Sedona AZ (March 17, 2018) – The Coconino National Forest is seeking public input on the Red Rock Trails Enhancement Project over the next 30 days.
The Red Rock Ranger District project would add more than 34 miles of non-motorized Forest Service system trails. This is the addition of 17 miles of constructed trails and adopting 17 miles of user-created routes into the official trail system, plus the re-routing and naturalizing other segments of trails at other district locations.
The public is invited to provide input during the comment period from March 16 through April 15 regarding the project’s proposed action.
The Red Rock Trails Enhancement project locations, mostly in Yavapai County, include:
- Western Gateway: The project’s largest trail focus has 15 miles of new construction and 11 miles of user-created adopted trails. The area west of Sedona and north of state Route 89A, has seen a haphazard growth of new routes suggesting the need for a planned and purposefully built system of trails.
- Village of Oak Creek Trails: Improvement would adopt the three-mile Transept Trail and re-align two existing system trails named the Dairy Springs and Pine Valley trails.
- Camp Verde Trails: Two new loop trails, totaling approximately five miles would be established east of the Town of Camp Verde.
- Thunder Mountain Trails: Three miles of user-created trails would be naturalized in this area that serves as the headwaters for Carol Canyon.
Public written comments may be sent by e-mail to comments-southwestern-coconino-redrock@fs.fed.us and include “Red Rock Trails” in the subject line. For U.S. Mail, address correspondence to, Coconino National Forest, Attn: Red Rock Trails, P.O. Box 20429, Sedona, AZ 86341. Fax written comments to (928) 203-7539.
The public can also submit comments in person at the Red Rock Ranger District office, 8375 State Route 179, Sedona.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record for this proposed project.
The Red Rock Ranger District, currently encompassing 300-plus miles of system trails, is known for some of the most popular and heavily visited locations in Arizona. The trails include Bell Rock, West Fork, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Oak Creek Canyon. In recognition of the district’s trail system, the U.S. Department of Agriculture selected the Sedona area as part of the 15 national trail maintenance priority areas in February. This Red Rock Trails Enhancement project fits this designation and focuses trail work, bolstered by partners and volunteers, including Friends of the Forest and the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund.
Based on a prior 2013 trail planning process, followed by 2016 pre-scoping efforts on the Red Rock Ranger District, the Coconino National Forest has identified the need to provide a non-motorized trail system; to increase the safety of trail users; and to improve watershed health by reducing erosion.
The Forest Service intends to complete its environmental analysis, as a categorical exclusion this summer. Implementation of the proposed project would occur over several years, likely beginning this fall, depending on funding and partner support.
The proposed action, including detailed maps, is located on the Forest Service’s project website: https://tinyurl.com/RedRockTrails. For more information, contact Patrick McGervey, Red Rock Ranger District recreation program manager, at (928) 203-7529.
