Sun Corridor Trail: Sedona to Williams, AZ

Throughout my time as a graduate student at Northern Arizona University (NAU), I have worked under Dr. Franklin Vernon and Dr. Amanda Stan to create GPS-based files for navigation on the Sun Corridor Trail (SCT) between Sedona and Williams, AZ.

The interactive map featured below summarizes the work from my recently completed Master's project (Bolesta, 2023): 1) creating easy-to-use navigation files for trail users to find resources on-the-go, and 2) my proposal for the SCTA’s route through Flagstaff, AZ. The first map highlights major towns on this section of the trail and the waypoints included in those areas associated with general locale. These waypoints, of which there are nine types, all focus on providing necessary information to trail users while also bolstering the SCTA’s goals of small-town economic stimulation and community engagement. The second map expands upon prior research to outline the route that I have proposed to run through Flagstaff, including the reasoning behind this suggested path. Waypoints were chosen specifically to highlight local restaurants, lodging, and entertainment options to help the SCTA's goal of boosting local economies in smaller communities throughout Arizona. I developed a set of inclusion/exclusion criteria (outlined in depth in Bolesta, 2023) to reduce redundancy and maintain consistency in waypoint inclusion.

All files were initially created in ArcGIS Pro 3.0.1 and ported into ArcGIS Online for this StoryMap. The route line between Sedona and Williams was generated through combining existing datasets from the United States Forest Service, Arizona Department of Transportation, and the City of Flagstaff. All 205 waypoints in this project were created from scratch, by me, using coordinate data from Google Maps. I developed a set on inclusion/exclusion criteria to reduce redundancy and maintain consistency in waypoint inclusion. This criteria focused on highlighting local restaurants, lodging and entertainment options to help the SCTA's goal of boosting local economies in smaller communities throughout Arizona. There are nine waypoint types, all focused on providing necessary information to trail users.

I have created a  12-step workflow chart  for the general approach used when creating these GIS files in order to create a replicable process for those involved with SCT mapping work in the future. It should be noted that this workflow refers to my methods and does not need to be followed exactly to produce similar results. This is also a very condensed version of my work process; more specific details can be found in my practicum document which will be available on the  NAU's Geography, Planning and Recreation Department's web page .

While most waypoints are concentrated around the pinpointed major towns, there are many others spread out throughout the route, so feel free to zoom in/out and pan around the map using the buttons on the bottom right of the map.

Below is a map I created that shows my route recommendation to the SCTA for the section of trail that runs through the City of Flagstaff.

A previous project (Smath, 2021) focused on field-testing a variety of forest service roads to finalize a route between Sedona and Williams. The resulting products were two route recommendations - one - from Sedona to Flagstaff and one from Flagstaff to Williams, visualized as the blue lines in the map above. However, this research did not produce a route through the City of Flagstaff, the largest town in this section of the SCT, so I created one, shown by the green line in the map above.

When designing this route, I wanted to maximize use of the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS) while allowing trail users direct access to amenities: all while maintaining a high aesthetic value. This route allows access to the Woodlands Village Shopping Center directly off the Sinclair Wash Trail to the west. This route also goes through the NAU campus, offering stunning views of the San Francisco Peaks. The short section that doesn't utilize the urban trail system runs north on San Francisco Street, travelling through Flagstaff's Southside District and eventually leading to the downtown area. By choosing such a route, this provides trail users direct and convenient access to local restaurants, entertainment options and several historic buildings.

The interactive map above shows all files I created in the ArcGIS Pro mapping software. However, once those files were completed, I exported all of them in a GPX format. This allows trail users to download them onto their smartphone and navigate the trail in real time using GPS, with all route line and waypoint files included. I chose to upload and optimize the GPX files to Ride with GPS, a cycling-focused navigation application. To outline their ease of use, two files linked to Ride with GPS encompassing the route between Sedona and Williams can be viewed on a web browser from the links below.

 Sun Corridor Trail: Sedona, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ 

 Sun Corridor Trail: Flagstaff, AZ to Williams, AZ  

These files are currently available to the public so that trail users can begin utilizing the waypoint and route section maps that I created for the trail immediately!

All ArcGIS Pro and GPX files created from this project will be delivered in a zipped folder to my academic advisors: Dr. Franklin Vernon and Dr. Amanda Stan. Included in this zip folder will be a text file that describes what each file is and what it can be used for.

The mapping work for this project has set a strong foundation for those who wish to continue digitally mapping the SCT in the future. With the use of my practicum report and associated documents, replicable standards and procedures have been documented so that others may further expand upon this work.

It has been a pleasure to contribute to the SCT project, and here's to success with the completion of this trail in the future!

Bolesta, Ross. “Development of GPS-based Datasets for Navigation on the Sun Corridor Trail between Sedona and Williams, AZ” Practicum Report, Northern Arizona University, 2023.

Smath, Adam. “Sun Corridor Trail Development: Coconino National Forest, Arizona.” Practicum Report, Northern Arizona University, 2021.