Looking for advice for starting NOBO

[Jaydaniel]

Im from Tucson, AZ and im looking to do my first full thru-hike of the AZT and i would like to go northbound starting around late sep - early oct. Im not super familiar with trail conditions and water supplies and such but im confident in my hiking abilities. I was wondering if the trail is even decent to start in general this time of year and if so is it feasable to do NOBO or should i go SOBO which is more typical this time of year. any help is appreciated!

[Sredfield]

Fall hikers usually go SOBO, to avoid winter up north.

[TooOld2Hike_EP]

FWIW, an "Influencer" who was on the AZT said it was easier going SOBO in general. Generally downhill from Utah. And you don't start right off the bat climbing steep climbs into the Sky Islands, as you would NOBO.

And from what I've read, it seems to be muddier up north after a rain/melting snow than it is in the south half. (Or, more correctly, I hear people complain about the mud up north. But I haven't seen a mud report down south.)

[xsproutx]

Lots of factors but fall season is usually SOBO for a variety of reasons. Generally it's still pretty hot in the south in September/October when most people start and the Southern water sources won't be as good. It would put you above 7k feet when weather can start being tricky. North of the Grand Canyon can also present a bit of a logistic challenge in October when they close things down.

Additionally, if you're going against the grain like that, you won't have beta from other people that may be ahead of you so planning the water carries will be much more difficult. Even with the information, fall is usually dryer/will require some longer water carries. Some people here aren't fans of certain types of apps, but FarOut is used by the vast majority of thru-hikers for a reason and, especially on the AZT where longer water carries can happen easily.

So, SOBO would be the recommendation. The first couple hundred miles are quite easy (outside of the Grand Canyon, of course) and allow you to get your trail legs before the harder stuff below the rim. Get farout for the water information if nothing else so you can know if a source is dry or not and plan water carries accordingly. HikeAZ has a lot of water sources but not all and they get less frequent updates from people, generally speaking. You'll definitely want to research the trail more, though. It's not like the AT where you run into town and/or cross major highways every 2-3 days