Tourism has declined throughout much of Arizona because of the pandemic, but that’s not the case on national forest lands. Officials say record numbers of visitors came to forests around Flagstaff, Sedona, and the Mogollon Rim this summer to camp and hike in places where it’s easy to keep a safe physical distance from others. But, the spike in forest visitation also had some downsides. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with Coconino National Forest ranger Matt McGrath about some of the problems connected to the increase.
