United States Department of Agriculture Mt. Elden / Dry Lakes Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action Forest Service Coconino National Forest August 2020 Mt. Elden / Dry Lake Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action For More Information Contact: Christine Handler Team Leader Phone: 559-920-2188 Email:
[email protected] 1 Mt. Elden / Dry Lake Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action Project Background The Mt. Elden/Dry Lake Hills (MEDL) area is located directly north of Flagstaff, Arizona (figure 1). Largely because of its proximity to Flagstaff and the appealing diversity of forest topography and vegetation, it is the most popular and heavily used recreation area on the Flagstaff Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. The area provides thousands of forest visitors opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, including hiking, mountain biking, riding horse, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or rock climbing. Adjacent property owners walk this area daily and the project area borders the City of Flagstaff’s ‘Buffalo Park,’ which serves as one of the primary gateways into the Coconino National Forest from Flagstaff. The original MEDL trail system was dedicated in 1987. There are eight trailheads providing access to 14 designated National Forest System trails, including portions of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, Flagstaff Loop Trail, and the historic Beale Wagon Trail. The Little Elden Springs Horse Camp is adjacent to Forest Service Road 556 providing access to the trail system for equestrians staying at the campground. There are numerous organized recreation events which utilize trails and trailheads, some of which have been issued annual special-use permits for over a decade.