UUnitednited SStatestates DDepartmentepartment ofof You can order a copy of this document using the order form Aggriculturericulture TTrailrail on the FHWA’s Recreational Trails Program web site at: FFoorreesstt SServiceervice http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/trailpub.htm Teechnologychnology aandnd DDevelopmentevelopment PProgramrogram CConstructiononstruction Fill out the order form and fax it to the distributor listed on the form. If you do not have internet access, you can send a IInn ccooperationooperation wwithith fax request to 301–577–1421, e-mail your request to: aandnd [email protected], or request by mail from: UUnitednited SStatestates DDepartmentepartment ooff USDOT, Federal Highway Administration TTrraansportationnsportation Office of Human Environment, Rm. 3240 400 7th St. SW. • Washington, DC 20590 Feederalderal HHighwayighway MMaintenanceaintenance AAdministrationdministration 22300300 RRecreationecreation Apprilril 22004004 Produced by: 0423-2825423-2825--MTDC-PMTDC-P NNotebookotebook USDA Forest Service • Missoula Technology and Development Center 5785 Hwy. 10 West • Missoula, MT 59808-9361 OF TRAN T SP EN O M R T T A Phone: 406–329–3978 • Fax: 406–329–3719 R T A I P O E N D U E-mail: [email protected] N I A T C E I R D E ST M ATES OF A 22004004 EEditiondition OF TRAN NT SP E O M R T T R A A T P I O E N D U N A I T IC E R D E ST M ATES OF A This document was produced in cooperation with the Recre- ational Trails Program of the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Depar tment of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. The contents of this report reflect the views of the contractor, who is responsible for the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Department of Transportation. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturer’s names appear herein only because they are considered essential to the object of this document. TTrraailil ConstructionConstruction aandnd MMaintenanceaintenance NNotebookotebook Contents 22004004 EEditiondition Acknowledgments __________________ v Introduction __________________________ 1 Metrication _______________________________ 2 The Job of the Trail Crew __________________ 3 Setting Priorities ____________________________ 4 Trail Planning and Design ____________________ 5 Trail Specifications ___________________________ 7 Light on the Land ______________________________ 8 Trail Layout ___________________________________ 10 Natural Forces at Work ____________________________ 14 Dirt, Water, and Gravity __________________________________ 14 Critter Effects ___________________________________________ 16 Trail Corridor ______________________________________ 17 Woody Hesselbarth Clearing and Brushing ___________________________________ 18 Moose Creek Ranger District, Nez Perce National Forest Northern Region Removing Trees _________________________________________ 21 Brian Vachowski, Project Leader Trail Foundation ___________________________________ 24 USDA Forest Service Technology and Development Program The Trailbed ____________________________________________ 24 Missoula, MT Constructing Sidehill Trails _______________________________ 25 4E42A25–Trail Notebook Backslope ______________________________________________ 29 April 2004 Fillslope ________________________________________________ 29 Borrow Pits _____________________________________________ 30 The Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has developed this information for the guidance of its employees, its contractors, and its cooper- ating Federal and State agencies, and is not responsible for the interpretation or use Tread _____________________________________________ 31 of this information by anyone except its own employees. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this document is for the information and convenience of the Tread Surface __________________________________________ 31 reader, and does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of any product or service to the exclusion of others that may be suitable. The U.S. Department of Tread Creep ____________________________________________ 31 Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the Slough and Berm _______________________________________ 34 basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all Tread Maintenance ______________________________________ 36 programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communi- Removing Roots and Stumps _____________________________ 37 cation of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of Rock Removal __________________________________________ 37 discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ii Contents—continued Contents—continued Surface Water Control _____________________________ 40 Tools ___________________________________________ 116 Grade Dips _____________________________________________ 40 Tools for Measuring ____________________________________ 117 Waterbars ______________________________________________ 43 Tools for Sawing _______________________________________ 118 Maintaining the Drain ____________________________________ 49 Tools for Chopping _____________________________________ 120 Ponding ________________________________________________ 52 Tools for Grubbing _____________________________________ 121 Tools for Digging and Tamping __________________________ 124 Trails in Wet Areas ________________________________ 53 Tools for Brushing ______________________________________ 124 Improving Drainage _____________________________________ 55 Tools for Pounding and Hammering ______________________ 125 Geosynthetics __________________________________________ 60 Tools for Lifting and Hauling ____________________________ 126 Turnpikes ______________________________________________ 65 Tools for Peeling and Shaping ___________________________ 130 Causeways _____________________________________________ 70 Tools for Sharpening ___________________________________ 131 Puncheon ______________________________________________ 71 Subsurface Puncheon ___________________________________ 75 Appendix _______________________________________ 134 Selected Trail Construction and Maintenance References __ 134 Crossing Streams and Rivers _______________________ 77 Shallow Stream Fords ___________________________________ 78 Bridges ________________________________________________ 80 Special Structures _________________________________ 84 Climbing Turns _________________________________________ 87 Switchbacks ____________________________________________ 88 Crib Walls and Other Retaining Structures _________________ 91 Steps __________________________________________________ 96 Maintaining Special Structures __________________________ 100 Signing _________________________________________ 102 Installing Signs _________________________________________ 103 Installing Reassurance Markers __________________________ 105 Sign and Marker Maintenance ___________________________ 109 Naturalizing Abandoned Trails ____________________ 111 Check Dams ___________________________________________ 113 Revegetation __________________________________________ 115 iii iv Acknowledgments Introduction The authors are grateful to the trails experts Why write another trail construction and who provided ideas and material for this note- maintenance guide? Good question. Several book. These include many who contributed good trail books and many local manuals content, as well as those who previously pub- already exist. These are being used to train trail lished trail books or reports, many of which are crews throughout the country. Only a handful are referenced. In addition, we appreciate the assist- published or widely available, however. Lots of ance of the following people who took the time to great information is being circulated on photo- review the draft manuscript, provided substantial copied copies of photocopies. content, prepared illustrations, or helped with layout or editing. The Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) was asked to pull together basic trail construction and Lois Brady ........................................................ Rocky Mountain Region maintenance information, present it in an easy-to-understand Wendell Beardsley ........................................................ Northern Region fashion, and orient it just to activities done in the field. We do not Bob Beckley ......................... Missoula Technology & Development Center intend to duplicate information already in the Forest Service hand- Pete Bolander .................................................. Pacific Northwest Region Dolly B. Chapman ................................................. Tahoe National Forest books or manuals for tasks better