Protect and Enjoy: The Art and Science of Trailbuilding
Volunteers helping out on Elizabethtown Meadow Trail.
Trails are an integral part of the Truckee Donner Land Trust – etched into earth and stone through forests, along streams and over mountains. Built right, they protect the natural resources of the lands we work so hard to save while opening those lands for the public to enjoy.
Well-built trails feel like a part of the landscape – like they’ve always been there and always will be. But it takes a lot of planning, design, expertise, funding, sweat and many, many people to bring a trail to life.
There are numerous factors considered in making a trail: Getting users to vistas, features or destinations – while also avoiding sensitive habitat or historic resources. Builders must ensure the trail isn’t too steep to climb, nor too meandering to keep people’s interest. It must be enjoyable for diverse user types, and ensure snow and rain don’t turn the trail into ruts, contributing to erosion.
The art and science of trail building is ever evolving. You may have found yourself on older trail that uses water bars to move runoff away from the trail, where newer trails may use more subtle grade reversals to do the trick. The venerable Pacific Crest Trail is a great example of some of the older trail techniques – whereas the latest stretch of the Donner Lake Rim Trail uses newer design.
No matter where the trailhead is located, the trails all start in the same place – the Land Trust office.
On Paper and Computer Screen
Each new trail starts as an idea, blending together priorities for new acquisitions, staff ideas, and input from the community. Where do we want the trail to go? What do we want visitors to see along the way? What do we need to do to make sure the land it’s on that we worked so hard to protect stays protected?
Sometimes a trail is designed primarily to get somewhere – a lake to jump in, a peak to stand atop of – and that may set the tone for its design. Other times the trail may not go anywhere in particular, either offering an exhilarating route across the landscape or meandering through varied biomes to give visitors a look at each facet that makes a Land Trust property special.
A conceptual map planning possible trail alignments on the newly protected Truckee Springs property.
If a trail is too steep (Land Trust trails average between 5 and 7 percent, though occasionally short stretches may be more than 10 percent), it’s difficult for users and can contribute to erosion as melting snow and rainwater gain speed down a new path of least resistance. But if it wanders too much, with too many switchbacks, people might cut corners, also contributing to erosion.
With those decisions made, Stewardship Coordinator Kevin Starr takes to the map – previously paper but now on the computer screen. He carefully considers each topographic contour as he slowly traces a route across the screen – aiming to strike a careful balance between all the competing considerations.
Flags to Mark the Route
Next, it’s time to ground proof the route. Starr heads out with a GPS track of the theoretical trail and a pack full of pink pin flags and sees if reality matches the map. Adjustments are made when variations are found, or where surprises pop up along the way. It can be slow going with thick shrubs and brush, loose, rocky slopes and other challenges, but eventually the route comes together.
Doing Diligence
Truckee Donner Land Trust always works to ensure its trails have minimal impact on the landscape, and part of that includes environmental review from outside experts. A variety of expert “ologists” all take a look at the plan with an eye for their respective fields – sensitive wildlife habitat, historic resources, etc. – and eventually sign off.
Many Land Trust trails are not solely located on Land Trust lands- the trails cross US Forest Service, California State Parks, Truckee Tahoe Airport and numerous private. The Land Trust works with various land managers on the route and obtaining the proper permits. By now we’re a few years past the original conception of the trail, but with a route, environmental review and permits in hand, Kevin and the stewardship crew can start turning dirt.
Time to Get Dirty
The trail-building process usually takes numerous passes – starting with roughing out the alignment by removing vegetation, big boulders and the like. Sometimes this is done by a skilled machine operator hired as a contractor by the Land Trust, and other times it’s done by hand with staff and volunteers. Vegetation is typically cleared eight-to-ten feet high and eight-to-ten feet wide depending on the expected user group.
Volunteers are critical to trail building for the Land Trust. Typically, the Land Trust has more than 300 volunteers a summer building and maintaining trails, and the old adage “many hands make light work” rings true. Subsequent passes along the newly formed trail remove roots and smaller rocks as needed, ensure water drains correctly off the trail, and that the soil is compacted and ready for use.
The typical trail is 18-to-30 inches wide. Ground above the trail is kept below a 45-degree angle so it doesn’t slump into the trail; the ground downhill of the trail is cut at a gentle angle so water slowly sheets off the surface, preventing erosion and pooling.
“Modern trail building design emphasizes fun for the trail user while creating a route that minimizes the destruction from water running down the trail,” said John Svahn, Co-Executive Director of the Land Trust. “A poorly designed trail can cause erosion, de-water an area and its plants, or drown another. Plus, they can be maintenance headaches and can be a lot less fun to hike, run or ride”
Staff and volunteers work with tools like the mattock, a pickaxe-like tool, the Mcleod, a rake on one side and a cutting edge on the other, rock bars for levering big rocks, saws and other tools for managing plant life.
All in with planning, permits and labor, a trail can cost $30,000-$45,000 a mile and take several years to complete.
Enjoying the newest section of Donner Lake Rim Trail after its completion.
A Trail Builder’s Work is Never Done
A completed trail doesn’t mark the end for Starr and his crew. Each winter’s snow can cut new creases in the trails that form unwanted channels, drop trees across the path and even crush the small bridges and boardwalks needed to elevate the trail off of sensitive surfaces.
Clearing down trees is an annual task on Land Trust trails.
The Land Trust’s seasonal stewardship crew spends each spring chasing the snow melt as it retreats uphill, exposing the trails and any potential maintenance needs. They start low – say at Waddle Ranch and Elizabethtown Meadows where snow makes its first retreat – assessing trail conditions and any new problems that may have arisen during the winter months.
Some problems are dispatched on the spot with chainsaw or shovel, while others are marked with GPS coordinates to be revisited with a crew of eager volunteers.
As the Land Trust’s portfolio of trails continues to grow (45 miles and counting) and the number of residents and visitors taking to those trails continues to increase – so too do the Land Trust’s responsibilities to keep them up – and none of that work would be possible without you. Whether you donate or volunteer, on behalf of the Land Trust Board and Staff, we cannot thank you enough.