• Slug: Audio – Cholla Trail By Autriya Maneshni
• Runtime: 1:06
• Downloadable audio here. (Note: Some web browsers may not support media download)

HOST INTRO:

A POPULAR TRAIL IS SET TO RE-OPEN IN THE VALLEY. CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN’S CHOLLA (CHO-YA) TRAIL WILL OPEN ON SEPTEMBER 30TH. CRONKITE NEWS’ AUTRIYA MANESHNI (AW-tree-yuh Mah-NESH-nee) REPORTS ON WHAT YOU’LL FIND AT THE NEWLY IMPROVED TRAIL.

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CAMELBACK’S ICONIC CHOLLA TRAIL CLOSED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO AFTER A 300-POUND BOULDER TRAPPED A HIKER. ADAM WALTZ WITH THE CITY OF PHOENIX SAYS THE TRAIL IS A ONE OF KIND HIKE.

“It’s very difficult. It’s one of our most dangerous if not our dangerous mountain to hike on. So we just ask people to be safe”

SINCE THEN…THE CITY OF PHOENIX HAS IMPROVED THE TRAIL, REMOVING UNSTABLE BOULDERS AND MOVING WHERE THE TRAIL ACTUALLY STARTS.

INSTEAD OF STARTING AT CHOLLA (CHO-YA) LANE IT’S NOW AT INVERGORDON ROAD BETTER KNOWN AS 64TH STREET. THIS WILL REDUCE THE FOOT TRAFFIC NEAR CHOLLA LANE’S RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES.

WALTZ SAYS SAFETY IS A MAIN PRIORITY FOR THESE IMPROVEMENTS.

“You have a lot of people hiking. They may have headphones in walking down from the trail now you have cars in the mix. You know, we just want to make sure that everybody’s safe.”

THE TRAIL NOW HAS A BATHROOM, DRINKING FOUNTAINS AND BIKE RACKS. WALTZ SAYS THE WATER FOUNTAINS ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR HIKING DURING HOT TEMPERATURES. HE ANTICIPATES LOTS OF HIKERS WILL GO TO THE TRAIL ONCE IT REOPENS.

AUTRIYA MANESHNI, CRONKITE NEWS.