Visiting Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park

Early this morning Derek, Grandma Dixie, the boys and I drove down south to Yarnell, AZ to hike in Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park. Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park was dedicated in 2016 as a place to remember the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot Firefighters who were lost on June 30, 2013, while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire. It was the greatest loss of life for the US Fire service since the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. The crew was originally started in 2002 as a fuels mitigation crew, transitioned to a hand crew in 2004, and officially became a hotshot crew in 2008. They were the first municipal crew to become a hotshot unit. All but one member of the 20 person crew perished as they were overrun by the fire, which initially started via lightning strike and built quickly overnight due to high winds and dry conditions  The20th member of the crew was posted as a lookout in a separate location and survived. 

Today we hiked the 7 mile trail honoring the lives of the 19 men that were lost protecting the surrounding communities. It was truly a beautiful and sobering experience hiking in their footsteps, reading each plaque memorial for the 19 men that perished, and seeing the fatality site where they made their last stand.

A 2.5 mile trail through the Weaver Mountains leads up to an observation deck. Based on their rank and tool order, 19 granite plaques set into rocks share a photo and a story of each fallen Hotshot with a message from their family. Interpretive signs along the route provided information about wild land firefighting. 

Last night, prior to our hike, we watched the movie “Only the Brave” which is a fictional account (based on fact) of the Granite Mountain Hotshots team and the fateful events of June 30, 2013. It was an excellent movie, and according to reviews is very truthful to the men and events. 

Ashton reading one of the memorial plaques. 



Views toward Phoenix. 









From the observation deck, hikers can see the Fatality Site 400 feet below and the town of Yarnell to the east. A 1 mile trail allows visitors to follow in the last steps of the Hotshots down to the fatality site where they made their last stand. Encircling the site are 19 gabions , one for each Hotshot, untied by chains representing their eternal bond. Inside, 19 steel markets show the position where each Hotshot was found. 













We saw a huge nonvenomous snake!! Research suggests that he or she may be a gopher snake or a glossy snake (aka Arizona elegans). Either way, it was about 5 feet in length! 

Lunch snack after the hike. 

The boys snoozing and using me as a pillow during the morning 2.5 hour drive down to the park.