Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail Thruhike: Moqui Stage Station-Babbitt Ranch Campsite

In the land of Arizona
Through desert heat or snow
Winds a trail for folks to follow
From Utah to Old Mexico

It’s the Arizona Trail
A pathway through the great Southwest
A diverse track through wood and stone
Your spirit it will test

Oh, sure you’ll sweat and blister
You’ll feel the miles every day
You’ll shiver at the loneliness
Your feet and seat will pay

But you’ll see moonlight on the borderlands
You’ll see stars on the Mogollon
You’ll feel the warmth of winter sun
And be thrilled straight through to bone

The aches and pains will fade away
You’ll feel renewed and whole
You’ll never be the same again
With Arizona in your soul

Along the Arizona Trail
A reverence and peace you’ll know
Through deserts, canyons, and mountains
From Utah to Old Mexico
-“The Arizona Trail,” Dale R. Shewalter

Well, I’ve officially found my least favorite part of the trail so far. The first 5 miles today from Moqui Stage Station to the border of the Kaibab National Forest are nice…and then the views disappear and a long roadwalk down a valley begins where one crosses into the Babbit Ranch Passage (Passage 35). The views disappear until after Upper Lockwood Tank. From there it gets marginally better with nice views of the Peaks returning, but with a full moon I choose to hike a few extra hours at night to cut down on tomorrow’s distance on this passage. I meet Coyote, another sobo thru-hiker, on the trail twice today, first just after breakfast and again and he tells me about seeing some coyotes and a mountain lion fight over an elk that he saw that morning. Very cool wildlife encounter, maybe I’ll get to see something like that?

Water along this stretch of trail is pretty limited. There was a cache at Moqui Stage Station and a tank that is open to hikers to use at Tub Ranch. Other than that, its hot, dry, and exposed. The only access point passed today was Moqui Stage Station off FR-301 at the start.

	Passage 35 (Babbitt Ranch)
Length	24.5 miles
Trail Surface	Mostly dirt/unimproved roads
Passage Topo Map	Passage 35 (Babbitt Ranch) Topo Map
Season	Spring-Fall
Potential Water Sources	Moqui Stage Station (potential caches, no natural source) Tub Ranch water tank Cedar Ranch (supply box) For full current AZTA monitored water report: AZT Water Sources
Trailheads	Moqui Stage Station (accessed via FR-301 in the Kaibab National Forest) Cedar Ranch
ATA-Rated Difficulty	Easy/Moderate
Hazards	Water availability Elevation Direct sun (summer)
Highlights	Views of the San Francisco Peaks
Passage Description	Passage 35 (Babbitt Ranch)
Current Weather	Passage 35 Weather

For my other entries on hiking the AZT in Grand Canyon, check out the following:
Amazing, Stunning Arizona Trail: Grand Canyon North Rim-Roaring Springs – Aspen’s Tracks (aspenstracks.com)
Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail: Grand Canyon, Roaring Springs-Ribbon Falls – (aspenstracks.com),
https://aspenstracks.com/arizona-trail-day-8-grand-canyon-ribbon-falls-to-bright-angel-campground/
Amazing, Spectacular Arizona Trail – Bright Angel CG (Colorado River)-South Rim – (aspenstracks.com)

For the National Park Service official advice on day hiking and backpacking below the rim at Grand Canyon, including on the AZT, check out the following:
Introduction to Backcountry Hiking (nps.gov)
Day Hiking – Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)