Overview
- The Arizona Trail Association says the first mile from the U.S.–Mexico line to the Joe’s Canyon junction is closed because of Department of Homeland Security construction in Coronado National Memorial.
- Plans call for two 30‑foot steel barriers with a patrol road about 150 feet wide plus cameras and lights as part of the Smart Wall near the trail’s southern end.
- Customs and Border Protection estimates the project will finish in late 2027 and says it intends to allow use of the trail after construction, though access may be limited during work.
- The Arizona Trail Association is working with the National Park Service on a new southern terminus at Coronado Peak a short hike north of the closure, which the group expects to open this summer.
- Backpacker reports most northbound finishers this spring will see little change, while southbound hikers will end about a mile short of the border, and advocates warn of wildlife disruptions and note DHS waivers of environmental and cultural protection laws.