Inside the first official barefoot hiking park in the US

A close-up of the Barefoot Trail's varied surfaces, including stone and wood chips. The experience is designed to awaken the senses and connect feet to the earth. (Courtesy of Barefoot Trail)

Just off historic Route 66, tucked within the Tonto National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona, there's a trail that asks you to take a different kind of first step: remove your shoes.

This is the Barefoot Trail, the first official barefoot park in the United States. The trail opened last summer, inviting visitors to ground themselves - literally - by walking across natural features like pine needles, stones, wood, mud and soil. The idea is simple: reconnect the body to the Earth.

Now in its second year, the Barefoot Trail was inspired by the concept of grounding, or earthing, drawing on an ancient tradition and encouraging guests to unplug, slow down and explore nature through the soles of their feet.

A groundbreaking experience

Located just west of Flagstaff, the 1-mile trail winds through towering ponderosa pines and features more than 25 unique segments and adventure stations, including a hammock garden, a zip line, a labyrinth and an obstacle course.

"It's kind of a choose your own adventure," said founder Leah Williams, who intentionally kept some elements off the map. "There are split-offs we don't really tell you about. It's meant to have some surprises."

Surrounded by towering ponderosa pines, the Barefoot Trail offers an escape into nature's quiet rhythm. (Courtesy of Barefoot Trail)

Visitors are welcomed with a short orientation explaining the concept of grounding and how to move mindfully through the park. Groups are staggered every 15 minutes to avoid crowding, and each guest is allowed two hours of free exploration.

Shoes go in baskets, and bare feet hit a 5-foot-wide trail with a sandy centerline designed to offer different textures and temperatures as the day unfolds.

Although the trail debuted for three months of last year, its first season was cut short by forest maintenance and fire prevention throughout Northern Arizona. When the trail reopened in May of this year, there were new forest bridges, swings and manicured paths.

The trail now sees about 1,000 visitors a week, ranging from curious first-timers to families with season passes who enjoy the outdoor ritual of unwinding and reconnecting with the natural world.

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From Germany to Arizona

Williams' inspiration for the trail stems from her mother, who grew up practicing barefoot walking in the dew-covered grass in Germany, often encouraging her kids to do the same.

"She always said, ‘Go in the morning dew,'" Williams recalled.

When her family eventually moved to the Pacific Northwest, Williams embraced a life outdoors - rain or shine. Years later, during a family trip to Belgium, she discovered a barefoot park and knew immediately it was something she wanted to bring back home.

The Barefoot Trail in Flagstaff, Ariz., is the first of its kind in the United States. (Courtesy of Barefoot Trail)

"It was such a beautiful addition to the community there," she said. "I knew it could be just as powerful here."

Determined to merge wellness, play and the natural beauty of Northern Arizona, Williams purchased land near Flagstaff and got to work.

A concept with deep roots

The practice of grounding goes back centuries. In the 1860s, Sebastian Kneipp, a German priest and naturopath, integrated barefoot walking into his treatments. His book, "My Water Cure," laid a foundation for modern naturopathy and remains a reference in holistic health circles.

In the early 2000s, Clinton Ober, a retired cable TV executive, helped revive the concept with the "earthing" movement in the U.S. He argued that direct contact with the Earth's surface could reduce inflammation, improve sleep and restore the body's electrical balance.

The practice of grounding goes back centuries. (Courtesy of Barefoot Trail)

Japan pioneered a formal practice of earthing when the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries rolled out a national wellness campaign in 1982 called shinrin-yoku - which literally translates to "forest bathing." The idea was refreshingly simple: take a slow, mindful walk through the woods to reconnect with nature and lower stress levels.

"Touching the Earth, touching the trees and connecting with nature has healing effects on the body," says Dr. Jyoti Patel, a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, pediatrics and integrative medicine at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.

According to Patel, our modern, fast-paced lifestyle - with its long commutes, indoor jobs, processed food and constant screen time - has pulled us away from nature. That disconnection, combined with environmental stressors like pollution and UV exposure, ramps up the production of free radicals - unstable molecules that damage cells and speed up aging.

Corks and pinecones make up the path along a section of the Barefoot Trail. (Courtesy of Barefoot Trail)

"Free radicals scavenge electrons from our tissue, essentially aging us and rusting us," Patel said. "The Earth is a natural giver of electrons, so it replenishes those salvage electrons, making us feel more rested, calm and connected."

It's not just about stress, though. Being cut off from the natural world also messes with our gut microbiome - the community of bacteria in our digestive system that impacts everything from immune health to mood to hormone balance, Patel says.

 "Our biology is built by being close to the Earth," she said. "That's why it's so healing to lay in the grass like you did when you were a kid and gaze up at the clouds."

Shinrin-yoku remains culturally significant in Japan and has grown into an outdoor wellness movement, with certified guides, therapeutic forest centers and guided forest bathing tours.

The Barefoot Trail merges these ideas, offering a real-world way to reconnect with the ground beneath our feet - no devices, no distractions.

Bridging two worlds

Williams splits her time between Phoenix - where she lives with her family - and Flagstaff, where she runs her nonprofit barefoot park, making sure to walk the trail barefoot twice a week.

A young visitor balances barefoot on a wooden beam - one of more than two dozen interactive stations that make the trail playful and meditative. (Courtesy of Barefoot Trail)

As a park builder, Williams finds it fulfilling watching guests transform as they make their way through her creation.

"I've seen people come in grumpy or skeptical," she said. "By the time they come out, they're smiling or laughing. I've even had people tell me, ‘I was in the worst mood, and now I feel so good.' That's what keeps me going."

Open through October, Williams has big plans for the Barefoot Trail: She hopes to build more trails in communities across the country.

Her first stop? The Pacific Northwest - right where her barefoot journey began.

Cyrus Guccione is a freelance writer for SFGATE and the arts and entertainment editor at the Scottsdale Independent. An award-winning journalist originally from Fortuna, California, he covers artists, musicians, chefs and entrepreneurs shaping culture in the Phoenix Northeast Valley. Follow him on X.

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