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.


Learn More

Resources for Trail Maintenance

Improve this skill

Upcoming trainings for Trail Maintenance

Real Trail Assessment: Seeing the Trail Through the Eyes of a Professional
American Trails
American Trails
Backcountry Rigging Techniques
Professional TrailBuilders Association
Professional TrailBuilders Association
Backcountry Rigging Techniques

April 21, 2023

Reno/Tahoe area, Nevada

Custom Trainings

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

Amy

Amy Lutsko

Morris County Park Commission, NJ

Trainer Agency
Allie

Allie Maloney

Contractor Trainer Nonprofit

Whitefish, Mt

Allie Maloney is the Coordinator for the Flathead Trails Association. Her experience includes trail…

Jennifer

Jennifer Medina-Gray

Trainer Agency Corps
Caelan

Caelan Parker

USDA Forest Service

Trainer Agency

Mccall, Id

I am an early-career trails professional with the Forest Service. I have seven Agency field seasons…

Mike

Mike Passo

American Trails

Contractor Trainer Nonprofit

Bellingham, Wa

Mike Passo is the Executive Director of American Trails. Mike has also served as the Executive…

Brooke

Brooke Scatchard

Sinuosity

Contractor Trainer

Morristown, Vt

Brooke’s many years of experience in planning, building, and riding mountain bike trails provide a…

Hire

Trail Workers with Trail Maintenance Experience

Jeff

Jeff Dion

Potomac Appalachian Trail Club

Contractor Nonprofit

Esmont, Va

My professional skills are in fundraising + GPS/GIS for trail systems

Pete

Pete Englund

Legacy Trails LLC

Contractor Trainer

Madrid, Ia

Pete Englund had been performing crew based trail work across 12 different states for 18 years…

Tim

Tim Farris

Agency

Jackson, Wy

I am in charge of the Wilderness and Trails program for the Jackson Ranger District on the…

Kim

Kim Frederick

Chinook Associates LLC

Trainer
Sara

Sara Gatewood

Dirt Artisans

Contractor

Crescent Springs, Ky

Sara Gatewood Administrative Officer Covington, KY With a decade of experience doing volunteer…

Joe

Joe Gibson

National Park Service

Agency

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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