New to Flagstaff and looking for backpacking companions

Dana
I belong to several meetup groups in central AZ. By far the best is called BCH out of Pheonix. they are a very experienced, large group with people who have lots of experience. Some beginners, and a number of thru hikers. They tend to do a lot of weekend and long weekend trips thruout the year. in the hot summer, many are up your way in the cooler mountains, but do trips all over AZ, Utah, N Mexico.
As a side note from a former midwesterner, you will love it in AZ. No long green tunnels, you will actually see the scenery. Also, your mileage per day will drop with the need to carry more water on many trips as well as higher elevations with thin air.
Welcome

Hi, Dana! Welcome to the Flagstaff community. I've been here for going on four years now and just completed my Parks and Recreation Management degree at NAU. Anyways, I'd start by following the NAU Hiking Club 2.0 (the original page had too many inactive members, hence the 2.0) here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NAUHikingClub2.0/

They offer some great hiking opportunities and provide experienced members time to teach new members about LNT and doing their part in the outdoors.

Also, I'd recommend picking up the Flagstaff and Sedona trail maps found in almost every store here in town. I think it's published by Emmitt Banks? The AZ Trail sections that go around town are a great resource to test out new gear/have a good time. Keep in mind that, at the time of this writing, sections of the AZ Trail out by Lake Mary Rd. have been closed up due to lightning fires in close proximity to the trail.

Please let me know if you have any other questions!

Best wishes,

Austin

May not be of interest to you but Gossamer Gear trail ambassador Sirena Dufault is the Gateway Community Liaison for the Arizona Trail Association and will be hosting the second annual Arizona Trail Day in Flagstaff at Buffalo Park from 10 am to 2 pm on September 12