Trail Maintenance

Trail Maintenance Skills Include:

    Maintenance Specifications

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

    Inventory & Assessment

    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.

    Corridor Clearing: Power tools

    Safely use chainsaws and other power tools in trail development and maintenance and resource management.

    Corridor clearing: Hand Tools

    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.

    Tread Maintenance - Hand tools

    Restore trail to its designed specifications for tread width, cross/outslope, protrusions, and obstacles using hand tools.

    Tread Maintenance - Mechanized Equipment

    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).

    Drainage Features/Water Management

    Construct/restore trail drainage features that decrease erosion , including knicks, grade dips, grade reversals, berms, ditches, and sheet drains.


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Resources for Trail Maintenance

Improve this skill

Upcoming trainings for Trail Maintenance

AZT Trail Skills Institute - Module 5: New Trail Construction
Arizona Trail Association
Arizona Trail Association
AZT Trail Skills Institute - Module 5: New Trail Construction

September 30 - October 01, 2023

Flagstaff, Arizona

A OR B Bucking and Limbing Chainsaw Training at Camp Dodge Training Center
Appalachian Mountain Club
Appalachian Mountain Club
AZT Trail Skills Institute - Module 3 Trail Structures (Rock Work)
Arizona Trail Association
Arizona Trail Association
The Third Mode: Bonus Chapters
American Trails
American Trails
2024 Sustainable Trails Conference
Professional TrailBuilders Association
Professional TrailBuilders Association
2024 Sustainable Trails Conference

March 19 - 21, 2024

Georgia

Custom Trainings

Here's a list of Trainers with Trail Maintenance experience:

Alex

Alex Bradley

Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA)

Trainer Corps Nonprofit
Daniel

Daniel Briceño

San Diego Mountain Biking Association

Contractor Trainer Nonprofit
Deno

Deno Contos

Contractor Trainer

Greenville, Sc

Benchmark Trails is a full service trail design, layout and construction firm with over 20 years of…

Stephen

Stephen Crowe

Appalachian Mountain Club

Contractor Trainer Nonprofit

Cherry Valley, Ma

Recruit, train and oversee volunteers to construct rock structures to harden treadway and maintain…

Andy

Andy Crowley

Contractor Trainer

Ashland, Nh

Conservation Trail Services LLC. Working with private, non-profit, and…

Walt

Walt Daniels

New York - New Jersey Trail Conference

Trainer Nonprofit

Hire

Trail Workers with Trail Maintenance Experience

Anna

Anna Baklund

Tread Lightly!, Inc.

Nonprofit

Kelso, Wa

Hi! My name is Anna and I'm the Program Manager for Washington and Oregon for Tread Lightly! I work…

Brock

Brock Bales

Contractor

Sullivan, Il

Construction Project Manager with over 8 years of experience. Extensive labor experience and…

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Barber

Rocky Mountain Field Institute

Nonprofit

Colorado Springs, Co

I currently work as a Program Manager for Rocky Mountain Field Institute. My role involves the…

Jim

Jim Bedwell

Contractor Trainer

Golden, Co

Thirty-eight years of experience in the US Forest Service in landscape architecture, recreation…

Christina

Christina Bentley

Agency

Rapid City, Sd

I work for the US Forest Service out of the Black Hills of South Dakota. I started my career…

Craig

Craig Benton

Higher Education

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Collaborators
Federal Highway Administration USDA Forest Service National Park Service Bureau of Land Management
American Trails Professional TrailBuilders Association Partnership for the National Trails System Northern Vermont University Northwest Arkansas Community College Eppley Institute Corps Network