As the U.S. Forest Service prepares for new dispersed camping sites, new signs appeared along State Route 89A prohibiting camping anywhere except approved sites.

“These signs will be part of the dispersed camping closure,” Red Rock District Ranger Amy Tinderholt said. “The National Forest Foundation is helping us to install boulders to define the new camping areas over the next month. The camping closure will not be enacted until September.”

Back in February, the USFS announced it would be closing the forest to the current campsites that spread all over the Coconino National Forest west of Sedona. While still maintaining the 14-day forest camping restric­tion, the forest will now only provide camping at specific campsites in the forest west of West Sedona.

“We’re doing an emergency area closure. High use has expanded to a level that we’ve never seen before. Recreation is at an all-time high on public lands and we’re feeling that in the Sedona area greatly,” Red Rock District District Recreation Program Manager Chris Johansen said. “As a result, we’re implementing these emergency camping closures to close 31,000 acres of camping and campfires, which are predominantly along the 525 corridors.”

There will be eight total approved sites in the West Sedona designated dispersed camping areas. Two will be along State Route 89B and one on 89A, the rest will be off of 525.

Initially, the USFS hoped the sites would be set up last Spring. With delays in forest approval, as well as materials for signs and other campsite needs, the project was pushed back to this fall.

Through the next month, the USFS will be working with the National Forest Foundation to set up the approved campsites. Although the signs are up, the dispersed camping is not effective until the USFS announced in September.