ARIZONA—On the Red Rocks Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest, the West Sedona Recreation Area was experiencing an all-too-common issue—being “loved to death.” Sedona is best known for its surreal landscape. A desert paradise filled with dreamlike rock formations, monoliths, cliffs and canyons, the area has seen a jump in visitors over the past few years, fueled partly by a rising state population and partly by the country’s renewed enthusiasm for the outdoors.

Once word got out about this excellent spot, a slew of challenges began to crop up. The landscape quickly began to show signs of overuse. Adjacent landowners and forest managers were contending with an influx of irresponsible—and sometimes illegal—camping, litter, defecation, overcrowding and natural resource damage.

The forest needed a new strategy to safeguard the area while still allowing people to visit and camp overnight. The National Forest Foundation, alongside the USDA Forest Service and partners, saw the opportunity to collaborate and improve the area.

Historically, dispersed camping west of Sedona meant being in nature with limited amenities and more solitude than you’d find in a traditional campground. However, with the increased interest, it was time to transition from being a conventional dispersed camping area to a designated dispersed camping location.

Thus, there are now eight designated areas for dispersed camping that accommodate up to 200 campsites. People can continue to visit without conflict with adjacent landowners and without damaging the fragile desert ecosystem they came to enjoy.

Foundation contractors installed four kiosks with maps, camping regulations, Leave No Trace ethics information, phone numbers and more. The new, designated dispersed approach will be monitored and, depending on results, future phases of work may include additional camping infrastructure and space for camp hosts, whose presence reminds people to follow the ethics of outdoor recreation.

They also installed signs indicating open and closed areas. Staff is rehabilitating Illegal campsites by using natural features to block visitors from continuing to use them.

Through the important contributions of our partners, the National Partnership Office, and close coordination with the Coconino National Forest, we are hoping to protect the area from further damage through a more proactive management strategy.

Read more and see additional photos of the project here.