On April 3, Coconino National Forest Supervisor Laura Jo West issued an order closing many of the most popular and iconic trails and recreation sites in the Red Rock Ranger District in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The Forest Service made the move to close the popular areas following discussions with Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarty and other local leaders concerned about stubbornly high use of popular recreation sites around Sedona.
Parking lots at some trailheads continued to fill up even after a stay-at-home proclamation was issued by the Arizona governor’s office, and in the week prior to the closure, images of crowded Sedona-area trailheads circulated on social media.
The press release from the Coconino National Forest announcing the closures said that high usage at popular sites like Cathedral Rock Trail created “environments for COVID-19 to spread easily.”
Statements from the mayor of Sedona and the Red Rock District Ranger suggest the closures were also aimed at discouraging visitors from traveling outside their home regions to recreate on public lands in Northern Arizona.
Most developed day-use areas, heritage sites and campgrounds in the Coconino National Forest were closed by a March 24 order. The latest order expanded the closures to include popular trails and parking areas near Sedona.
According to the official order, the new round of Sedona-area closures are in effect until Tuesday, June 30 or the order is rescinded, whichever comes first.
The closed sites include:
- Bell Rock Trailhead
- Cathedral Rock Trailhead and Trail
- Courthouse Vista Trailhead
- Crescent Moon Day-Use Site
- Devil’s Bridge Trail, including OHV access and surrounding associated trails
- Dry Creek Trailhead
- Long Canyon Trail-head
- Mescal Trailhead
- West Fork Trailhead and Trail
In some cases, trail networks remain open even though the developed parking areas connected to the trails are closed. In other cases, people are prohibited from the trail as well as the associated parking area, as in the case of the Cathedral Rock Trail.
A “quick look” page to check the status of recreation areas in the Coconino National Forest is available at bit.ly/34i8tW4.
The city of Sedona had publicized its campaign to close the popular trailheads, talking with media outlets and issuing a press release on March 31 announcing its talks with Coconino National Forest. The press release cited support from the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and Yavapai County District 3 Supervisor Randy Garrison for the closures.
“If popular trails and trailheads closed, the mayor hopes visitors would be more inclined to heed the many states that have issued orders for their residents to stay home,” the city’s press release stated.
Moriarty’s concerns aligned with Red Rock District Ranger Amy Tinderholt’s recommendation that forest users access public lands close to home.
“We’re thinking a lot about our role in encouraging people to get outside safely. I think that we really want to encourage people who are visiting public lands to do so within their own region if possible and reduce the amount of travel they are doing to visit public land outside of their region,” Tinderholt said days before the closure.
