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.
Understand and apply common maintenance specifications/trail management objectives such as corridor height/width, tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, obstacles, and water management techniques.
Demonstrate ability to assess trail conditions, identify causes of trail degradation (i.e. water, grades, soil conditions, users, and/or use patterns), and appropriate actions to address the deficiencies.
Safely use chainsaws and other power tools in trail development and maintenance and resource management.
Use hand tools to safely remove small standing trees, hazard trees, fallen logs, brush, vegetation, rocks, or other impediments to trail tread construction to the specified trail corridor width and height.
Restore trail to its designed specifications for tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, and obstacles using hand tools.
Mechanized Equipment. Restore trail to its designed specifications for tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, and obstacles using mechanized equipment (e.g., compactors, mini-excavator, skid steer, trail dozer).
Construct/restore trail drainage features that decrease erosion , including knicks, grade dips, grade reversals, berms, ditches, and sheet drains.
Resources for Trail Maintenance:
Documents and Media
• Video Trainings
• Training Programs
• Calendar
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To help our volunteers succeed in their trail work, PCTA collaborated with many partners to develop a Trail Skills College curriculum.
A handbook on trail work, from landscape values to the nitty-gritty of moving rock.
The definitive guide for the planning, designing, constructing, managing and maintaining Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) trails.
A compilation of best practices and guidelines for the planning, design, construction, and management of your trail employing sustainable design.
This book examines all phases of planning, designing, building, and operating these facilities, with real-world success stories and multiple essays provided by leaders in the field.
In addition to conservation crew leadership and risk management, Lightly on the Land presents the nuts and bolts of trail construction and maintenance.
Trail Skills Training Library
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.
This webinar will explore the process of assessing natural surface pedestrian trails for accessibility and sustainability and will focus on developing new trails as well as conversion of existing trails.
Mike Linnane of Evolve Technologies and award-winning Trail Manager Eoin Hogan will present on the development path of the world’s first integrated digital trail management system. The webinar will outline the evolution from a paper-based trail…
Learn about the evaluation, planning, and action needed to restore a nationally acclaimed trail due to heavy rains that triggered flooding, landslides, and severe damage to a 22-mile segment of a trail.
This webinar will discuss the various types of materials used for paved, multi-use trails in the District of Columbia. We will discuss different projects where we used flexi-pave, asphalt, or porous asphalt and our experience with each material. How…
A decade after initial publication, The Third Mode author will provide an update to discuss recent accomplishments that tie into the central concept of “the third mode” including his co-founding of Citi Bike, building the Empire State Trail, and…
Further Education
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 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…
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…
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.
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…
The Sustainable Trails curriculum welcomes students from various fields who are interested in trails development, programming and management, as well as design.
Training Calendar
June 12 - 13, 2024
East Burke, Vermont
Custom Trainings
Hire Workers
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Know of a good resource for this skill? Let us know! From webinars, to workshops, to PDFs, we'd like to add them to our resource library.
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