They were careful to leave space at the gate, “anticipate the crowd,” Morgan parked farther than usual, careful to pull sideways as effectively as possible, and pushed the truck into a snowdrift. slightly pushed up to .

Neither thought twice about parking in the area. Smith said she parked it there for 20 years to hike in the Coconino National Forest behind the gate. As for the cars she saw parked that day, they all appeared to be “properly” parked.

“Nobody seemed to be blocking the driveway,” she said. “Everyone was neatly lined up.”

After enjoying their time in the woods, Morgan and Smith returned with an unpleasant surprise — a $200 parking ticket from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

“There were no no parking signs in the immediate vicinity,” Morgan said. I didn’t even see Smith. Neither had noticed the sign down the road, which was not visible from where they parked.

If so, they may have seen a warning in Coconino County’s Winter Parking Ordinance — fixed in November 2022. The ordinance states that between November 1st and April 1st, vehicles, trailers, and other obstacles should be “keep out of the way.” Hours from all county-maintained right-of-way. This includes paved and unpaved roads, trails, highways, etc. Additionally, the ordinance authorizes the county sheriff’s office to impose fines of “$200 or more.”

Smith and Morgan weren’t the only ones punished under the parking ordinance that day. At least a dozen other parties also received parking tickets. Among them was her Shasta Wright, who was equally embarrassed by the ticket.

“There are absolutely no ‘no parking’ signs for anyone to park at the end of Schultz,” Wright said.

Wright isn’t convinced that such parking restrictions, if any, would be fair play. She says there are no other viable parking options in the area.

“It’s frustrating,” she said. “They restrict where locals can go and don’t give us access to national forests.”

The winter parking ordinance that punished Smith, Morgan, Wright and others was originally passed in 2017. Illegal parking, littering and trespassing on private property affect the quality of life of local residents. ”

A 2022 amendment to the ordinance “allows the sheriff’s office to increase enforcement during the winter recreation season,” the county website says.

The 2022 amendment to the ordinance will only prevent drivers from being exempt from violations if they are not registered owners, according to county spokesman Stephen Pellegrini. He said this year’s ordinance was taken more seriously after an 11-year-old died in January in connection with illegally parked on Route 180 to play in the snow.

“Nobody wants the same thing over and over again,” Pellegrini said.

In the Schultz Pass area, the ordinance’s primary use is to ensure snowplow operation and emergency vehicle access, said John Paxton, spokesman for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

“There are ordinances that don’t allow parking on the road so that these plows can work,” Paxton said.

He said that in the case of the subpoenas issued that weekend, “they were blocking roads or blocking gates.” Paxton said the sheriff’s office generally cracks down on parking violations related to playing in the snow. This year, he has been issued more than 70 subpoenas under the Winter Parking Ordinance.

“Last January, we issued only 26,” Paxton said.

Regarding parking around Schultz Pass Road, Paxton said the sheriff’s office is aware that it is a popular location for Flagstaff locals to access the forest. He said it was legal to park there. Snow made it difficult.

“Even the sheriff parks on the side of the road,” he said. “But unfortunately, thanks to the snowman, everyone made the wrong choice and was forced to park illegally.”

Illegal parking in the area has also caused a significant amount of complaints from neighborhood residents. In the past few weeks, the sheriff’s office has processed 35 complaints and issued 27 subpoenas from the area.

“We want to be able to give people verbal or written warnings,” Paxton said. “But after receiving so many complaints, we had to take some kind of enforcement action.”

Nonetheless, Paxton recognized the need to put up more signs warning of winter parking ordinances in the area. He said it was a conversation already circulating within the sheriff’s office.

“In the future, we hope to put up more signs to help mitigate these kinds of problems,” he said.

Where can I park to access public lands?

Shultz Pass Road and neighboring Elden Lookout Road remain popular access points to public lands, and with the enactment of winter parking ordinances, Flagstaff residents have nowhere to go.

A common misconception is that there is a public parking lot near “Schultz Y”, the junction between Schultz Pass Road and Elden Lookout Road. Even Paxton says, “You should park there in case you can’t get off the road.”

But the problem is that Schultz Y isn’t well maintained as a nearby public land parking lot, Wright said. A few days after receiving her invitation, she parked at Schultz Y to do her skiing cross-country again, but she quickly got stuck in the thick snow.

“It’s not plowed properly, it’s not burnt out, it’s nothing,” Wright said.

There’s a reason the Schultz Y isn’t ready for parking. Many consider this area to be urban land. One reason for this is the presence of a city-built reservoir on an adjacent site. But, according to Samuel Beckett, city roads section director, “this is completely private property.”

“We know Y has been a very popular parking lot over the years,” said Beckett. “I know the residents there have been very kind over the years to let people park there, but we have no say in how it will be managed. not.”

Beckett said misconceptions about the Schultz Y could be exacerbated by the existence of an access road to the city’s detention facility that private residents “kindly” allowed the city to use during construction. added. But again, “it’s really private property,” he said.

A quick look at the county zoning map shows that the area around Schultz Y is completely privately owned. As a result, the US Forest Service is also not in a position to provide parking relief.

“There are no plans to provide year-round parking near the area simply because it is outside our jurisdiction,” Coconino National Forest officials said in a statement. No. We recognize that the lack of parking at trailheads is frustrating, but if forest visitors want to access those trails, there is no bus, rideshare program, or other transportation service available. We recommend that you use the

In summary, there is no official public parking near Schultz Y to access public land and there are no plans to provide one. But, as Paxton explained, it’s important to note that this “parking crisis” is seasonal. In most situations, people park on the side of the road on their way to access the forest, even if snowballs made of record-breaking snow do not limit the ability of cars to effectively park away from the road. It’s still legal.

And in April, the winter parking ordinance that generated this flood of citations will be out of effect until November.

“Again, it’s the abundant snow that’s causing this problem,” Paxton said.