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The Barefoot Trail: A grounding experience in northern Arizona is back for its second season

No shoes are needed for this experience in the forest

This monthly “Things To Do” (Part 1) special is sponsored by Visit Sonora. Phoenix has a new exhibit that will take you on a poisonous learning adventure, there's a free Bubble Bash that'll pop up in the Valley, and Scottsdale will have a derby this May! ABC15’s Nicole Gutierrez is helping you make plans for the family with this month’s list of events!

By: Nicole Gutierrez

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BELLEMONT, AZ — The Barefoot Trail made its Arizona debut last year, and it's ready for new visitors later this May!

“We're happy to open again here for a second season and welcome even more visitors. Luckily, we're opening here in May. Last year, we were open July through September, so we have two additional months that will be open to welcome guests,” said Leah Williams, founder of The Barefoot Trail, to ABC15.

The one-mile trail in the Ponderosa Pine Forest is done barefoot!

An adult and a child are walking on the path of the trail.

The shoeless trail is stepping up its experiences for its new season that’ll run from May through October.

“We've added a few more things. So, we wanted to make it a little new and refreshed and revamped for people coming through this year,” said Williams.

For the reopening of the course, the trail has undergone some improvements, such as enhancing surfaces and reflexology stations.

“The world comes alive […] when you experience it with bare feet and we've put things specially on the trail for you to raise that awareness, to have that mindfulness of your surroundings in your environment, especially with the water and how cold it can be, or the mud, [and the] textures and things like that,” shared Williams when going on the trail.

“We call them reflexology segments or sensation paths […] but what they are, they're different materials and different activities that your feet will experience -to manipulate, move, stretch and […] so that you get this extra circulation, you get the benefits of that reflexology portion of the trail,” explained Williams.

The park has expanded its play areas with new swing sets and more.

“We have some adventure stations, so we have some zip lines, and […] we have ladders,” shared Williams. “And this year, we have some custom bridges that we've built for the park. So, I think you're going to find it a fun, exciting adventure for about up to two hours.”

TRAIL’S MAINTENANCE

Let's talk about the landscape. How is this trail different from the ones that already exist in Flagstaff?

“What we have is a one-mile manicured trail through the Ponderosa Pine Forest on about 13 acres of land up outside of Flagstaff. And the reason we chose that was because, one, it's an escape from the heat down here in the Valley,” shared Williams. “Also, there's just so much beauty up here [and] as a manicured clean trail we can provide a safer path for people to experience, you know, earthing, barefooting, grounding, which are all very similar concepts.”

According to Williams, the trail is cleaned every day to keep it safe.

“Some people have asked, you know, ‘how do you sanitize it?’ Well, nature does that all on its own, so we're pretty lucky that way. But we do some extra enhancements on that too, where we'll clean or wash certain things, like our different tubs of water and mud and whatnot,” explained Williams. “We do clear rocks, we do clear the branches or stones. So, we do try and keep that relatively clean and clear for you to have a really nice, engaging, softer experience than if you were to just go, maybe in your backyard, or go out in the woods on a state trail or whatnot. We've gone the extra mile to take care of that for you. So, it's a fun, safe environment.”

IF YOU GO

Hours of operation: Open every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. from May 14 to October 13, 2025.
- The trail is open Wednesday through Sunday to the public. Monday and Tuesday are reserved for “large school, camp or group bookings.”
Cost:
- Infants (ages 0-2) receive free admission.
- $14| online reserved adult ticket (18+)
- $12| online reserved child ticket (ages 3-17)
- $15| same day walk-up ticket - ages 3 and older
- $10| group discount rate per person for a group of 10 or more
- ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account) reimbursements are now available
Address: 17440 Forest Service 146w Rd, Bellemont, Arizona 86015, United States