The same care, thought and hard work that go into new trail construction must be applied to trail maintenance. Thankfully, it shouldn't take much to keep a well-designed trail in good shape for many seasons.
Maintenance shouldn't substantially change the character of a trail or diminish user experiences. Just as a good trail appears to have always been there, good maintenance should be almost invisible.
"It's simple: keep the users on the trail
and the water off of it."
- Joey Klein, Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew
Trim back vegetation each season - or more frequently, if necessary. Maintain a high ceiling on trails used by equestrians. Keeping the corridor open helps keep people on the trail. For example, cutting vegetation on a trail's uphill side allows users to stay on the center of the tread. Otherwise, they may be forced off the downhill side. Creative pruning along alternate sides of a trail accentuates curves to keep a twisty trail twisty. Don't trim more than necessary. Over-trimming tends to make a trail too straight, inviting speed. (Of course, many desert trails and paths through open terrain don't need trimming.)
Tips for maintaining the trail tread:
Rocks may roll onto a trail and trees may fall across it. In most cases, these things should be removed. But sometimes natural obstacles are a blessing, giving a trail an interesting, technical character. If the majority of people can pass over or through an obstacle while staying on trail, and it isn't trapping water, consider leaving it. Obstacles help keep speed down while giving experienced trail users the challenge they like. For details, see Appendix A.
As just mentioned, outslope restoration and de-berming are essential to maintaining sheet flow across a trail. However, many contour trails (even those with proper outslope) can benefit from improved drainage. If a trail doesn't have natural grade breaks or reversals to direct water, artificial ones can be added. We recommend two types: rolling grade dips and knicks.
A rolling grade dip (RGD) is an unobtrusive way to divert water off the side of a trail by altering the grade. Water is pulled from the trail, not forced off abruptly. RGDs are longer and subtler than traditional water bars. They also are more effective than water bars because they're large and durable, yet smooth enough to be negotiated by all users. They're a particularly good drainage device for trails used by mountain bikers. Unlike water bars, they don't entice cyclists to ride off-trail to get around them. And cyclists won't impact the tread by braking hard as they approach.
Please visit the Trailbuilding section at www.imba.com for more details and photos explaining RGD construction.
Like a RGD, a knick is smooth and subtle. This is a shaved-down section of trail, about 10 feet in diameter, canted with the hill's natural slope. Knicks are typically built on flatter sections of trail where water tends to puddle. They work well on non-cohesive soils.
Too many trails have been hastily designed. Perhaps they were easy to build, but now they're impossible to maintain. Has a certain trail become a maintenance nightmare? Stand back and look at the big picture. We often find that various problems along a section can be solved with one contouring re-route.
Perhaps a trail is almost always muddy because it goes through the lowest point in an area. It might have fall-line sections, steep grades, poor flow or vulnerability to floods. Look for a new route that solves as many problems as possible. Get permission and do the proper studies. Plant removal or passage through a particular habitat may be issues when proposing a re-route, but in the long run closing a bad piece of trail is better for the environment.
Of course, a trail that's viewed by one person as a steep, eroded, maintenance nightmare might be someone else's favorite challenge. When re-routing around steep sections, look for special features that make the new route challenging while keeping grades sustainable. See Appendix A.
Think about trail flow. Does the new passage fit the flow of sections it connects? Make the re-route more appealing than the old trail with a mix of suitable grades, interesting features and sustainability. The new trail must make users forget the old one. Make it more fun!
After constructing an appealing re-route, you need to close the old trail. This means restoring its natural state.
Five Key Points for Retiring a Trail: