The Life of a Trail: Learning Trail Awareness
Mike Smith | OSI Executive Director
Let me tell you about this trail…
We all tend to have strongly held opinions about the trails we play on. Hiking trails, skiing trails, biking trails, and even trails to the put-in or take-out of a waterway. This trail is too steep! That trail is too easy! This trail is hard to follow, over-used, over grown, too muddy, hard to find, or not groomed correctly. And of course, this trail right here, this trail is awesome! It never ceases to amaze me that few things tend to illicit as strong a reaction from people in the great outdoors as the trails they use.
Pause a minute…
Like politics, religion, and pints of Ben & Jerry’s, trails can bring out almost irrational levels of reaction and emotion from each of us, good and bad. Want to get people riled up? Walk into your local ski club or mountain bike club and tell the trail work volunteers they should do things differently (nice knowing you friend…). Yet, rarely do we stop to consider what it is about our trail experience that’s causing our reactions. Often in our outdoor pursuits, we’re too busy engaging in the activity to consider the trail we’re using. Let us pause here and think about how we can raise our level of awareness on the trail.
Tune In
Trail awareness is understanding what’s happening with a certain trail and how it is forming our perception of that trail. Almost all of us have had the experience of using a trail and not giving it a second thought. What follows are some questions to get you to tune in the next time you’re out on your local trails. The idea here is not to judge or rank your trails, but rather, just observe, pay attention, and see what you can learn.
What is the trail for? What’s the point of the trail? Is it to get you to a particular destination? Perhaps a summit, or a scenic view? Or is the point of the trail the trail itself? Is it intended to be a place where you can simply experience the sport you’re doing, like snowshoeing or biking?
What is the actual experience of the trail? Does the terrain feel intimate and closed in, or maybe open and exposed? Does it feel like a lot of people use it, or like you’re the only one that goes there? Is it easy to follow? Is it well marked? Maybe it feels like a secret path no one knows about. Do you get the sense that people take care of the trail, or does it feel like a trail that time forgot? Is it challenging? Boring? Comforting? Slow? Fast? Flowing? Technical? How would you describe it to someone who has never been there?
What is the intended experience of the trail? Does it match your actual experience?
Who are the intended users? Is it a person on foot? Is it mountain biker? A skier? A novice? An expert? Are you the intended user, or are you the exception?
Who are the actual users? Aside from you and your friends, who do you see most using the trail? Are they the intended users? Why or why not?
How sustainable is the trail? Is it holding up to user traffic? Are there constant wet areas? Is the trail getting rockier over time, muddier over time, or wider over time? Are there places where users have blazed short cuts or new routes around certain features? Is the trail full of debris and blow-downs? Does it get cleared regularly? Does it get used enough so that it’s not overgrown? If it’s a winter trail, does it get groomed or broken in regularly? Are there bridges or other constructed features that get neglected and need work? What would the trail look like if no one used it for a season? What would it look like if thousands of people used it in a week?
The Life of a Trail
When it comes to trail design and construction, there are a lot of opinions about what constitutes good vs. bad practices. To make the issue even more complicated, these opinions can change by region, by soil type, by season, and by user. Regardless of this, it’s hard to argue that the most successful trails and trail systems utilize good planning before design and construction, and good planning seeks to answer the questions above before a trail ever comes to fruition. Trails do not miraculously spring to life. Someone, somewhere, cares enough to plan, construct, and maintain the trails we all take for granted. It’s valuable to think about the trails as intentional, and the above questions can help guide you through your trail experience.
Answering these questions, though, requires having trail awareness. So, whether you’re interested in developing new trails where you live, or you’re just an avid trail user, begin developing greater trail awareness. It will enhance your experience and make you a stronger advocate for, and smarter user of, the places you use to get outside and play.
Take Action
So, what now? You’ve become more aware of the trails that you use - love, hate, or otherwise. And maybe you are interested in more involvement with your local trail systems, or developing new trails. We have just the thing for you! This fall we’re partnering with IMBA Trail Solutions, the leaders in non-motorized trail development and education, to bring members of the OSI Community two opportunities to build your knowledge of trails.
First, join our FREE discussion on September 15th, "What Should We Know About Creating Trails?" with professional IMBA trail planner, designer, and builder, Steve Kasacek.
Then check out the first of it’s kind Online Trail School with IMBA. This course is a complete introduction to trail planning, design, and building. The material covered will focus on the fundamentals of sustainable trail development. It includes weekly live webinars, independent learning, an online Q&A forum with the instructors and other students throughout the month of October. Spaces are limited and it’s first come, first served. You can learn more about the course content, pricing, availability, and schedule, here. In the meantime, have fun building trail awareness as you get outside to play on your local trail systems.