Hiking Trail Maintenance

This lesson covers the fundamentals of assessing the physical state of hiking trails and explores how different  trail users impact the underlying structure and function of the trail.

Objective

• Learners will be able to access a trail’s maintenance needs and prioritize the work required to address those needs.
  

Lesson
The experience of walking, hiking or riding on a trail through nature can be hard to beat. If the trail is well maintained, you might even forget that a trail is there in the first place, allowing you to place more of your focus on the natural beauty around you.

It’s easy to think that these trails just “happen” or exist by people choosing to walk down the same path over time. For some trails this is true – being the artifact of native tribal footpaths, but many trails that we love and use today are meticulously maintained and repaired by individuals you may never see. In reality, most forest and park trails are built and designed with intention. Have you ever considered how convenient it was that a trail led you directly to a point of interest such as a cool rock formation, waterfall, or mountain vista? How about how the trail manages to stay relatively dry and intact after a heavy rainfall, and water finds its way tidily along drainage ditches or under bridges.

 

Thought Experiment: Examine the trail in image above. What do you notice about it’s design?

 

Each of these experiences are considered when trails are built, prompting the trail builder(s) to consider questions such as: Where are hikers most likely to want to go? What type of traffic is this trail going to receive? Is this area prone to heavy rainfall? Much like the planning that goes into establishing a new highway and the resulting impact it’s construction will have on a community, a tremendous amount of consideration can go into planning a trail. When it’s done right, it makes your job easier as a maintainer to maintain those positive experiences for all visitors.

To Do

Watch this video which expands on the ideas discussed below.

Key Takeaways

• Trails can form naturally or can be built
• Trails are often intentionally designed to maximize experience while minimizing impact
• Proper trail planning helps reduce maintenance loads