Drainage

An important and often-overlooked factor in trail construction is that of drainage. Where a trail is near the top of a hill or ridge, this is usually a minor issue, but when it is farther down it can become a very major issue. Trails, by their nature, tend to become drainage channels and eventually gullies if the drainage is not properly controlled.

A waterbar in New York’s Catskill Mountains. The trail forks right; the drainage ditch to the left.

In areas of heavy water flow along a trail, it may be necessary to create a ditch on the uphill side of the trail with drainage points across the trail. The cross-drainage may be accomplished by means of culverts, which must be cleared on a semi-annual basis, or by means of cross-channels, often created by placing logs or timbers across the trail in a downhill direction, called waterbars. Using timbers or rocks for this purpose also creates erosion barriers. Rock paving in the bottom of these channels and in the trailside ditches may help to maintain stability of these. Ideally, waterbars should be created, with or without ditching, at major points of water flow on or along the trail, and in conjunction, if possible, with existing drainage channels below the trail. Another important technique is to create drain dips, points on the trail where it falls briefly (for a metre or so) and then rises again. These provide positive drainage points that are almost never clogged by debris.

Multi-use Trails

Trails intended for use by bicycles, wheelchairs and pedestrians will often be surfaced, especially in heavily-used or urban areas. This can be asphalt paving, or compressed stone dust. Such trails will also have well-built bridges with a supported deck and side rails.

There has been a major effort to convert abandoned railroad grades to bike paths or multi-use paths.

Signs

The most common symbols used in trail blazing

For long-distance trails, or trails where there is any possibility of anyone taking a wrong turn, signs should be provided. This may be accomplished by using either paint on natural surfaces or by placing pre-made medallions. Horseshoe-shaped blazes are good for equestrian trails (but be sure to have the “u” of the horseshoe opening to the top, or you’ll offend some riders!). The Appalachian Trail is blazed with white rectangles. Blue is often used for side trails. European walking paths are blazed with yellow points encircled with red. However, other walking paths in European countries are blazed in a variety of manners.

Maintenance

Natural surface, single track trails will require some ongoing maintenance. However, if the trail is properly designed and constructed, maintenance should be limited to clearing downed trees and trimming back brush. If the trail is properly designed, there should be no need for major rework such as grading or erosion control efforts.

Unit 16 Ancient Trackway

Ancient trackway can refer to any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity. Such paths existed from the earliest times and in every part of the globe. The term is commonly used on the British Isles to describe the ancient trackways that already existed when the Romans arrived in Britain. Such trackways were often built on by the Romans and form the foundations of some of the current system of roads.

The Beginnings

The Concise Oxford Dictionary gives the definition of “trackway” as “a path formed by the repeated treading of people or animals”. The very earliest creatures to arrive in Britain after the Ice Age, crossing land which would later be the English Channel, were grazing animals following the spreading vegetation. Their predators, including humans – the Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) hunter-gatherers - followed. The earlier Mesolithic people were nomadic but in the later part of the Mesolithic permanent settlements started to appear.