{"id":8957,"date":"2026-03-18T20:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=8957"},"modified":"2026-03-18T20:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:32:20","slug":"heat-wave-closes-southwest-trails-tops-100-degrees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=8957","title":{"rendered":"Heat Wave Closes Southwest Trails, Tops 100 Degrees"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>With temperatures reaching triple digits before spring begins, officials are closing popular routes to prevent heatstroke. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Death Valley recorded an early season temperature of 100 degrees in mid-March<!-- --> (Photo: Jordan Siemens\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published March 18, 2026 01:00PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s only mid-March, but parts of the Southwestern U.S. are already seeing a record-breaking heat wave. Over a 24-hour period, the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PHXFire\/status\/2034030777483334092?s=20\">Phoenix Fire Department<\/a> saved at least six hikers from heat-related emergencies, and state officials closed several popular trails. Meanwhile, six hours north in Death Valley National Park, temperatures soared to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Local news outlet <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azfamily.com\/2026\/03\/17\/first-alert-days-declared-record-breaking-heat-across-phoenix-area\/\"><em>Arizona\u2019s Family<\/em><\/a> reported that temperatures in the Phoenix, Arizona,\u00a0area are the warmest ever recorded this early in the year, and will likely crest triple digits at multiple points during the week. Amid the scorching heat wave, a half-dozen Arizona hikers were rescued after suffering from heat-related illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, March 16, officials responded to three hikers who were in the blazing sun at Camelback Mountain, a popular 2,706-foot summit 20 minutes from downtown Phoenix. It\u2019s also the highest peak in the metro area. Temperatures that day peaked at 93 degrees. The following day, according to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.azfamily.com\/2026\/03\/17\/several-popular-hiking-trails-close-extreme-heat-hits-phoenix-area\/\"><em>Arizona\u2019s Family<\/em><\/a>, rescuers responded to three other emergency calls from other heat-exhausted hikers in outdoor areas around Phoenix.<\/p>\n<h2>Officials Close Hiking Trails in Phoenix<\/h2>\n<p>In advance of the staggering heat wave, local authorities closed several popular trails in the Phoenix area, including two trails leading to Camelback\u2019s summit\u2014Echo Canyon Trail and Cholla Trail\u2014and the trail to the top of Piestewa Peak (2,610 feet), Phoenix\u2019s second-highest summit. Authorities also closed several trails in Phoenix\u2019s South Mountain Park and Preserve, such as Holbert Trail, Mormon Trail, and Hau\u2019Pal Loop Trail.<\/p>\n<p>These closures will begin on Thursday, March 19, and will last through the weekend, until at least Sunday, March 22, though they could continue if high temperatures don\u2019t abate.<\/p>\n<h2>Death Valley Records 100 Degrees for the First Time in 2026<\/h2>\n<p>A few hundred miles northwest, in Death Valley National Park, the <em><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewjournal.com\/local\/local-nevada\/death-valley-soars-to-100-for-first-time-in-2026-3726173\/\">Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/a><\/em> reported that on Tuesday, March 17, temperatures soared to 100 degrees for the first time this year. The desert valley, which straddles the California-Nevada border, is oft-touted as the hottest, driest place on Earth. It currently holds the world record for the highest land temperature ever documented: 134 degrees Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it\u2019s not normally this hot in Death Valley in mid-March. The national park\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/deva\/planyourvisit\/weather.htm\">website<\/a> says that the park\u2019s average high in March is just 82 degrees. The record high, meanwhile, is 103 degrees, one that the park has already nearly broken halfway through the month.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"http:\/\/Weather.com\">The Weather Channel<\/a>\u2019s ten-day forecast, Death Valley\u2019s temperature on March 18 could hit a high of 105 degrees, and highs over 100 degrees will likely continue for at least the next week. Summer may still be three months away on the calendar, but in some parts of the U.S., it\u2019s clearly already arrived.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" style=\"border:none;overflow-y:hidden;background-color:white;min-width:320px;max-width:420px;width:100%;height:420px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiagps.com\/public\/jJEQg7EPwvEnvWJwoPQtmZHe\/?embed=True\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/southwest-heat-wave-trail-closures-safety\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With temperatures reaching triple digits before spring begins, officials are closing popular routes to prevent heatstroke. Death Valley recorded an early season temperature of 100 degrees in mid-March (Photo: Jordan Siemens\/Getty Images) Published March 18, 2026 01:00PM It\u2019s only mid-March, but parts of the Southwestern U.S. are already seeing a record-breaking heat wave. Over a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8957","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wild-living"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}