A project I’d like to tackle in early spring 2026 is a Walk Across Phoenix—from one edge of the city limits across to the other—which appears to be roughly 55 miles in total.
I had originally planned on doing this in 2020, but of course we all know how that year went. The general idea back then was to do it in 3 days using a pretty straightforward route, staying at the house of two different friends who happened to live at good stopping points near the route I’d take. Unfortunately, one of them has since moved away, so I may need to substitute with a hotel instead.1
Or, it might not matter at all, as I’ve recently been considering slowing down the pace a bit and perhaps spending a bit more time exploring parts of the city along the way instead. A journey like that would probably mean being picked up every night and returning home to sleep, as opposed to my original “continuous journey” plan.
Another route option would be trying to incorporate more of the desert preserves and canal pathways in my route. That could add places like Pagago Park, Tempe Town Lake, Western Canal, the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt, Arizona Canal, Camelback Mountain, Phoenix Mountains Preserve, North Mountain/Shaw Butte Preserve, Cave Creek Pathway, Sonoran Preserve, Deem Hills Preserve, and Black Canyon Trail—while also adding quite a bit additional mileage. A route like that would change the character of the trip a bit, as so much of it would be “non-urban,” so to speak.
I’ve also considered seeing if anyone wants to complete the walk with me, or perhaps having a different friend join for each day or portion of the day.
I’m also not sure which direction I’d take. My initial thought was to start in Ahwatukee, get over the primary elevation gain of South Mountain, and then make my way slowly upslope to the north end of the city, which is suspiciously close to the infamous Roadrunner Saloon in New River, which seems like a worthy dive bar in which to celebrate such an endeavor. That’d also keep me from from looking into the sun, which I think I’d appreciate. On the other hand, by heading south, I could crash at a friend’s place in Anthem the night before, and 50+ miles later, end in Ahwatukee, perhaps even walking home via my fav local bar—where perhaps some folks I’d know would be to celebrate with me.
But, who knows at this point. I have plenty of time to ponder and plan, as I await the appropriate timing. If you have an idea I should consider, please let me know.
- Ok, I’ll admit that my first idea was to actually “camp” along the way—whether that was some unauthorized camping in the desert preserves, or as someone who was experiencing homelessness might. But neither sounds like the right way to do this. ↩︎