A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park On June 30, 2013, nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives fighting to protect Yarnell from a vast and unpredictable wildfire. Three years later, Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park was created to remember and honor them. Here is a photo tour of the trails, the memorials, and the stories of the hotshots.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park The entrance to Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park is located off State Route 89, south of Yarnell. There are 13 parking spaces and two portable toilets at the entrance. If the parking lot is full, it is recommended to park in Yarnell and get a ride back to the entrance.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park is made up of a single-loop trail that is 7 miles roundtrip. The 2.85-mile "Hotshots Trail" takes hikers to the Observation Deck, which overlooks the "Fatality Site" where the hotshots were found. The 0.75-mile "Journey Trail" leads from the Observation Deck to the Fatality Site, 400 feet below. A memorial bell and trail maps are located at the entrance.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park The trails are not considered to be an "easy" hike. They consist of more than 200 steps, switchbacks, elevation changes, steep climbs and dirt paths. Hikers should expect at least four hours of hiking if going the full 7-mile roundtrip. As with any hike, it is important to bring enough water, snacks, charged a cell phone, sunscreen and proper hiking shoes and clothing for multiple hours of hiking.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park The two trails venture through the Weaver Mountains. Here is a general view of the landscape along the Hotshots Trail.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Every 600 feet along the trail, a memorial plaque for each of the nineteen hotshots has been installed into a rock. Each plaque has the photo and name of a Hotshot, as well as a brief biography. Pictured above is the plaque for Christopher MacKenzie, 30Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Robert Caldwell, 23Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Anthony Rose, 23Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Garret Zuppiger, 27Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Scott Norris, 28Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Dustin DeFord, 24Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park William Warneke, 25Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Wade Parker, 22Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Joe Thurston, 32Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Andrew Ashcraft, 29Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Travis Turbyfill, 27Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Clayton Whitted, 28Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Eric Marsh, 43Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Jesse Steed, 26Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Travis Carter, 31Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Sean Misner, 26Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Grant McKee, 21Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park John Percin, Jr., 24Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Kevin Woyjeck, 21Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A general view from Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A sign along the trail shows the equipment that Hotshot firefighters typically carry with them.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Signage at the Observation Deck shows the photos of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. In the background is the town of Yarnell and the Fatality Site.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Another sign shows the timeline of the Yarnell Hill Fire and a photo of the aftermath in July 2013, days after the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives. Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park An elevated view of the Fatality Site (lower left corner) from Hotshots Trail at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Pins, patches, badges and other mementos have been attached to a Tribute Wall at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park. Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A patch has been placed on the Tribute Wall at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A patch has been placed on the Tribute Wall at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Patches have been placed on the Tribute Wall at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A patch has been placed on the Tribute Wall at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A patch and buckle have been placed on the Tribute Wall at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A sign that reads in part, "On this revered ground, our heroes gave the ultimate sacrifice," stands outside the Fatality Site.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park Nineteen gabions linked by chains surround the Fatality Site at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park. They mark the location where the Hotshots were found on June 30, 2013.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A view of the Fatality Site, the place where the Hotshots were found on June 30, 2013, at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio A photo tour of Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park A glove hangs from a gabion at the Fatality Site at Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park.Photo by: Josh Frigerio