What if we told you that some of the most important living organisms in Sedona’s red rock landscape are right beneath your feet?
They’re easy to overlook. In fact, you might mistake them for ordinary dirt. But these tiny organisms play an extraordinary role in protecting our desert ecosystem.
They’re called biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, and they are one more reason why staying on designated trails matters.
We recently headed out to the developing Turkey Creek Trail System with Kayla Long, District Biologist for the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest, to learn more about these remarkable living communities and what we can do to protect them.
More Than Just Dirt
Biocrust is a living community of mosses, lichens, algae, cyanobacteria, and other microorganisms that occupy roughly the top eighth of an inch of desert soil.
These tiny organisms perform some pretty remarkable jobs.
They act like natural glue, holding soil together and protecting it from wind and water erosion. They also contribute nutrients to the soil, supporting the vegetation that makes our desert landscape so special.
And when it rains? Biocrust can act like a sponge, absorbing moisture and helping retain water in our dry environment.
In a place like Sedona, where water is precious and erosion is an ongoing challenge, healthy biocrust makes a big difference.
How Can You Recognize Biocrust?
One of the challenges in protecting biocrust is simply knowing what to look for.
At Turkey Creek, Kayla showed us how biocrust can look quite different depending on its maturity.
Young biocrust may be barely noticeable, with a slightly bumpy texture and coloring similar to the surrounding soil. Mature biocrust is often darker, thicker, and more textured.
You’ll frequently find it in open spaces between plants, where sunlight reaches the soil.
The important thing to remember is that what looks like bare dirt may actually be a thriving living community.
And unlike a footprint in the sand, damage to that community doesn’t simply disappear with the next rainfall.
A Shortcut That Takes Seconds Can Cause Damage That Lasts Decades
This is where our conversation with Kayla became especially eye-opening.
As we walked along the Turkey Creek trails, she pointed out a narrow, user-created path cutting through an area of mature biocrust.
On either side of the informal trail, the living crust was visible. But in the middle, where people had traveled repeatedly, the biocrust was gone.
We also observed similar impacts where horses had traveled off the designated trail.
When feet, tires, or hooves crush biocrust, they break apart the connections that hold the living community together. The exposed soil becomes more vulnerable to wind and water erosion, and the natural recovery process can be incredibly slow.
Kayla explained that even under ideal conditions, biocrust may take up to five years just to begin recovering. In more challenging conditions, recovery can take decades or even centuries.
Think about that.
A shortcut that saves a few seconds can leave an impact that lasts for generations.
Turkey Creek: Building Better Trails While Protecting the Landscape
The developing Turkey Creek Trail System offers a great example of how sustainable trail planning can help protect fragile desert resources.
Along the new Del Sol Trail, Kayla showed us an old, user-created trail that had suffered significant erosion. Part of the original route was incorporated into the designated trail system, new sustainable trail was constructed, and an eroded section was closed for restoration.
Vegetation is already beginning to return to the closed route.
But that recovery depends on giving the landscape time to heal.
Every time someone follows a closed trail rather than the designated route, they risk disturbing recovering soil and vegetation, setting that process back.
It’s an important reminder that trail construction isn’t just about creating great recreational experiences. Thoughtful trail design, maintenance, and restoration also help protect the surrounding ecosystem.
That’s a major part of what makes the Turkey Creek project so important.
Help us continue building and restoring sustainable trails at Turkey Creek.
Protecting Biocrust Is Something We Can All Do
You don’t need to be a biologist to help protect Sedona’s living soil.
Whether you’re hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding, the most important thing you can do is stay on designated trails and respect trail closures.
Avoid shortcuts, don’t widen existing trails, and remember that an informal track through the desert may be damaging something you can’t easily see.
As Kayla put it:
“A shortcut on a trail may take you seconds, but if it crosses biocrust, it can take centuries for that biocrust to then recover.”
One simple choice can make a lasting difference. Stay on designated trails.
Help Us Protect the Trails and Landscape We Love
At the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund, we believe outstanding recreational opportunities and a healthy environment go hand in hand.
Through investments in sustainable trail construction, maintenance, restoration, and education, we’re helping protect the landscape that makes Sedona extraordinary.
Projects like Turkey Creek are about more than building new trails. They’re about creating a sustainable trail system that people can enjoy while giving damaged areas an opportunity to recover.
You can be part of the effort.
Stay on designated trails. Respect closures. Share what you’ve learned about biocrust.
And if you’d like to help us continue this important work, please consider supporting the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund with a Donation.