Sedona’s trail system does not maintain itself. Behind every mile of sustainable trail is a partnership of Forest Service staff, nonprofit funding, professional trail crews, contractors and volunteers. That partnership accomplishes a great deal, but it does not currently have the capacity to keep pace with the needs of our trail system.
On October 27, City Hall was standing room only as trail supporters came out to hear a “State of the Trails” presentation to the Sedona City Council. The Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund (SRRTF), Friends of the Forest (FOF) and Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition (VVCC) shared what the partnership is accomplishing, where it is stretched and how the City can help build a more coordinated and sustainable approach to trails and trail access.
Melissa Pontikes of FOF opened the presentation, followed by Tracy Randall, representing VVCC and SRRTF, and Dick Williams of SRRTF.
The presentation grew out of several months of collaboration among 12 representatives from the Red Rock Ranger District, City of Sedona, FOF, SRRTF and VVCC. The group also interviewed leaders from six other trail communities to learn how they plan, fund and care for their trail systems.
The partnership delivers – but the model is stretched
During the 2025–2026 trail season, the Forest Service and its partners built 6.5 miles of trail and maintained 182 miles across the Red Rock Ranger District.
That work was accomplished with one permanent Forest Service trail employee, a nonprofit-supported seasonal trail crew, conservation crews, contractors and approximately 3,500 volunteer hours.
The partnership is effective at combining limited staffing, funding and volunteer support. However, it is being asked to carry more than the current structure was designed to handle.
“The partnership is delivering. It’s just carrying more than the current structure was built to carry.” — Tracy Randall
The Red Rock Ranger District’s sole permanent trail employee must provide planning, coordination, supervision and continuity for a trail system exceeding 400 miles. Seasonal employees provide essential field capacity, but they must be recruited, trained and supervised each year. Volunteers and contractors extend that capacity, but they cannot replace a stable, year-round professional team. The Peer Trail Towns that we interviewed all employed more than 1 permanent employee — Moab has 13, Brevard 19 and Park City 28.
Efficient delivery is not keeping pace with the need
Turkey Creek construction has averaged approximately $34,000 per mile – below the peer-community average and roughly half an industry benchmark from IMBA Trail Solutions. Annual maintenance spending per mile is also below both peer and industry comparisons.
Those figures show how efficiently the partnership stretches its available funding. But spending less is only a success if the work keeps pace with the trail system’s needs.
A professional assessment of 201 miles, approximately half of the regional trail system, identified about 46,000 hours of needed maintenance, or 227 hours per mile. Last season, the partnership completed approximately 8,000 maintenance hours, or 44 hours per maintained mile, equating to 80% below the hours needed.
The result is an estimated $1.2 million to $2.4 million in deferred maintenance across the Red Rock Ranger District. When drainage problems, eroding tread and other issues are not addressed, they become more difficult and expensive to repair. They also diminish the trail-user experience for residents and visitors.
Trails and access should be planned as one system
Another challenge is that trails, trailheads, shared-use pathways and shuttle service are generally planned through separate processes.
Trail users do not experience these as separate systems. They experience the entire journey from transportation to the trailhead to the condition of the trail, and they rarely know or care when they cross City, County or Forest Service boundaries.
“When they’re recreating, they’re not thinking about where they’re at within the City boundary.” — Melissa Pontikes
The City has already made meaningful investments in trail access, including trailhead improvements, shuttle service, shared-use pathways, funding for Forest Service and trail-maintenance capacity and the addition of a multimodal coordinator.
The opportunity now is to build on those investments through broader regional planning. Potential examples include extending transit access along the State Route 179 corridor and improving connections among the Dry Creek area, Doe Mountain, trailheads and future pathways or bike facilities.
Lessons from other trail communities
The working group interviewed trail leaders in Moab, Park City, Flagstaff, Prescott, Steamboat and Brevard.
Their organizational structures differ, but the most successful communities share several characteristics:
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A clearly identified organization leads a recurring planning process.
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Public agencies, land managers, nonprofits and trail users establish shared priorities.
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Funding comes from multiple public, nonprofit, grant, private or user-generated sources.
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Permanent professional staff provide continuity, with seasonal crews, contractors and volunteers adding capacity.
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Communities invest beyond jurisdictional boundaries when the regional benefit is clear.
The consistent lesson was that planning, funding and delivery cannot be treated as unrelated conversations.
The request to the City
The partner organizations asked the City to:
- Participate in a focused Trails and Access Working Group with the Forest Service, nonprofits, trail users and other regional partners.
- Help plan trails, trailheads, shuttles and shared-use pathways as one connected regional system.
- Continue its existing trail investments and consider supporting one jointly selected project.
- Allow investments beyond City limits when a clear benefit to Sedona residents and visitors can be demonstrated.
Dick Williams compared the existing organizations to individual aspen trees connected by the same root system. The purpose of the working group is to strengthen those connections.
“We are truly not starting from scratch here.” — Dick Williams
Council members and City staff asked questions about involving Yavapai and Coconino counties and selecting an appropriate first project and aligning any future request with the City’s budgeting process.
The proposed next step is to form the working group, establish shared criteria and identify one manageable project that the partners can deliver together. A defined project with its scope, partners, schedule and funding needs can then be brought back to the City for consideration.
This meeting was an important starting point. Sedona already has committed organizations, skilled land managers, generous supporters and hundreds of volunteers working on behalf of the trails. By connecting those efforts through one one working group and process, we can build a more durable partnership and a better trail-user experience for years to come.