Part of the Royal Gorge Public Outreach Process. John Svahn, Stewardship Director of the Truckee Donner Land Trust, and Randy Martin, Owner of Trailscape put on a presentation about Trail Construction and Use-Conflict Minimization.
2. Introduce Randy Martin of
Trailscape
Why trails?
The Real Estate Value
Added of Trails
The parts of the trail
Presentation on use conflict
and the causes of it
How to manage use via
designations
How to manage use via
design
3. Sample Projects
14 miles Multiuse trail
Susanville Ca. 2009
14 Miles Hiking Primarily Trail,
Genoa 2011
Guest Trail Builder Jamaica,
2009
Sugarbowl, 6 miles design, 2
miles built from Disney to Lake
Mary, 2010
Tahoe Donner, Euer Valley, 2
miles, 2012
Market Studies and
Premium Analysis
Advisory Board Hidden
Falls Regional Park, CA
Frequent Speaker:
California Trail Symposium
California Park and
Recreation Society,
Urban Land Institute
International Trail
Symposium
Professional Trail Builders
Association
Professional Highlights
4. • Brings people to a
place of interest
• Keeps people away
from sensitive areas
• Meet recreational
needs of people
• Economic benefits
• Public Health
• Introduce people to
the outdoors
12. Meandering low-gradient
trails
• keep speed down
Grade reversals-
undulations in the tread
Keep water from running
down tread
• Slows bikes and
minimizes skidding
Grade dips
• Easier to build than a
water bar; therefore more
get built!
13. • Make them
smooth- no hoof
or tire-catchers!
• Rock-hopper
stones next to it
for hikers?
14. • Most maintenance on
modern trails occurs
because of the
original design and
layout
• A well-built trail
should need mostly
annual spring
cleaning-not much
more
• Major maintenance
needs after flood
events (maybe)
Sustainable?
Sustainable
15. GUILTY
HAVING THE
VOLUME UP TOO
LOUD FOR SAFE
TRAIL SHARING
GUILTY
TRAMPLING STREAM
BANKS AND WALKING
SIDE-BY-SIDE ON
SINGLE TRACKS
GUILTY
CUTTING
SWITCHBACKS AND
LEAVING ‘ROAD
APPLES’
GUILTY
NOT YIELDING
TRAIL AND GOING
TOO FAST
20. Perceptions of who
should rightly be
able to use the trail.
Lack of clarity or
understanding of
regulations
Poaching
It’d be tough to lay out a multi use route through here!
Use-Conflict-Why do we have it? (cont’d)
22. The Good:
Segregates use however
designed
Provides a level of
security against potential
use-conflict
Allows a clear line for
enforcement
Can mitigate erosion by
singling out high impact
users (particularly on older,
non-sustainable trail)
The bad:
Does not necessarily
mitigate user conflict; may
actually cause an increase
in it
More trails to satisfy all
users= redundancy, larger
footprint of impacted area,
greater costs
Tough to enforce
23. The Good:
Less trails needed= less
impact to watershed
Easier navigation
Use conflict minimized
through design
Larger pool of potential
funders and volunteers for
construction and
maintenance
Easier enforcement
The bad:
Varying rates of speed by
users WILL occur
Design critical to
minimization of use-conflict
Potential for user-group
dominance
24. Sustainable design employs:
Low overall gradient
Maximum grades determined
by soil type
Follows contours
Meanders designed to slow
users
Lots of grade reversals*
* But not to the point of having P.U.D.’s
Design is critical on this section of trail as there is no place to yield
32. Multi-use trails in the
backcountry- (the majority
of the trails)
Single-use on flatter terrain
for accessibility and walking
Single-use (proposed) trails
for mountain bikes
Single-use routes (potential)
for safer travel to areas with
steep or exposed access.
Erosion consists of two components: disturbance and transport. Horses and hikers: High level of disturbance, low level of transport Bikes: low level of disturbance (unless skidding), high level of transport
Water bars are out
Construction of sustainable trails allows for more durable trails, less maintenance work Clear drains, “ to daylight” Clear deadfall discreetly Prune brush at an angle Reconstruct tread: maintain backslope and critical edge, restore outslope Grade dips
These pictures don’t show the guilty activity
It also says that contact between users need not be made The “level of resentment is often lopsided”
Even Day/Odd Day use management Ordnance vs. recommendation
Can lead to “trail vigilanteism” by empowering the entitled user
Check out sawtooth, DLRT from Castle, emigrant to summit for good design Check out Mt. Lala Trail steps, Confluence Trail in Auburn for bad design
Road analogy
A non-skidding bike is one of the lowest impacts on trails