Around 3 million people visit Sedona every year, and many of them hike on Sedona’s famed trails. Given that high traffic, it makes total sense that the trails need maintenance. Back in 2013 at a public gathering, a group of people were talking about the relatively poor condition of the area’s trails, and the Forest Service remarked that they simply did not have the resources to fund trail care. That’s how the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund was born. The fund raises money to improve trails and also has volunteers that work on the city’s many trails.
“We raise money for the sole purpose of developing and maintaining the trails here in Sedona and Village of Oak Creek area. That’s our primary mission. Our secondary mission is educating the public, whether it’s through maps, signs or ‘tread lightly,’” says Dick Williams, president of the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund. “It’s really a very special relationship with the Forest Service.” In the decade since its inception, the nonprofit has raised more than $3.5 million. Donations come from private donors, businesses, grants and the government. Eleven people sit on the all-volunteer board. The group has a total of three committees: philanthropy, grants and community outreach. The Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund works in conjunction with the Forest Service, and the Forest Service tells the nonprofit what it needs help with. One of the group’s biggest projects to date? A restoration project that focused on one of Sedona’s most iconic trails, Cathedral Rock. The nonprofit raised some funds to train trail workers on trail basics during the first week and trained them for working on Sedona’s red rocks during the second week. A crew of 14 worked to improve the trails in the spring of 2024. Specifically, the crew cut into rocks and added rock stairs.
“If you go up it now, it’s a lot safer. It’s a lot more accessible,” says Dick. Future projects include improving Turkey Creek. The nonprofit’s current project is working on Doe Mountain. Like many, Dick and his wife, Sandy, fell in love with Sedona’s trails. The couple has been visiting and hiking Sedona since 1985. The current Sedona residents decided to leave some money to the organization in their wills and were asked to join the nonprofit’s board. “We all do this out of passion for the trails and our love and use of the trails,” he says. – Teresa K. Traverse
