{"id":3222,"date":"2026-07-08T09:33:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3222"},"modified":"2026-07-08T09:33:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:33:27","slug":"pima-county-trails-stay-open-during-extreme-heat-despite-recent-hiker-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3222","title":{"rendered":"Pima County trails stay open during extreme heat despite recent hiker deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Pima County trails remain open to hikers even as temperatures reach record highs this week, a policy that differs from Phoenix, which restricts trail access during extreme heat.<\/p>\n

Read more Lawsuit accuses DHS of revealing confidential asylum claims to Iranian government<\/a><\/p>\n

County officials said the structure of their trail system makes similar closures impractical.<\/p>\n

Pima County Search and Rescue has conducted nearly 80 rescues since January and expects to roughly double that number by the end of the year. Deputies said many calls involve hikers who ran out of water or are suffering from heat exhaustion.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, mid-summer, high heat, we are seeing a lot of that \u2014 they didn\u2019t bring enough water, they brought a single bottle of water, or maybe they\u2019re hiking to the point where they\u2019re getting cramps, and they can\u2019t continue on,\u201d said Adam Schoonover, a Pima County Search and Rescue deputy.<\/p>\n

The unit has also responded to two incidents involving hikers who died in the past two weeks, including one who suffered from a heat-related illness<\/b><\/i>. <\/p>\n

Why Pima County won\u2019t close trails<\/b><\/h3>\n

Pima County officials said there are 25 trails across five different mountain ranges across the county, many of which don\u2019t have singular access points or gated parking to enforce closures.<\/p>\n

Several also connect to federal trails managed by the U.S. Forest Service or Arizona State Parks, like Sabino Canyon or Catalina State Park, which often will not close for heat alone.<\/p>\n

Those factors have led officials to focus on education rather than restriction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always been the Sheriff\u2019s Department\u2019s viewpoint that rather than closing the trail they\u2019re going to just educate people and hopefully they heed those warnings to say, hey, hike in the morning versus midday where the heat\u2019s the hottest, or you have the highest temperatures,\u201d Schoonover said.<\/p>\n

Read more Driver faces felony charges after crashing with .441 BAC in Glendale<\/a><\/p>\n

Timing is key, park manager says<\/b><\/h3>\n

Catalina State Park Manager Steven Haas said hikers can still safely use trails in the summer \u2014 with the right timing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, it\u2019s about timing. So it\u2019s safe to hike here in the summer, just do it early or do it late and get off the trail by 9 a.m. or get on the trail by 6, 6:30 p.m.,\u201d Haas said.<\/p>\n

Phoenix model shows results<\/b><\/h3>\n

Phoenix began restricting its trails during extreme heat from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. several years ago. The city recorded only 35 mountain rescues in 2024, a steep decline from prior years.<\/p>\n

Pima County trails are posted with signs warning visitors about extreme heat and safety precautions. Schoonover and Haas both noted that Pima County Search and Rescue is a free service, and hikers in distress should call 911 without hesitation.<\/p>\n

Are you streaming 13 News?<\/p>\n

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Read more Arizona wildlife officials urge action from hunters to slow spread of rabbit virus<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pima County officials said closing trails wouldn’t be practical or enforceable despite the recent hiker deaths and extreme heat. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nPima County trails stay open during extreme heat despite recent hiker deaths - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3222\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pima County trails stay open during extreme heat despite recent hiker deaths - 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