If a new permit program proposed by Coconino National Forest goes into effect, commercial tour operators who currently use one of three Red Rock District locations for brief scenic rest stops — typically 30 minutes or less — would be managed under a permit system and pay increased fees to the Forest for short stops at these sites.
The three sites affected by the proposed permit system are Red Rock Ranger District Visitor Center, Bell Rock Vista and Oak Creek Canyon Vista. Forest Recreation Special Uses Manager Julie Rowe said that these sites were selected for management because they currently receive the most commercial short stop traffic.
“Short stops” is an official term used by the National Forest Service and is defined as commercial trips “that use National Forest System lands incidental to the purpose of the trip, such as a bus tour that takes clients on a sightseeing trip” [FSH 2709.11]. In the Red Rock District, a typical short stop might be a guided tour from Phoenix to Grand Canyon National Park that makes an unscheduled stop at the Bell Rock Vista to use the restrooms and take photos.
Currently, Coconino National Forest treats commercial short stop users at developed recreation sites in the same way as noncommercial visitors to the Forest, requiring that commercial vehicles making a short rest stop — and not other regulated activities, like a guided hike — display a Red Rock Pass, which costs $5 per vehicle for a one-day pass. In effect, a bus filled with paying clients currently pays the same to park and use the restrooms as a family in a small passenger vehicle.
A document accompanying the Forest’s short stop proposal notes that commercial short stops, though brief, “have a large impact on the visitor facilities at the sites they use.” These impacts, the Forest notes, include “increased pressure on restroom and trash facilities” and “overcrowding at sites.”
“We don’t really have any data on [commercial short stops], but we have seen up to four buses at the [Red Rock] Visitor Center or Bell Rock [Vista] at one time, plus any smaller tour vehicles that may be there,” Rowe said. “They come and go somewhat seasonally … spring and fall would be the peak seasons for them.”
Under the proposed rule change, which is open for public comment until Sept. 22, any commercial operator making short stops at one of three proposed sites would need to obtain a short stop permit and pay a $5-per-passenger fee. For a tour bus from Los Angeles carrying 50 passengers to the Grand Canyon, the new short stop permit fee would be $250. Other sites in the district could be added to the short stop program in the future.
Rowe, who oversees all commercial tours in the Red Rock District, said that the Forest has long recognized the need to manage short stops under a permit program but chose to devote administrative resources to higher impact commercial activities first.
“It takes a long time to work through the process of getting a fee established,” Rowe said, “and so we did these other things that were a little easier first. We did mountain biking first, and then metaphysicals and then hiking. And so we kind of hit those permit areas where they had the biggest impact to the public, the greatest benefit to the public. And now we’re at the point where short stop is kind of the last thing or one of the last things on the list.”
Coconino Forest is still considering different options for issuing the short stop permits and collecting fees, including self-service kiosks at the sites, online registration, physical check-in or quarterly reporting and payment. A final decision will be made based on feedback received from stakeholders during the comment period. The new rules would go into effect one year after a final decision to give operators time to adjust to the new program. Rowe said that the short stop program would allow the Forest Service to better manage the flow of short stop users and would provide funds to improve the sites used by the commercial short stop operators.
“The fees would be able to improve whatever we can, for parking especially,” Rowe said. “One thing I like for Bell Rock would be something like a viewing platform where the bus passengers or the short stop passengers could stop and view Bell Rock, take their photos. Then it’s kind of a hardened area developed just for that rather than [short stop passengers] being kind of wherever … that’s something that the money could be spent on at some future point.” The public can view details on the Red Rock District’s short stop permit proposal and submit comments at tinyurl.com/CoconinoShortStop.
Scott Shumaker can be reached at 282-7795 ext 117 or email at sshumaker@larsonnewspapers.com
