Red Rock and Gridlock: Fixing Sedona’s Traffic Mess
Traffic jams in the city, combined with and a lack of parking at trailheads, can make Sedona a beautiful, but frustrating place to visit.
Officials with the City of Sedona and the Coconino National Forest are trying to come up with ways to alleviate congestion on the streets, and at the popular trailheads. They’re in the design phase, and they want to hear from you.
Growing Pains
I’ve watched Sedona’s popularity spike over the last decade. Even over the past couple of years, it’s gotten much worse.
Crowds of visitors have grown to the point that traffic grinds to a halt most days through the center of the city, along Highways 89A and 179.
Sedona, which is one of the most uniquely beautiful in the country, continues to experience a variety of growing pains. Nearly a quarter of the homes in the area are now short-term rentals, available on Airbnb or VRBO.
But traffic congestion is the one issue that confronts residents head-on, on a daily basis.
There’s a new plan to relieve some of the congestion. It might have minimal impact, and cause even more frustration for a while… but it’s a start.
Even after peak-season, Highways 179 and 89A are often at a standstill.
The Plan
As part of the proposal, the City of Sedona would offer shuttle buses, or some form of transit, to and from popular hiking trailheads. It would be a joint-venture between the Red Rock Ranger District and the City.
Their goals are:
-Reduce traffic congestion
-Reduce overflow parking in residential areas (AKA, stop annoying the locals)
-Improve pedestrian safety
The public information office at the Coconino National Forest explains which trails would be included in this proposed transit system, and how it would work:
-Dry Creek (for Devil’s Bridge), Little Horse, Mescal, Cathedral Rock, and Soldiers Pass
-Shuttles run 8am - 6:30pm Thursday through Sunday
-Shuttles would arrive every 15-to-45 minutes
-They might increase in frequency during holidays and peak-season (like Spring Break)
You can read the official documents, and check out maps from the Forest Service here: Red Rock Country Trailhead Transit Proposal
The view at the start of Soldiers Pass
All 14 available parking spots at Soldiers Pass
I love the idea of a shuttle system, but three of those spots are lesser-known. Cathedral Rock and Soldiers Pass are among the most popular.
Soldiers Pass only has 14 available parking spots! Fourteen! And it leads to some of the most iconic spots in the area, including the Seven Sacred Pools and Devil’s Kitchen.
Under the proposal, the trailheads at Cathedral Rock and Soldiers Pass would be totally closed to public parking during shuttle operation times to “encourage the use of the shuttle and alternative transportation,” according to the rangers.
Dry Creek (used for Devil’s Bridge) and Mescal don’t even show up on a lot of maps, but they’re directly west of Soldier Pass:
Closing the lots is sure to ruffle the feathers, and lead to confusion for a while.
The program would start in March of 2022, and be offered year-round.
Again, the folks at the City of Sedona and the Coconino National Forest want to hear your thoughts. You have until November 19th to comment. Information on who to contact is at the bottom of the blog.
Four Workarounds
If you’ve never been to Sedona, but would like to plan a trip, consider adding these options to your itinerary. One (or more) could go a long way toward eliminating at least some of the stress and anxiety some visitors feel.
1. Park and Walk
For some popular trailheads, like Boynton Canyon, you can avoid the limited lot and park down the street, on the side of the road. Many trailheads are in neighborhoods, and you’re forbidden to park on the street. A few trails offer street parking… if… you’re willing to walk up to a mile to the trailhead. Soldiers Pass is an example of a trail with street parking, but it’s a long walk from the side-of-the-roadway parking spots to the trailhead.
2. Hotels with Trails
Consider the hotel you’re staying at, and whether any trails are walkable.
As an example, the Arabella Hotel is one of the first hotels you drive by on Highway 179 once you get into the city of Sedona. I know it well, since it’s one of just a few that allow dogs!
We held a “celebration of life” for my elderly 15-year-old yellow lab, Bree, there last year, when we knew her health was failing. She was happy to lounge with the pretty view on the patio.
Back to my point:
You can walk behind the Arabella Hotel to the Marg’s Draw Trailhead. It takes you north toward Snoopy Rock, and even farther to the Munds Wagon Trail, if you have extra energy.
If you turn south, you’ll go to the Broken Arrow Trail. It leads to some of the most iconic spots in Sedona. Trying to actually park a car here is next to impossible. The only time in recent history that I’ve been able to find a parking spot down the bumpy dirt road to the trailhead was during the height of the pandemic in the summer of 2020, when people weren’t traveling.
A viewpoint from the Broken Arrow Trail
If you’re much fancier, you can stay at the Enchantment, and have direct access to the Boynton Canyon Trailhead. This leads to the landmarks known as the Birthing Cave and the Subway Cave.
3. Bikes Before Hikes
It’s a lot easier to park a bike at a trailhead than a car.
Sedona and Oak Creek are home to about a dozen bike rental shops. The main highways all have bike lanes, and if you’re not too wiped out from biking the hills in the city, it’s a great way to get to a trailhead.
4. Jeep Tours (make someone else drive!)
Especially if you have people with you who don’t like to hike, or aren’t physically able to go a distance, jeep tours are a great option. Honestly, I’ve never heard anyone complain about their ride from any of the companies operating. The drivers know the best spots, and you don’t have to worry about a thing.
If you can handle the hills, biking might be the way to go!
How to Submit Your Comments & Thoughts
When I moved to Arizona more than a decade ago, Sedona was dealing with building traffic congestion. A years-long project to improve flow and expand lanes along Highways 179 (west of Interstate-17) and 89A alleviated some of the issues. It’s beautifully done, with a design that nicely fits the Sedona scenery and aesthetic… but it seems inadequate to deal with today’s crowds.
If you’d like to submit your comments as they consider and review the proposals, here’s who to contact. This is taken directly from the Public Information Office at the Coconino National Forest:
The public is invited to provide input on the Red Rock Country Trailhead Transit and Parking Restrictions Project during a 30-day comment period from Oct. 20 to Nov. 19, 2021.
Please provide written comments with “Trailhead Transit” in the subject line via:
E-mail: comments-southwestern-coconino-redrock@usda.gov; or
Fax: (928) 203-7539; or
Regular mail: Red Rock Ranger District, Attention: Trailhead Transit, P.O. Box 20429, Sedona, AZ 86431; or
Hand delivered: Red Rock District Office at 8375 State Route 179, Sedona, AZ 86351 between the hours of 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. weekdays.
For additional information on this project proposal, please contact Recreation Special Uses Permit Administrator Mark Goshorn at mark.goshorn@usda.gov.
For more information on the city’s transit program, go to www.sedonaaz.gov/transit or contact city of Sedona Transit Administrator Robert Weber at (928) 203-5086.