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Forest Service is planning to Close the Forest to off-road Motorized travel:
Dirt Bikes will be Forbidden to travel in the National Forest
The Coconino Forest Service is planning to close ALL dirt bike trails in the entire Coconino National Forest except for a short trail going from Schultz pass road to Snowbowl road near the pipeline (Rocky Moto and Lower/upper "Moto"). ALL ATV trails will be closed except for the small track near Munds Park.
Challenger trail, Wing Mtn. Trail, Airport loop, and all others will be closed under the current Travel Management Rule (TMR) as of 2009. These are not seasonal closures but are permanent.
They are also planning to close most of the roads in the forest by which campers, hikers, hunters, and others access remote areas.
The TMR includes the following:
- Forbidding off-road motorized travel.
- Closing all User created trails except for one dirt bike trail and one ATV trail. A total of only 40 miles, most of which is useless.
- Closing about 1500 miles of Official Forest Service roads.
- Closing about 12,000 miles of UnOfficial Roads (current estimate - final plan may include more closures).
- Forbidding car camping except in designated areas or within one car-length of the road.
- Motorized Game retrieval will be forbidden.
- No access for Handicapped persons.
Here is the official Coconino Forest Service page for the TMR
Here is the page with the Official CFS maps for the proposed action.
The Coconino Forest Service claims that the Federal Level is ordering them to make these new rules. This is not true. The National Forest Service is prompting local offices to end off road travel that is damaging to the Forest, but the local office is authorized to keep open any existing roads or trails or areas that they see fit to keep open. The Coconino Forest Service has full authority to keep open all the current dirt bike trails and to allow off road travel in any area they want to. The problem is that they don’t want to allow dirt bikes, ATV’s, or private vehicles into the woods, except on numbered roads.
Please send your comments to:
Email: comments-southwestern-coconino@fs.fed.us
SnailMail:
Coconino National Forest
ATTN: TMR
1824 S. Thompson St.
Flagstaff AZ 86001
Phone: (928) 527-3600
Meanwhile: When you are in the woods – DO NOT destroy the Forest. This is especially important for ATV riders and 4x4’s. The misuse of these vehicles to destroy Forest Service Roads and to create a criss-cross maze of senseless roads has brought about this new Forest Service Plan. Making giant ruts and plowing over trees is not COOL! And most of all, Stay safely clear of Pedestrians, Mtn. Bikers and Horses. DO NOT drive across open / un-treed areas including dry lakes and prairies.
Keep in mind that the trails that Mtn. bikers, Horseback riders and Hikers enjoy were put in place by Enduro Dirt bike riders. Popular trails such as Schultz Creek trail, Upper and Lower Moto, Secret Trail, Fort Valley Trail and others were created by Dirt bikes, not by pedestrians. We can all enjoy the forest together in a symbionic relationship.
Here is a better plan.
For a Photo comparison of Dirt Bike trails and NON-Motorized Trails, click here.
COCONINO TRAIL RIDERS CLUB click here.
Trails in Trouble Website: http://trailsintrouble.org/index.html
About road Closure Calculations:
Current Estimates for road closures are based on Calculations from the Forest Service developed TMR maps. All Estimates are subjective and await final scientific calculation. Estimates for closures of "unofficial" roads are based on a ratio of 3:1 for planned closures versus planned non-closures and is based on sample areas.
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