InciWeb--your source for wildfire updates

Mazatzal Mountains south of Payson

We all knew this was coming---wildfire season.  With 5 blazes already in progress on our public lands, my head is spinning.  Some of these fires will actually do some good for forest health, others, not so much.
Right now it appears that the Sunflower Fire is the one closest to a major hiking trail---the Saddle Mountain and Mazatzal Divide passages of the Arizona Trail.  It's burning west of AZ 87 north of Mount Ord and south of Mazatzal Peak.  If you hiked in there, you know how remote it is---and, back in 2005, the Cave Creek Complex Fire also torched parts of this same area. Moving forward---its always a good idea to check for wildfire activity before heading out on a summer hike.  InciWeb is an excellent resource with maps and is updated frequently.
Here's the link to the Sunflower Fire:  http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2861/
Here's the link for ALL current AZ fires:
http://www.inciweb.org/state/3/

ARIZONA WILDFIRE INFORMATION

ARIZONA WILDFIRE INFORMATION Summer hiking in Arizona often involves finding a trail that's NOT ON FIRE! This is the bane of my existence from June through October. Keeping up with the annual onslaught of forest fires can be a challenge--that's where your smart phone or computer can come in really handy. The following Web sites provide information on current wildfires AND some even let you link to news feeds via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook. Seriously, these services have saved me countless hours of driving. Imagine heading up to the high country in anticipation of a fun day on the trails only to have your plans thwarted by fire. No. Fun. Also, these feeds provide valuable information about prescribed burns--so you won't panic unnecessarily. InciWeb (Incident Information System): http://www.inciweb.org/state/3/ Coconino NF: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/fire/index.shtml Tonto NF: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/fire/ Apache-Sitgreaves NF: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/fire/ Arizona Interagency Wildfire Prevention: http://azsf.az.gov/fire_information/