Kick off your shoes and walk Flagstaff's new Barefoot Trail
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The Barefoot Trail near Flagstaff. Photo: Jeremy Duda/Axios
You don't need your hiking shoes — or any shoes at all — for a new trail near Flagstaff that's designed for people to walk barefoot.
The big picture: The Barefoot Trail west of Flagstaff, near Bellemont, opened for its first season in early July.
- The one-mile trail has a line of fine sand along the middle that makes the walk easy on your feet, along with a variety of features like zip lines, rope walks, obstacles to climb on and mud to squish your feet in.
Zoom in: Leah Williams, who created the trail, said its top two principles are health and a practice known as "grounding" or "earthing," in which people walk barefoot to absorb the Earth's natural electric charge.
- "We hold a lot of inflammation, tension, and this process of grounding allows our bodies to release that," Williams told Axios.
- She said walking barefoot also allows the foot to spread out and improves your gait.
Between the lines: Williams first learned of the concept while living in the Netherlands over a decade ago.
- After her kids took a field trip to a barefoot trail in Belgium, Williams tried it and began wondering why we don't have them in the U.S.
- "I've been thinking about this for about 15 years. So it took me a while to find the right piece of land," she said.
State of play: The first season will be only a partial one, with the trail closing in September.
- Williams plans to add new features each season, saying: "Every year it will be a little bit different. … And we'll just keep adding."
- She also hopes to open similar trails in other states through her nonprofit, The Barefoot Trail Foundation.
Our thought bubble: I took a walk with my family on the Barefoot Trail during a recent trip to Flagstaff.
- I enjoyed the sensation and found it very relaxing.
- My kids loved it, and my 6-year-old daughter enthusiastically told her cousin about it when we got back to Phoenix.
Details: A walk on the trail costs $10. You can reserve tickets online.
- They've got a spot at the end where you can wash dirt off your feet.
- And yes, if you really want, you can still wear shoes.