How to make a legal trail?

[gaz]

There's been a lot of discussion and debate about some cool but unauthorized trails getting whacked, and what a shame that is. I think everyone on here has helped build or at least ridden rogue at some point along the way, but I guess experience is teaching us that the only way to get trails with all the stuff we all want is to do them legitimately, since the rogue ones are just going to be found, plowed, rebuilt somewhere else, plowed, rebuilt somewhere else, etc... and that's a lot of hard work going down the pooper.

So how does the trail building process work? There's a ton of folks on here that are willing to lend hands and backs to building them, but I guess dumb folks like me need a bit of edu-macation on how the step by step process goes?

[urbaindk]

So how does the trail building process work? There's a ton of folks on here that are willing to lend hands and backs to building them, but I guess dumb folks like me need a bit of edu-macation on how the step by step process goes?


I would be interested, more specifically, in what kind of leg work is involved. You know the stuff that happens long before Pulaskis start swinging. I imagine digging is the easy part. What about the rest?


Thanks.

[BikerMiker]

For some reason, this section of forums (and the trail conditions part) don't come up on the home page when new posts are added. I'll send an email over to Martin to see if that can be fixed. There is some stuff going on here that needs some input, like these questions.

I've been involved with new trail at Schaeffer and Patapsco since 1999 so I'll share what little I know and how things work right now. Just to be clear, this is all my personal experience and info, not indicative of how ALL trailwork goes down.

I got involved by going to a trail school hosted by MORE and IMBA out at Schaeffer. We learned some basic stuff (clinometer, outsloping, etc) that are out of the trail design/construction book. (Get the book http://www.imba.com/resources/trail_building/trail_solutions.html if you have more questions).

At Patapsco, we used to go ride the trail and talk about sections that were unridable when it was wet. We then started scoping higher areas and walked it with park management. There are some basic rules we had to follow (within 25' of existing corridor, safe for mulitiple users, 12' tall corridor, 16-24" trail surface, full bench, outsloped, etc) and we would usually get the OK then flag something close to what we thought would be fun, leaving in logs AND other lines for horses, walkers and unskilled mtn bikers.

Once we got that done, we'd invite anybody who wanted to review the proposed trail (MORE people and others) to come out BEFORE the workday and walk it with us and make suggestions that we would incorporate (as best we could). Then we'd have people show up, we give the safety talk (where's the nearest hospital, who knows CPR) then hit the trail and build it.

TTFs are ok as long as there is an alternate, obvious line.

I know that there is a lot left in the unwritten part of this explanation so let me know if clarification anywhere here would help. Yes, it's that easy. If that sounds easy, I mean.

mike
makin' it look kinda-easy

[martin]

For some reason, this section of forums (and the trail conditions part) don't come up on the home page when new posts are added. I'll send an email over to Martin to see if that can be fixed...

Fixed :)

Thanks for bring it up - just forgot to add the forum to the list after I created it...

You get green dots for being on top of things and letting me know :D

[BikerMiker]

Thanks Martin. On it as always...

mike

[phuncadelic]

I am actually in the Process of getting a new trail. the first thing I did was to talk to Scott Scudamore and once he was interested he told me what I needed to do, which was basically let MORE board members know and make contact witht the land manager.
Once MORE was aware, I sent an email to the Park Manager at Leesylvania State Park. He was very receptive to the idea and we set up a meeting
I met with him and used to work at Douthat and was very happy with the idea of having IMBA standard trails built and maintained. (it seemed like maintaining the trails is an issue of manpower there.)
He now is having an environmental impact study done (the person who does the study at this park is an avid mountainbiker so that might help) once the results of that come back THe park manager needs to present the idea to his regional manager. ONce the regional manager approves it, we can then discuss good routes for paths with the park manager.

biker miker I would be interested in flagging the route with you
hope this helps

[BikerMiker]

I'll make it know when i get out there to flag it.

mike