On Saturday, November 9, 2024, some 12 days, 17 hours, and 33 minutes after leaving Stateline Campground at the border of Utah and Arizona, Nick Fowler set a new men’s self-supported and men’s overall fastest known time (FKT) on the 817-mile Arizona Trail. Over the course of that distance, he covered about 118,000 feet of elevation gain.
This works out to an average distance traveled of just over 64 miles per day.
Nick Fowler at the northern terminus of the Arizona Trail at the start of his fastest known time attempt in late October 2024. Photo: Nick Fowler
The previous men’s overall FKT was held by Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy in 13 days, 3 hours, and 21 minutes, and was set in the supported style. The previous self-supported FKT was held by Josh Perry in a time of 14 days, 12 hours, and 21 minutes.
Choosing to complete the trail self-supported means that Fowler had no pre-arranged support from others, or pacers. He would have been able to set his own food and water caches along the trail ahead of time. Still, on a day-to-day basis, he had to carry all of his own fuel, as well as any sort of sleep system that he had, which, based on his time — nearly 10 hours faster than the previous supported-effort time — probably didn’t get used very much!
Nick Fowler’s kit for this Arizona Trail FKT. Photo: Nick Fowler
Fowler completed the trail starting in the high country of the north and crossing the Grand Canyon just 70 miles into his effort. The Arizona Trail, a designated National Scenic Trail, is known for its eco-diversity. It starts at the sandstone Vermillion Cliffs on the Utah border before climbing high on the Kaibab Plateau, crossing the Grand Canyon, and circumnavigating the San Francisco Peaks outside of Flagstaff before dropping off the Mogollon Plateau and into the desert.
It traverses a handful of the major mountain ranges of Arizona, including the rugged Mazatzal and Superstition Mountains before one final push over Mount Lemmon, the 9,171-foot mountain towering over the Sonoran Desert and the city of Tucson. From there, the landscape is saguaros, cholla cactus, open grasslands, and a few smaller mountain ranges to the border with Mexico.
Fowler is no stranger to long-trail self-supported FKT efforts. He currently holds the men’s FKTs for the self-supported north-to-south Pacific Crest Trail traveling through Washington, Oregon, and California; the 407-mile Oregon Coast Trail; the 230-mile Ozark Trail in Missouri; and the 1,200-mile Pacific Northwest Scenic Trail in Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
Celebrating the men’s overall Arizona Trail fastest known time. Photo: Nick Fowler
While he didn’t have a live tracker like many others trying for FKT efforts — it’s now posted publicly, though — Fowler documented his effort daily on Instagram with a handful of photos, mileages, and a quick note about any wrong turns he took, of which there were a few. He also used the platform to admit when things weren’t going well, such as on the eighth day while crossing the Superstitions in the central part of the state. He wrote, “Well that sucked. We can blame it on the superstitions or just admit I’m getting tired. Needed a break so stopped a couple of hours early.”
Even with flagging energy at the end, Fowler was able to push on to the border after saying, “Mt Lemmon slapped me sideways” on day 10, in doing so becoming the first person to complete the trail in under 13 days.
More details can be found on Fowler’s Instagram feed and the Fastest Known Time website entry for the effort.
Nick Fowler at the southern terminus of the Arizona Trail after setting a men’s overall fastest known time on November 9, 2024. Photo: Nick Fowler
