TUSAYAN – The Kaibab National Forest is seeking public input and comments on a proposed project to remodel and expand the popular Ten X Campground located south of Tusayan about 5 miles south of the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park.
The Ten X Campground Expansion project is designed to increase overnight camping opportunities for visitors to the area and improve overall experience by upgrading aging facilities and adding amenities. Specifically, the proposed expansion would increase capacity from the current 70 individual campsites to a total of 300. Existing sites would undergo remodeling while new sites would be added, thereby expanding the overall campground footprint.
The proposed remodeling of existing sites and the addition of new sites would increase Ten X Campground’s ability to accommodate large RVs, which have become increasingly popular since the campground’s original construction in the early 1970s. The campground would also provide additional small group sites as well as individual tent sites. In order to facilitate the construction of the new camping loops, a new roadway would be established as a larger loop surrounding the current campground. Two egress routes are also being proposed in order to better facilitate any future emergency evacuation.
Proposed campground remodeling would include the installation of a new multilingual entrance station; the development of visitor common areas with ramada structures, grills, fire rings, and picnic tables; and, the addition of an amphitheater for campfire talks. Included with the proposed expansion is the possibility of modernizing the existing utilities.
In order to enhance the visitor experience and provide conservation education venues, the Kaibab National Forest is proposing the development of new nature and interpretive trails, including a trail connecting Ten X Campground to Tusayan and the Arizona National Scenic Trail, as well as an opportunity to site a future interagency visitor center at the location.
“Ten X Campground is frequently filled to capacity due to its popular location,” said Dutch Maatman, assistant recreation staff officer with the Kaibab National Forest. “We are excited about the opportunity to not only support the increased number of visitors to the area but also to provide them with a better overall camping experience.”
Ten X Campground on the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest was originally constructed in the early 1970s, and currently offers 70 individual sites, two large group sites, one host site, several vault toilets, paved roads, and a potable drinking water system. Since the development of Ten X Campground, there have been only minor expansions and updates, leaving it vulnerable to overcrowding and visitor use conflicts.
The Kaibab National Forest encourages public participation in the development of proposed projects and is seeking input and comments on the Ten X Campground Expansion project. Specific, written comments should be received no later than March 29.
Comments must be in writing and may be delivered electronically, in person, or by mail or facsimile. Electronic comments, including attachments, may be emailed to comments-southwestern-kaibab-williams@fs.fed.us. Comments may be submitted electronically in Word (.doc or .docx), rich text format (.rtf), text (.txt), Adobe portable document formats (PDF), or HyperText Markup Language (.html). Submit comments via hand delivery (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays) or mail to: Kaibab National Forest, Williams Ranger District, 742 South Clover Road, Williams, Arizona 86046. Please marks comments “Attention: Ten X Campground Expansion.”
To view the full proposed action and other information related to the Ten X Campground Expansion project, please visit www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55626. For questions, please contact Dutch Maatman at (928) 635-5661 or jmaatman@fs.fed.us.
Kaibab National Forest information is also available through the following sources:
• Kaibab National Forest Website: www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/KaibabNF
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/KaibabNF
• Flickr: http://bit.ly/KaibabNFPhotos
TUSAYAN – The Kaibab National Forest will issue free-use, paid personal-use and ceremonial firewood permits for the Tusayan Ranger District at the Hotevilla Community Center next week. This is the first fuelwood event to be held at Hopi and is part of the Kaibab National Forest’s ongoing effort to increase accessibility of firewood to tribal communities.
Each of these fires will have a designated planning area that will identify management objective priorities within the individual locations.
Because of the proximity of the area to be treated to the community and the possibility of smoke impacts, fire managers look for very specific weather, fuel and wind conditions under which to ignite within the Reed Prescribed Fire Project. Fire managers plan to take advantage of predicted conditions over the next couple of days, due to winds that are anticipated to move the majority of the smoke west and away from Tusayan, the airport, Grand Canyon National Park, and state Highway 64.
Smoke may be visible for short durations from the Grand Canyon Village, Highway 64 and the community of Tusayan but is expected to dissipate rapidly toward the northeast with very light impacts. Conditions are monitored closely throughout the day to ensure smoke ventilation is optimal during operations.
Officials remind motorists to always use caution when driving on roadways where visibility may potentially be impacted by smoke. Fire managers work closely with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, partners in the Grand Canyon National Park, as well as surrounding Native American tribes to monitor air quality.