Professional TrailBuilders Association
Trail Fundamentals:The relationship between trails and water
Trail Competencies
-
Trail Construction
- • Water Management/Drainage Features
-
Summary
This educational video from PTBA (Professional TrailBuilders Association) explores one of the most crucial elements in sustainable trail planning and design: managing water and drainage. Using visual examples, including topographic map overlays and field footage, the video shows how trail professionals plan and build with water in mind—designing alignments that avoid channeling runoff and reduce long-term maintenance issues.
Overview
Trail Types Covered
General. All trail types are relevant.
| Publisher | Professional TrailBuilders Association |
|---|---|
| Published | May 2025 |
This link will take you away from TrailSkills.org. Please report broken links to us.
49 people have viewed this resource
More Resources in Water Management/Drainage Features
Foundations Of Sustainable Trails: Hydrology
Learn the basics of constructing and maintaining sustainable trails that function within the hydrology of their environment. You will learn about hydrology as the behavior of water over, under, and ...
Tread And Drainage
Water and gravity constantly threaten our trails and thus we must learn how best to deflect them. This course begins with basics of hillside hydrology and how trails work when they shed water properly...
Surface Water Control Techniques For Trail Maintenance
Surface Water Control Techniques for Trail Maintenance - USDA Forest Service 1992 - 0823-2D01-MTDC - Missoula Technology Development Center. Learn routine maintenance to prevent water erosion on trail...
How Volunteers Manage Water On The Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail volunteers play an active role in managing water on the footpath since moving water and standing water can damage the tread surface and surrounding areas. This video presents concept...
Solutions For More Challenging Drainage Locations
In our last video, we looked at where and how to install a rolling grade dip or drain to solve erosion issues on the trail. Identifying that perfect spot isn't always that simple, though, and the "per...
North Country Trail Handbook
The North Country National Scenic Trail (NST) extends for thousands of miles across seven states. Its layout, design, construction, and maintenance require the participation of a myriad of individuals...
Evaluating Erosion
One important factor that we examine when we assess the condition of a trail is the effect that erosion is having upon the trail surface. This video covers three of the most obvious signs of trail ero...
Trail Skills College Course Curriculum
To help our volunteers succeed in their trail work, PCTA collaborated with many partners to develop a Trail Skills College curriculum.
Equestrian Design Guidebook For Trails, Trailheads, And Campgrounds
This guidebook provides practical guidelines for developing recreation environments that are sensitive to the needs of riders and their stock.
Building The Perfect Drain
In the sixth video of this series, we'll take what we learned from previous videos and put it into practice. When bin the right location, the rolling grade dip or drain can be the most effective and s...
Drainage Design & Drain Dips
PCTA Trail Skills College Curriculum
You may also like
Related Upcoming Trainings
No related trainings