Border Wall Construction Blocks Popular Thru-Hike

Recent border wall construction in Coronado National Memorial has blocked the southernmost mile of the 800-mile Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZT), preventing hikers from reaching its official terminus at Border Monument 102, a steel obelisk marking the U.S.-Mexico border on National Park Service land.

The Arizona Trail Association announced the closure on April 13, 2026, affecting the stretch from the monument to the Joe’s Canyon Trail junction at mile 1, due to ongoing Department of Homeland Security work involving two 30-foot-tall steel barriers separated by a 150-foot-wide road, with the disruption likely lasting through the end of 2027.

This follows earlier issues since 2020, including temporary barriers under the previous Trump administration and recent barbed wire and blasting, limiting access to what has been a celebratory photo spot for hundreds of annual thru-hikers on one of only 11 designated National Scenic Trails. In response, the association is collaborating with park officials to establish a new southern terminus monument on Coronado Peak near Montezuma Pass, offering scenic views of the San Rafael Valley away from construction impacts and tying back to the trail’s origins envisioned by Dale Shewalter in the 1970s. Gear Junkie