An Eye for Dirt : The Fundamentals of Trail Design

Presenter: John Kowaleski TrailTech LLC www.trailtechllc.com

This series of slides will show well designed trails and some that need help. The purpose is to illustrate some first steps in the trail design process. This is by no means complete coverage of trail design, but some beginning steps to follow.

What is a well designed trail?

Well designed recreational trails appeal to your senses, with a variety of landscape features that blend with the scenery. They integrate into the environment with minimal environmental impacts.

 they meander, follow contours, and natural topography, the trail should seem like it has always been there and belongs there.

Structures like this footbridge should not be too elaborate, but visually fit the character of the scenery. Like a bridge made of redwood in a redwood forest.

. A well designed trail should highlight historical features such as these stonewalls, however keep in mind that a historical, archeological inventory of your site may recommend protection of significant features too..

Seeing wildlife is one of the most memorable experiences you can have along a trail. However, a well designed trail should find a balance by minimizing impacts to wildlife too.

Where do you start? Before you can begin designing a trail ask the W questions, a basic needs assessment. Why have a trail here? What kind of trail experience do you want? What is the purpose of this trail? Where can the trail start and end? Who will build the trail? Who will maintain it? Is this trail purely recreational, or for transportation too? Answers to these questions will develop your vision for the trail.

Basic Design Process:

Estimate who and how many will use the trail. Develop design specifications, to maximize enjoyment and minimize conflict, erosion, and maintenance. Keep in mind accessibility. Research positive and negative control points. Flag potential routes.

Sustainable trail design begins with these first steps.

Different trail users influence how a trail is built

Designing trails begins with the users. Specifications will vary for width, structures, and surfacing depending on the different users level of use, and environment. The next series of slides illustrates these variables.

Hiking trails with low to moderate use can be narrow 18. Heavy use needs width, around 4 feet, for safe passing. Also, if your trail is in steep country, more width is needed for safety. Can it be an accessible trail?

... Corridor and tread width is needed for safe passing.

Equestrians require overhead clearances of 10-12 feet, 5-6 of corridor width, and often crusher fines to keep soft soils intact. Use crusher fines only if the grade is 6% or less. This flat section of trail may get muddy when wet.

Muddy trails leads to trail widening.

Mountain bike riders like narrow single track trails for the same reasons that appeal to hikers and equestrians: it gives them more of a feeling of being out in nature. Other design specifications include climbing turns, rolling dips, increased line of sight and occasional obstacles to slow speed to give the trail a technical feel. Like hiking trails, width varies typically with use levels from 18"- 4 ft. Sightlines need to be considered, anywhere from 30-60 ft. on trail sections where the bikes can reach 15 mph. If you have very high visitation, and multi-use, you may need a wider trail. Many agencies in the SF Bay Area restrict bikes to fire roads at 8-10 feet wide.

Sustainable Design Specifications

Keep average grades at 10% or less. . Out slope trail for drainage if the soils are stable and the slope is <50%. Use climbing turns if the slope is 8% or less. Use switchbacks to gain elevation on steeper slopes. Use rolling dips, and grade reversals where practical. Use a full bench cut not a partial bench.

These guidelines are used to minimize soil erosion and maintain a firm and stable tread. However, keep in mind the importance of regular maintenance too. All trails are subject to the forces of nature, and need regular maintenance. The Universal Soil Loss Equation: A= RKLSC A- Total Soil Loss is a product of: R- Rainfall, K- Soil Erodibility, L- slope length, S- slope gradient, C- vegetative cover, all these factors need control to minimize erosion.

Out sloping

Trail tread is typically outsloped for sheet drainage. It duplicates how water drains off the natural slope to cause it to sheet across. Outsloping should not be more than around 5-8 %. If you have erodeable soils or steep sidehill over 50%, you may not be able to outslope.

This type of turn known as a climbing turn minimizes damage from mountain bike riding; a more gradual turn on slopes around 8% or less. For steeper slopes, consider regular switchbacks.

Here is an example of a switchback that has been eroded. See how all the vegetation is gone; there are no anchors or barriers to keep from short cutting.

Here is a nice looking one with vegetation barriers between the trail sections and on the downhill side too.

Preferred drainage structure is a rolling dip essentially a change in grade cut into the trail surface that uses little fill. It is low maintenance, and not disturbed during re-grading of trails.

Plan Trails with Accessibility in Mind

New Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines give more flexibility and clarity as to what is needed to improve access. Design your trail for accessibility, and review the site features to assess any environmental or engineering issues. Are additional safety measures needed.

. such as these bumper logs and fence where there is a danger of rolling off the edge..

Surfacing Guidelines

Surface be firm and stable. Use 3/8 or 1/4 minus crusher fines, asphalt, or concrete. Consider additives for crusher fines to increase binding, such as cement or Road Oyl a pine based resin.

Other Potential Trail Users to Consider

Consider special trail design measures for dog walkers. Dog off leash walking is popular, however it may be incompatible near sensitive habitats or kids. Also, consider the disposal of waste.

These fence barriers were installed at Fort Funston in SF to prevent dogs from disturbing snowy plovers and sensitive dune species.

ATV use is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Many organizations are working to improve access and responsible riding, such as Tread Lightly! Locate your route to minimize noise and environmental impacts, restrict access during nesting, breeding, and mud seasons..expect a high level of maintenance and enforcement, and consider looking to ATV groups to help you out with these costs.

Logging- your proposed trail may become a skid road if logging is allowed. Be aware of this possibility and build into your forest management plan specifications for trail restoration.

Otherwise your trail may end up like this, with brush packing for erosion control, a very uneven, obstacle filled trail tread

Is your area fire prone? You may need or want enough trail width or a consistent grade for fire access. Many of the trails out west were built to allow a fire crew to carry a hose pack and other fire gear without getting exhausted going up a steep grade.

patrol access. A well designed trail at a grade 10% or less allows ranger or volunteer patrols easier access.

Geo caching, questing, is becoming very popular. Consider how your trail may be impacted by this activity. Some geo caches disturb sensitive plant species if the cache is buried or hidden off trail. Consider signage and regulations if this activity is popular in your park.

Downhill mountain bike riding, may or may not be a compatible use on a busy trail. An inclusive public planning process should evaluate this issue. Presently, many ski resorts allow use on their downhill runs for this activity. These riders enjoy steep trails, however for sustainable multi-use, design your trails to follow contours, at 10% on average. You can build in some technical features for challenge and to slow speed.

This is what happens with too much speed, See the upper bank where the riders take the high line?

Positive and Negative Control Points

Positive and Negative control points will effect where your trail route can and cannot go as well as design specifications. Start with map research. Ecological/historical/archaeological assessments need to be done and fielded checked. Avoid priority habitats such as this wood turtles.

Online Resource Data- MassGIS

Wetlands.can be crossed with bog bridges and boardwalks, however, is there a drier alternative? You may decide to avoid these areas. If you go there, wetlands delineation, Conservation Commission review, permitting requirements, and mitigation at 2 or 3:1 ratio may be part of your trail project.

Bog bridges are OK for light use, shallow saturated soils, however, more subject to frost heave than boardwalks. They can be staked down to minimize frost heave.

Turnpikes are recommended for wetlands subject to only seasonal saturation. Safer, more natural in appearance, easier to maintain, more durable and long lasting. However, construction involves more initial soil and vegetation disturbance.

Stream Crossings- Bridges

Bridges are your most expensive design specification and most difficult control point. Significant crossings require engineering, and ecological assessments by biologists and hydrologists. Is your stream a Class 1 anadromous fish bearing stream? Your bridge will require local, state and Army Corps 404 permitting.

Bridges vs. Culverts

Bridges are less disruptive to the environment. but more costly, require safety inspections and regular maintenance. Culverts are more likely to fail, less expensive, must have correct sizing, inflow, outflow protections, proper grade, critical dips, and perhaps trash racks on upstream side.

Culvert sizing has usually been based on watershed size and flows, however, most fail due to debris flows.

Culverts work well for minor drainages if maintained regularly, and have adequate headwall protection.

For major waterways culvert failure can have significant damage.

This vernal pool may not be visible in the fall or even on a map field locate these features and minimize impacts with an adequate buffer, up to 100-200 feet.

Beaver dams, a growing trail impact in new England. Many historic trail routes are in flood prone areas. Learn from these mistakes, by choosing your route well above the floodplain.

Slide prone slopes, building trails across these slopes makes them more unstable! Be prepared to do lots of maintenance! Try to route the trail above or below this point.

This trail failed because it was located on a steep slope with heavy clay soils on an aspect facing southwest where the wettest storms came from. Heavy rains saturated the ground causing an oak tree to topple at the toe of this steep slope, losing this trail section completely.

Flagging Fundamentals

Flagging Potential Routes

This is a real art! Review your route on topo maps, talk to people who know the area, explore, flag potential routes, field locate control points and features of interest. You may have to do this at different times of the year, explore, explore, explore.If you do your flagging right, there will be few construction problems.

A Few Flagging Guidelines

Keep it under 10%. Locate switchbacks on natural benches. Avoid flat areas, its harder to get the water off. Avoid slide prone slopes. Ask for geotechnical assistance. Include a variety of landscapes. Find your best stream crossings, and work off of them.

Resources to Consider:

Forest Service Standards and Specifications Recreational Trail Design and Construction Specs. University of Minnesota Extention AMC Guide to Trail Building Trail Design and Management Handbook, by Troy Scott Parker. Building Naturalistic Trails, by Troy Scott Parker.

Review these resources for design specifications. There are some regional differences, but many of the specs are the same.

Start recruiting your work force, you are getting close to designing your trail!