could finish the final leg of this amazing trail,” Supervisor Martyn said. “This helps protect the land in the future from being sold and having to rebuild the trail somewhere else. It’s a part of our mission to make Pinal County a place where you can live, work and play.”

Supervisor Martyn added that he is planning a horseback ride through the Pinal County section of the Arizona Trail in 2012 to coincide with the state’s 100-year anniversary.

To learn more about the Arizona Trail log onto www.aztrail.org.

Submitted photo

Photo: (L to R) Supervisor Bryan Martyn joins Pinal County Senior Planner for Parks and Trails Kent Taylor, Dayna Brown from the Arizona State Land Department and Annie McVay, Arizona State Parks for the ceremonial check ceremony to celebrate the purchase of the right-of-way.