Trail Construction Skills Include:

Trail Sustainability Principles

Understand and apply principles of trail sustainability to all components of a trail construction project.

Safety/Site Management

Plan and manage the trail construction site to meet safety and resource protection goals and requirements.

Construction Specifications

Understand and apply common construction specifications/trail management objectives such as corridor height/width, tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, obstacles, and compaction.

Corridor Clearing/Site Preparation

Clear the corridor and prepare the site in preparation for construction using proper pruning techniques.

Corridor Clearing: Pruning/ Side-Cutting/ Brushing

Use pruning and brushing techniques to maximize safety, minimize visual impacts and support healthy trailside vegetation.

Corridor Clearing: Felling/tree removal; Chainsaw/ Crosscut

Felling, brushing, bucking and limbing logs of various sizes safely using proper, well-maintained equipment.

Corridor Clearing: Material and Debris Management

Materials and debris removal from corridor using low impact techniques, according to project and resource protection requirements.

Hand-Built Trail Construction

Using hand tools, construct a trail with a full bench, raised tread, and/or combination that meets the construction specifications and minimizes off trail impacts.

Mechanized Trail Construction

Safely use and maintain mechanized trail construction equipment (e.g., mini-excavators, skid steers, trail dozers, compactors) to construct trail that meets construction specifications and minimizes off trail impacts.

Trail Finishwork

Utilize tools, often mechanical (i.e. excavators, harrow rakes, compact utility loaders, compactors), to meet specifications for final tread surface and backslope preparation and compaction, construction spoils management, and erosion control stabilization.

Water Management/Drainage Features

Construct drainage features that decrease erosion and increase sheet flow, including grade reversals, rolling grade dips, berms, ditches, and sheet drains.

Water Crossing Structures

Develop a water crossing structure (e.g., boardwalk, puncheon, turnpike, bridge, ford) to span drainageways or wetland areas and raise the trail above the high water line while maintaining uninterrupted hydrology beneath the constructed feature.

Retaining Walls

Construct stone or wood retaining walls to bolster unconsolidated soils, gain elevation, or transition tread from rocks/natural barriers.

Tread Hardening and Surfacing

Install the appropriate treadway hardening technique for a trail given the slopes, soils, available material (wood, rock, gravel) and designed use, including advanced hardening techniques (i.e. turnpiking, rock culverts, boulder causeway, rock drains).

Decommissioning Trails

Demonstrated ability to plan and implement the closure, reclamation, and revegetation of a trail segment.

Resources for Trail Construction:

Documents and Media • Video Trainings • Training Programs • Calendar
Find Trainers • Find Workers

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Documents and Media for Trail Construction

Sustainable Trail Bridge Design

Designing trail bridges based on trail-specific Trail Management Objectives (TMOs) is essential for providing the desired trail experience, for ensuring user safety, and for maximizing bridge longevity.

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.

Stonework: Techniques and Projects

Discover the lasting satisfaction of working with stone. Master stonemason Charles McRaven covers everything you need to know about working with different types of stone to create a variety of durable and elegant features. Clear enough for the…

USFS Standard Trail Plans and Specifications

The Standard Trail Plans and Specifications reflect current Forest Service trail management efforts and the agency’s Trails Data Dictionary for constructed features and tasks.

Stone Primer

Stone Primer is both a practical handbook and an inspirational guide for the budding stonemason.

Appalachian Trail Design, Construction, and Maintenance

A handbook on trail work, from landscape values to the nitty-gritty of moving rock.

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Trail Skills Training Library

Recorded Trainings for Trail Construction

Fundamentals of Aggregate Surface Trails

This session will include a general introduction to various types of trail surfacing, this webinar will focus on design and construction factors specific to aggregate surfaced trails.

Basic Soil Mechanics for Trailbuilding

This session will provide applicable knowledge of soil including soil description, grain size distribution and its measurement, clay plasticity, and compaction curves and the importance of water.

Barn to Trail: Managing Sustainability on Equine Properties

Hosted in partnership with the Equine Land Conservation Resource, this webinar aims to introduce you to the fundamentals of managing a sustainable horse farm. This is part one of a two-part series related to sustainability.

A Parking Roadmap: Where to Start When Managing Parking for Your Trail

This webinar will break down how successful agencies manage parking, discuss common strategies and solutions to consider, and how to successfully deploy them.

Grand Canyon Greenway: From Vision to Reality

This webinar will feature three members of the original design team who will take attendees through the vision, design, and development process to develop the Grand Canyon Greenway.

Trail Planning and Design: Foundations of Success

This webinar will review several common approaches and technologies for trail planning and design projects and provide attendees with real world examples.

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Further Education

Training Programs for Trail Construction

Sustainable Trail Building One Year Certificate Program

In this one-year certificate program, you’ll have boots-on-the-ground at Northwoods Stewardship Center in East Charleston, VT for three individual week-long intensive classes. You will grow your knowledge base and connect with trail building…

Trail Academy

Trail Academy is our free class series that teaches students how to tackle any trail-related challenge. Courses are hosted both in the field and online, and are a great starting point for anyone looking to become a certified Trail Crew Leader or…

Trail Sustainability Institute

The Trail Sustainability Institute (TSI) is NWTA’s internal training classes for everything related to trail building. We want to make sure our trail builders are knowledgeable in not only how to build/maintain fun trails, but ensure those trails…

IMBA Trail Solutions Advanced Trail Building School

Partner with IMBA Trail Solutions and create with confidence. By deploying a complete range of skills–including visioning, detailed design, professional construction, and training for stewardship–our comprehensive approach saves resources.

Trails Certificate

Gain insight into best practices related to the design, construction and maintenance of trails. Learn about and apply techniques that can enhance, rehabilitate and protect trails and greenways. Participants will also learn about trail…

Sustainable Trails Development

The Sustainable Trails curriculum welcomes students from various fields who are interested in trails development, programming and management, as well as design.

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