April 9, 2024

A partnership made up of the City of Sedona, Yavapai County, and state and federal land and recreation agencies is considering several potential strategies for dealing with issues related to off-highway vehicles in the Sedona area.

The Greater Sedona Recreation Collaborative was formed in 2022; and they created a Working Group made up of local residents, business owners, law enforcement, recreation groups and environmental organizations to address the issues of high OHV use, limited infrastructure and sensitive environments, and inappropriate or illegal behavior by OHV operators.

After a year of research and deliberation, the Working Group has come to full or near-full consensus on several strategies; including the implementation of speed limits on affected roads; working with local OHV businesses on voluntary measures; conducting short- and long-term route system planning; and increasing the effectiveness and consistency of signage and barriers, and enforcement when and where needed, among others. If more stringent measures were deemed necessary, they would recommend implementation of a permit system that would reduce or spread out the high volume of OHV traffic.

You can see the full report at greatersedonarecreation.com; and the Working Group will present their proposals to the Sedona City Council on April 9th, and to the nonprofit Keep Sedona Beautiful on the 17th.

The GSRC will continue working together to find solutions for other recreation-related issues, including dispersed camping, and mitigating cultural and environmental impacts from local recreation.

Josh Freeman | KAZM News Director | josh@mellowmountainradio.com