Trail plan weighs cost of ideas1 min read

By
Jeff Bear
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The Red Rock Ranger District has concluded a yearlong series of public trail-planning meetings for trails around the Sedona area, including some just north of Sedona city limits around landmarks like Coffee Pot Rock. The U.S. Forest Service is currently preparing a final report and set of recommendations that will become available for review and public comment.
File photo/Larson Newspapers

The proliferation of user created or “social” trails and a dramatic increase in district trail users over the last few years prompted the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest to begin holding a monthly series of public meetings in October 2012. The expressed purpose of the meetings was to gather information concerning trail user needs, patterns, trends and expectations within the district with the ultimate goal of updating the district’s 1998 trail plan.

Because of the proximity of the district’s trail system in and around the Sedona area, the U.S. Forest Service enlisted the city of Sedona and Big Park Regional Coordinating Council as partners in the planning process, and the meetings were facilitated by landscape architect Cate Bradley of the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program and Forest Service Recreation Manager Jennifer Burns.

From the first meeting, it became obvious that a tremendous value was placed on the red rock trail system by local residents and groups including the Friends of the Forest, Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, Sedona Westerners, International Mountain Biking Association and Backcountry Horsemen of Arizona as well as several others.

Most agreed that exercise, scenery, accessibility and diversity were the primary aspects working in favor of the current trail system, while concerns included a lack of parking and comprehensive signage at some trailheads, a lack of trail etiquette, a lack of trail maintenance and trail overcrowding.

For the full story, please see the Friday, Dec. 27, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.

Jeff Bear

Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.

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Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.