ARIZONA NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL RE-ROUTES USING LEAST-COST CORRIDOR ANALYSIS

Abstract

The Arizona National Scenic Trail (AZNST) is an 800-mile non-motorized path the length of Arizona from the border of Mexico to Utah, crossing very diverse terrain from deserts, mountains, canyons, and forests. The Arizona Trail Association (ATA) is a non-profit organization that protects, maintains, enhances, promotes, and sustains the Arizona National Scenic Trail for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. The ATA organization has 12 trail re-routing projects in 4 of the National Forests (Kaibab, Coconino, Tonto, and Coronado) totaling 70 miles of various lengths (0.1 miles – 25 miles). The goal of this study is to create a least-cost corridor and optimal path model in ArcGIS Model Builder to help streamline the process of determining trail reroutes that will incorporate environmental sustainability, safety, comfort, and aesthetics. The study focuses on three sections of the AZNST within the Coconino National Forest – Anderson Mesa (12 miles), Maverick (25 miles), and East Clear Creek (3 miles). These study areas were chosen since extensive field work and GPS field data points have been gathered from two of the locations (Anderson Mesa and Maverick). The field data was compared to the least-cost corridor and optimal path generated by the model. The model was applied to the third study area, East Clear Creek, which has steeper terrain to verify if the least-cost corridor and optimal path followed the natural contour lines of the terrain.