Two people have already died on city trails this year, and many more have been caught without enough water or wearing the wrong gear.
Gregg Bach is with Phoenix Parks and Recreation. He said the plan is to visit some of the city’s high traffic trail heads and hand out bottled water and flyers with safety tips.
“[There is] Echo Canyon Trail at Camelback Mountain, which is double black diamond, the most difficult that we have in the system,” Bach said. “You have a lot of people that are heading out to that, and that’s maybe not the hike for them. We have so many options that are much more easier hikes [so] you can get that same enjoyment factor.”
Bach said often times people don’t realize how quickly they can become dehydrated.
In addition to this effort, the city is working with tourism groups to help educate visitors of the dangers of summertime hiking.
