The trail begins at the Coronado National Memorial near the US–Mexico border and moves north through parts of the Huachuca, Santa Rita, and Rincon Mountains.

The trail continues through the Santa Catalina north of Tucson and the Mazatzal Mountains before ascending the Mogollon Rim north of Payson, and eventually leading to the higher elevations of Northern Arizona and the San Francisco Peaks.

The idea for the trail was originally developed and promoted in 1985 by Dale Shewalter, a Flagstaff, Arizona, teacher.

[2] The Arizona Trail is divided into 43 passages, and categorized into Southern, Central, and Northern sections.

Pack goats are sometimes used as companions on the trail,[citation needed] and can help lessen the pain of carrying a heavy backpack.

They are allowed on some parts of the Arizona Trail, but prohibited on other segments due to the possibility of diseases from domestic goats spreading to sensitive bighorn sheep populations.

[10] A 21-mile section along the Arizona Trail provides views in the Grand Canyon region, particularly on the Kaibab Plateau.