I recently rode a mountain bike trail that got me thinking: How dense is too dense when it comes to mountain bike trails? Every mountain bike trail planner will inevitably run into this question wherever space is limited - which is pretty much everywhere.

First and foremost, a mountain bike trail should be fun to ride and longer trails are generally preferable to shorter ones. But cramming 10 miles of singletrack into 10 acres will result in sharp turns, boring routes, and zero flow. Instead it’s important to balance length and rideability, though I don’t know if there’s a magic ratio of miles of singletrack to acres of land. I’ve ridden a trail that packs more than 7 miles into under 30 acres and it flows pretty nicely, though the sharp, twisty singletrack isn’t for everyone. (Yep, that’s 170 miles of trail per square mile in case you’re wondering.)

Densely packed trail systems can also feel like riding a gerbil wheel at times. In poorly laid out systems it can seem as if you’re riding back and forth without ever really getting anywhere. With a little extra effort planners can draw up nested loops to give a trail a little more interest and mystery (like the trail pictured below).  Vegetation can help with the illusion as does limiting the number of intersections where the rider needs to make a decision. Dense trails can feel crowded since it’s easy to see other riders on parallel paths so it’s important to control traffic flow to avoid collisions.

The other consideration for trail density revolves around environmental impacts. Dense trails generally necessitate removing more vegetation per acre and exposing more soil to potential erosion. In extreme cases it can also mean intruding into and taking over wildlife habitats which isn’t a good idea.

Trail density may also be impacted by natural features and topography. For example, planners may try to take advantage of a solitary hill by running the trail up and down several times to maximize elevation gain/loss. In other cases, a trail may bunch up in forested areas before running straight across open fields.

As suitable land for bike trails becomes more and more scarce, trail designers will be forced to consider trail density more carefully. The good news is that constraints often yield the most interesting solutions - who’s up for a double- (or triple-) decker trail system!

photo by GoldenGoose.

As if you needed yet another reason to get out and work on the trails this year, now you can earn a free day at Disney World with Paulding SORBA! On April 17 Paulding SORBA (near Atlanta) will be hosting a work day at the new Mt. Tabor trails west of town from 9am to 2pm. The project is part of Disney’s “Give a day, get a day” program and eligible participants will earn a 1 park, 1 day pass for helping out.

This whole thing almost seems too good to be true. I mean, we work on mountain bike trails so we can enjoy them all year long which is really a reward in itself. But on top of that, you get a free pass to the happiest place on earth! (ok, second happiest - for me the first is Trail 401 in Colorado).

According to the invite I received, the Disney slots are almost full for the work day so sign up now. Even if your local club isn’t participating in the Disney promo, look at it this way: Give a day to the trails, enjoy 364 days of riding!

photo by joetutt.

Graham Swamp mountain bike trail near Daytona Beach, FL was built more than 7 years ago by Mickey Garrett and some friends. The 6.5 mile trail has been maintained by Garrett under an agreement with the landowner, St. Johns River Water Management District, and until recently, everything was cool. That is, until the local bike club, FACES, started showing up with their own volunteer trail workers and “dummy(ing) down the trail,” according to Garrett.

FACES club vice president Tony Libretti says his group was just trying to add a few miles of new, easier trails for beginning mountain bikers. Garrett says anyone is welcome to ride at the trail but that since he’s responsible for maintenance, he should be the one to call the shots. The district land manager agreed and the local club decided to back down and allow Garrett to maintain the trails with his own crew.

In many areas, it’s hard enough to get a single group to maintain a trail so it’s surprising to see two groups fighting over who gets to do the work. Clearly much of the dispute centers over “creative control” of the trail network but it still sounds like there are more volunteers willing to work than there is work to be done. I bet there are plenty of trail groups out there that wish they had the same problem…

The other interesting thing here is that the public land manager sided with an individual trail maintainer rather than turning over responsibility to an established club. While we’re sure Garrett is more than capable and deserving, we’ve seen problems with this model in other areas. Even with the best of intentions, an individual “head of the trail” can be viewed by others, rightly or wrongly, as possessive of a trail system that is open to the public.

We’re interested to hear about other trails on public land that are maintained by an individual or ad hoc group rather than an established club and how the arrangement is working out. Should this be a new model for land managers to consider or is it a dispute waiting to happen?

via Daytona Beach News

There’s been a lot in the news lately about trail building and advocacy and fortunately most of it has been good news thanks to groups like IMBA and local bike clubs. On the flip side there’s also been news out of California about illegal mountain bike trails being built on public land that threatens to undo years of positive progress.

Just last week the LA Times wrote about an illegal trail network that was found in Limestone Canyon and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. Before being dismantled by rangers and volunteers, the trail featured wooden bridges, jumps, and even sandbag-reinforced switchbacks. Apparently several other Orange County parks have seen illegal trail construction as well, though the Limestone Canyon trail was in a particularly eco-sensitive area.

Up in Marin County they’re still bitching about us and one letter to the editor of the Marin Independent Journal points to the damage freeriders have done in the Tahoe area by building illegal trails.  Here’s an excerpt:

(L)ast summer the U.S. Forest Service announced the discovery that renegade mountain bikers had secretly cut up to 30 miles of trails in the Tahoe backcountry during this past decade. In 2009, the USFS spent $29,000 to close three miles of illicit trails at Tahoe alone. Despite having 255 miles of trail access in national forests around Tahoe, that isn’t enough for the free-riders.

The writer goes on to connect the irresponsible behavior of an unknown group of riders in the Tahoe area to all mountain bikers and voices her opposition to an alternating day use plan split between hikers and bikers in Marin County. It’s really a shame because the alternating day policy seems quite reasonable and this person assumes mountain bikers won’t follow the rules because of what happened in Tahoe.

On the spectrum of things that are bad for the reputation of our sport, building illegal trails has to be one of the worst (if not the worst) things we can do. So if you’re thinking about putting a shovel to dirt this spring on land you don’t own or have permission to use, give us all a break and volunteer with your local club to improve existing trails.

As a professional trailbuilder, my trail backpack gets a lot of use and abuse. I need a comfortable pack with lots of space and functional pockets to hold tools plus it needs to be tough since trailbuilders like me tend to be hard on equipment. Enter the Dakine Builders Pack, a backpack designed to fulfill the needs of the most demanding trailbuilders.

Features

The expandable chainsaw pocket in the front is the main feature that sets the Dakine Builders Pack apart from other backpacks. This pocket is large enough to fit most any chainsaw and has a slit in the bottom for the chainsaw handle to stick out. The pack also features three straps to secure your saw and the two upper straps are lockable which helps you get to your destination without having to stop and adjust. Of course it’s always good practice to travel with the chainsaw bar cover on to prevent injuries (and yes, I am aware that I don’t have a cover on in the following picture).

Another unique feature of the Dakine Builders Pack is the lopper strap located on the front of the chainsaw pocket. This allows your loppers to slide between the big rubber strap and the chainsaw pocket, and gravity holds them in place. The pack also has a large front pocket, perfect for holding a drill with extra batteries, and a small nylon pocket inside, suitable for holding saw tuning and other small or fragile tools.

The two side pockets are intended to hold fuel or water bottles. Between the side pockets and main compartment are a slot and strap intended to hold a hammer, mattock, hatchet or other tool without a long handle. You can slide the tool in right side up or upside down, whichever you prefer.

The small top pocket is useful for storing safety glasses and the nylon pocket inside is suitable for storing a pen, paper and keys. The main top flap is great for access to the main compartment, making it quick and easy to add or remove items. You can also access the main compartment from the back via a full length zipper.

You’ll find another nylon zipper pocket in the main compartment which is ideal for keeping your cell phone, radio, camera or other valuables out of the rain. Just below that is a stretch pocket with a first aid bag (medical supplies not included).

There are two more small pockets on the waistband with waterproof zippers, perhaps useful for carrying easily accessed snacks. The Builders Pack has six utility loops on the front and four on the back. These can be used with bungees to carry bulky items like a tent, sleeping bag or tarp.

The Dakine Builders backpack has excellent padding, found in the back, lumbar, hip and shoulder areas which you’ll appreciate when this pack is fully loaded with tools and supplies. The padding has a comfortable, gel-like feel. The shoulder strap is adjustable on the top and bottom, the chest strap is adjustable in height and length, and the waist strap is adjustable in length.

The Builders Pack is made of Cordura Ballistic Nylon, an extremely tough fabric designed to resist tearing. The buckles are made of thick, strong plastic which is great because trailbuilders like me tend to break standard buckles quickly.

The nail storage bag has four compartments and two handles and is built tough. You can fit about 100 12-inch spikes in this bag which is a heavy load.

Aside from trailbuilding, the DaKine Builders Pack is very useful for riding days too. The chainsaw pocket works well as a full face helmet holder and there are multiple places to stash armor, lunch, goggle,s and valuables with room to spare.

This pack costs $140 MSRP, holds 1800 cubic inches or 29 litres of volume, measures 21”x11”x8”, and weighs 4 pounds empty.

Testing

While trailbuilding I fill this pack with a chainsaw, fuel, bar oil, saw tuning tools, lunch, hand clippers, a tape measure, a hammer, nails, spikes, a mattock, water, a cell phone, safety glasses, and earmuffs. The DaKine builders pack stores all this with room to spare. It sits nicely on your back and feels lighter than it actually is when loaded up. The best part is that I no longer have to use my hands or a wheelbarrow to carry the majority of my tools. This means my hands are free to carry larger tools that are too big to be carried on my back, or I can ride my bike into the building zone.

The Builders Pack is very useful for riding days too. I often pack it with my full face helmet, goggles, knee/shin pads, arm pads, tools, spare tube, water, and lunch and it holds all these items with ease. Some might argue that this pack is too big to use as a riding pack, but Freeriders/Downhillers who have to pedal or hike 4+ miles to the top of a hill will appreciate a place to store their armor.

The Verdict

As a professional trailbuilder, I wholeheartedly recommend this backpack. You can fit almost every tool you need on your back, freeing up your hands for other tasks. It’s built tough and should last for years plus it makes transporting tools to the work site really easy. For me the icing on the cake is it works equally as well for transporting DH and freeride gear. The DaKine builders pack is well thought out, durable, and very functional.

A big shout out to DaKine for providing the Builders Pack for review.

photo: ANNIKA ENDERBORG, Manly Daily.

Here’s an example of what not to do if you want increased mountain bike trail access: get quoted in the local paper saying you’ll continue to ride trails closed to bikes. As if that’s not enough, get a photo of yourself inserted in the article so officials can ID you on the trail. That’s just what Australian Aaron Dunford has done and we’re anxious to see the results.

I suppose things are a bit different down under but here in the US, Dunford would probably be attacked by hikers first then cited for trespassing by local law enforcement. IMBA would issue a press release saying Dunford doesn’t represent mountain bikers everywhere (if they haven’t already) while going into major damage control mode. And this guy appears to work for a bike company!

We’re all for trail advocacy and standing up for our rights as mountain bikers but honestly there are a million better ways to do so. Gandhi demonstrated the power of the “sit -in” so why not organize mountain bikers to suit up and take a seat on the trail one weekend? Demonstrating the number of mountain bikers who want trail access while playing by the rules works more often than you might think…

If you’ve been following the Singletracks.com series on trailbuilding, you’ve read Choosing Your Line Part 1 and Part 2 and Trailbuilding 101. Congratulations, you’ve learned a lot about trailbuilding and you’re almost ready to head out and start digging. But you need something to dig with and some friendly people to help, right? Otherwise you’d just be that crazy guy digging alone in the woods with your hands. This article goes over the most useful trailbuilding tools and gives you strategies to expand your network of slave labor, er I mean friends.

Gather Tools and Building Supplies

Always use the right tool for the job to increase efficiency and reduce the chance of injury. Here is a list of tools I often use; I’ll provide details about what tools are needed for specific tasks in future articles.

1. Spade
2. Square shovel
3. Buckets
4. Wheelbarrow
5. Cutting Mattock
6. Pulaski
7. Chainsaw with sharpening and filing tools
8. Hoe
9. Rake
10. McLeod (pictured above)
11. Axe
12. Hammer
13. Battery powered hammer drill with 3 batteries
14. Folding saw
15. Pruners
16. Gas powered trimmer
17. Dakine Trailbuilders Backpack

It’s always a good idea to use protective gear when building new trails. I wear long pants, 8” steel toed boots, safety glasses and gloves whenever I build because you never know when or where you’ll encounter a nasty thorny bush, poison ivy, poison oak or just plain crap falling on you.

Find Building Partners

Contact your riding buddies and let them know that you are building a new trail. In all likelihood they’ll be stoked and will want to help you build. Many hands make light work and it’s always good to have company on those long trail building days (plus there’s safety in numbers). Friends can also help you brainstorm new trail ideas too. Having others to bounce thoughts off of will help you decide which ideas to embrace and which to kick to the curb. Just make sure you bring along creative, positive helpers!

If you don’t know many people who ride, don’t worry! Just by getting out there building and riding you will meet people. Get the contact info of people you meet on rides and expand your network. Social networking sites like Facebook can help organize your contacts. Don’t be shy about talking to other riders on the trails. Mountain Biking is a sub-culture where the passion for riding breaks many social barriers and there’s always something to talk about when you’re with other mountain bikers. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t know most of the people I ride with and build with now. I regularly plan build and ride sessions through Facebook and expand my circle of friends nearly every time I ride. The Singletracks.com Facebook page might be a good place to start finding local mountain bikers in your area.

Friends help make trail building more fun and it’s up to you maintain the positive vibe. Keeping the conversation light and positive helps the time pass more quickly. Ideally you will establish a core group of friends that can bring their own tools and will help you build regularly. Be sure to clarify your plans for the trail and ask them to consult you before they make modifications to the plan. When people work on your trail they are investing time and effort so they should be likely come back to build or ride because they have invested “sweat equity”.

Call Before You Dig

The last thing you want is to cut through a fiber optic cable or be electrocuted while digging. You don’t know what lies underground until you call 811 (United States only) or your local “call before you dig” hotline. This is especially important if you live in an urban area.

What’s Next

Now you’ve learned to:

- Gather the Right Tools and Building Supplies
- Tell Your Riding Buddies What’s Up
- Expand Your Network
- Call Before You Dig

Now you’re ready to start learning how to build!

Stay tuned for the next article in the Singletracks.com series on trailbuilding. Next article will outline perhaps the most useful method of trailbuilding: benchcutting.

About the Author

Kevin Johnstone is an avid mountain biker from Ontario, Canada. He has been building trails across Canada for 4 years. He has worked with the worlds #1 bike park builder, Jay Hoots, to build a mountain bike park on the Sunshine Coast of British, Columbia, Canada. He spent 2 seasons improving the trails at Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. He is currently building downhill specific trails. Kevin can be reached by private message at Singletracks.com.

*Disclaimer*Kevin Johnstone and Singletracks.com will not be held responsible for the consequences of illegal trailbuilding. Always get permission and build legally.

You’ve likely read Choosing Your Line Part 1 and Mountain Bike Trailbuild How-To. This article continues to detail the finer points of choosing your line. By the end of this article you should be able to flag out a flowy, well-drained trail with more natural features than Megan Fox.

Flow

Flow is the ability to carry momentum through an entire trail without having to brake or pedal excessively.

Ideally you want to pack as many features into your trail as you can while maintaining good flow. A trail with good flow will allow riders to maintain momentum from start to finish. The flowiest trails will not require riders to change speed drastically and allow riders to maintain momentum by avoiding long, steep uphills and extended straight sections. If you need to slow riders down, build a series of opposing turns.

Even slow speed trails can be flowy. The key is to decide what kind of trail you are trying to build and stick with that type. Trails can be fast with no steep hills or sharp turns, slow with steep and technical sections or in between. Avoid mixing high speed and low speed maneuvers on the same trail.

Build technical sections on a downhill slope to allow riders to maintain speed through features. One of the best ways to create flow is to include rolling uphills and downhills, or contours, throughout the trail. A rolling contour benchcut trail drains extremely well. More information about creating flow will be available in my next article, Benchcutting. It takes more thought and work to build a trail with flow but the final product is well worth it.

Choose Your Line

After you have familiarized yourself with the area on foot and identified some natural features you want to use, it’s time to choose your line. Again, include as many features as possible without disrupting flow. A trail that flows well and has fewer features is better than a trail packed with features but no flow.

Drainage

Route the trail along well drained areas. Avoid topographic low points, as these areas turn into speed sucking mud bogs. Muddy areas just get muddier and more rutted as more people ride through. Traversing a hillside is the best way to ensure that water flows off the trail, not down it. If the trail must be routed through a low lying or flat section, be prepared to dig drainage ditches.

Ruts

Ruts are every rider’s enemy. Few things in mountain biking rob riders of control like a big, rocky rut. It’s our job as trailbuilders to know how to design trails that remain rut-free for years. The principle is simple: the steeper the trail, the more prone it will be to ruts. Avoid ruts by designing trails with frequent changes in pitch. Route a trail straight up or down a hill and ruts will appear faster than Tiger Woods can bed a cocktail waitress.

Walk it, Flag it

Walk a few different lines multiple times. This will allow you to decide which line will yield the best finished product. You will likely be spending 50-100+ hours building your new trail so choose your line wisely. Once I choose a line I usually walk it top to bottom 3 times to get a good idea of what the final product will be like. After choosing the line, insert flags into the ground to mark where the trail will go. Don’t stress about being exact with flag placement. The line (trail) often changes slightly during construction.

What’s Next

In this article you’ve learned about Flow and how to build trails with Flow. I’ve also outlined the following strategies:

- Walk the area
- Look for natural features
- Consider Drainage
- Design a Rut-Free Trail
- Envision the line
- Walk the line
- Flag the line

If you enjoyed this article, you’ll want to catch the next one in the Singletracks.com series on trailbuilding. The next article, entitled Trailbuilding: Work Smart, Not Hard, identifies the most useful trailbuilding tools and strategies to gain new building partners.

About the Author

Kevin Johnstone is an avid mountain biker from Ontario, Canada. He has been building trails across Canada for 4 years. He has worked with the worlds #1 bike park builder, Jay Hoots, to build a mountain bike park on the Sunshine Coast of British, Columbia, Canada. He spent 2 seasons improving the trails at Kelso Conservation Area in Milton. He is currently building downhill specific trails. Kevin can be reached by private message at Singletracks.com

*Disclaimer* Kevin Johnstone and Singletracks.com will not be held responsible for the consequences of illegal trailbuilding. Always get permission and build legally.

Last week I wrote about locating and planning for a new MTB trail and this is a continuation of that article. Click here to go back and get caught up.

Walk the Area

Walking the site is integral to choosing a line for your new mountain bike trail. Walking will help you decide which areas are most suitable and will help you see topography and land makeup at a closer scale. Look for natural features such as rock gardens, ridges, and humps. These features are useful for building technical sections, jumps, rollers, and berms and the best trails link these types natural features together. Take your “dream trail” list (see previous article) out with you to help you remember all the features you are looking for. Mark areas of interest on a map, GPS, or even mentally. If you have more than one possible build site, walking the area will help you decide which site to use.

Look for Natural Features

Natural features play a key role in how I personally build trails. Making use of natural features saves you lots of time and effort when building your trail and it usually makes it more fun too. Different features are desirable for different trail types and uses. If you are building an XC trail, look for natural benches and humps to help you make a fast, flowy benchcut trail with many grade reversals. If you are building a FR/DH trail, look for ridges and humps with proper spacing to build jumps and berms, rock slabs, rock gardens and natural benches that make full use of elevation changes. Spotting natural features takes practice and a trained eye so next time you’re out for a hike or slow paced ride, look around and try to identify a few natural features and envision what you might build with them if you were building a trail there. Here are some natural features which are useful for trail building:

1.    Ridgelines: Staying atop ridgelines allows for trails with reasonable grades and good drainage.

photo by AK_Dan

2.    Benches: These are natural steps. Building trail along these is easy and creates well drained trails with suitable grades.
3.    Humps and bumps: These deposits of soil from 1-20 feet tall can be turned into rollers, gap jumps, tabletops and berms with just a little shaping. A short, steep incline or decline is often useful as the lip or landing of a jump.
4.    Rocks: Deposits of rocks can be used for rock gardens or rock armouring.

photo by trek7k

photo by RowdyREBEL

5.    Rock Faces: Slabs of various clines are useful for a high grip, zero maintenance, permanent, and fun trail features.
6.    Exposure: Building a trail relatively close to a steep hillside or cliff gives the user the sensation of speed. Just be careful not to build your trail too close to the edge!
7.    Scenery: Building your trail next to lookouts, streams, big trees or other aesthetically pleasing features enhances user experience.
8.    Building materials: Building a trail close to useful materials such as rocks and rot resistant wood such as cedar decreases the amount of materials you need to haul in and makes the trail building process faster and easier.

This picture shows a big rock garden some friends of mine built. The rocks were found close by then rolled and dug into place.

It’s tough to see from this angle, but this is a BIG tabletop. The lip is on the bottom right and the landing is on the bottom left of the frame. I saw a big ridge and thought it would make a good tabletop. I carved out a lip on one side and smoothed out a transition on the other. I envisioned this line and it turned out better than I expected.

It’s also a bit tough to see on this one, but the launch ends on the upper log on the right side of the frame and the landing is on the bottom left. This is the set up jump for the tabletop in the previous picture. Again, I envisioned this line and the final product vastly exceeded my expectations. The downed log provided a natural backing for the jump. The length to the naturally steep transition also works perfectly. All I had to do to build this line was benchcut and add some dirt to the lip. For those who aren’t familiar, a benchcut is a trail cut into the side of a hill and I’ll expand on the benchcut method of trailbuilding in a future article.

Next Up: Choosing Your Line Part 2

About the Author
Kevin Johnstone is an avid mountain biker from Ontario, Canada. He has been building trails for 4 years across Canada. He has worked with the worlds #1 bike park builder, Jay Hoots, for a number a build sessions spanning 2 years. He spent 2 seasons improving the trails at Kelso conservation area in Milton. He is currently building downhill specific trails. Kevin can be reached by private message.

Before the Shovel: First Steps

As a trailbuilder with 4 years experience, I have worked on more than my fair share of mountain bike trails. I believe it’s every mountain biker’s responsibility to get involved with trailbuilding at some level plus it’s great exercise, you’ll meet cool people, and you’ll be giving back to the mountain bike community. Best of all you, and your friends get to ride your new creation! Getting involved with trailbuilding is easy if you look in the right places. I intend to show you the quickest and easiest way to start building the trail of your dreams. This article identifies the steps you need to take before you put a shovel in the ground.

Identify a Need

Chances are you have trail envy. You’ve seen or ridden trails far from home that you love, and you want to bring the best elements together into one super-trail close to home. Don’t be afraid to dream big when you picture the ideal trail. Grab a pen and paper and list all the features you’re looking for. Start with the genre of trail you want to build and then add more specifics. Here’s an example:

New Downhill Trail
-    Road to shuttle/ride/hike up
-    At least 500ft elevation drop
-    Flowy
-    Rock gardens
-    Lots of jumps: step down, step up and gap
-    Some berms
-    No uphill
-    Some pedalling
-    Some steep sections
-    Within 30 miles of home

These are just some examples of characteristics you might want in a trail. I will expand on definitions in article 2 entitled Choosing Your Line.

Now that you’ve identified the key features of your trail, contact people in your community with extensive knowledge of existing trails.

Contact the Local Experts

In order to find an area to build trails, contact your local mountain bike club. If your town doesn’t have a mountain bike club, go to the local bike shop and find out who knows the trails best. Once you’ve found your local expert, tell him about your riding interests and what your area is lacking. Say that you would like to get involved and build a trail to suit the needs of yourself and other riders like you. This is a good way to find out if there are already trails in your area that meet your needs and can help identify areas that are good for building.

Be open to helping the club meet their existing trailbuilding goals, especially if you are a novice trailbuilder. Often mountain bike associations will host trail build days. Attending these build sessions will help you maintain a good relationship with your local club, meet other people with similar interests, and learn basic trailbuilding skills. If you’re unsure as to whether you are ready to build a whole new trail, sponsored trail build days will help you decide. Mountain bike associations appreciate suggestions for trail improvement. Maybe they will use one of your ideas in their next build day.

Once you’ve attended some build days and improved your trailbuilding skills, ask your local association to give you some projects pertaining to your interests. Many mountain bike associations have long lists of trail maintenance jobs that need to be done as well as volunteer hours to fulfill. For many people, involvement in local build days is all the trailbuilding they want to do. For others, trailbuilding turns into a passion matched only by their enthusiasm for riding. These impassioned builders need a trail to call their own.

The desire to build trails comes from an unfulfilled need. Your local expert might not show any interest in pointing out areas on existing trails suitable for the modifications you have in mind. It is common for mountain bike clubs to hesitate in allowing trail features such as jumps, berms and steep sections, features that many riders enjoy. A good solution to this problem is to ask to build a new trail specific to the needs of riders like you. Now you must find a suitable place to build your dream trail.

Identify a Suitable Area to Build

First, ask your local mountain bike association if they can recommend an area to build in that will suit your needs. If there are trails in your area similar to the one you have envisioned, ask if you could build in the same area. This keeps trails centralized and allows others to more easily enjoy your work. If you don’t get an answer from one person, look for someone else who can help and be persistent. Ask your local mountain bike club, bike shop, riders and perhaps the best resource, other trailbuilders.

It is very important that you don’t build a trail anywhere you don’t have permission to. This includes private land and protected areas. Unless I have permission from the land manager, I only build on crown land. Crown land is a Canadian term meaning “taxpayers land” owned by the government. Crown land is public land with certain laws governing its use. Find out where the government owned land is in your area by going to library or geography department of a university and looking at zoning maps. You will likely find a number crown land areas suitable for your new trail. (note: US laws are often more strict regarding public land uses) It is always a good idea to contact the crown land manager in your area before building. Crownland.org is an excellent resource if you live in Canada. Google maps is another good tool to use to identify forested areas and topography using the satellite and terrain tools. Remember, illegal building hurts our sport and can lead to jail time!

Now that you have identified one or more areas suitable for your new trail, it’s time to brush up on your trailbuilding knowledge.

Review IMBA Trailbuilding Strategies

IMBA has a number of books packed with useful trailbuilding strategies. These books will help you envision your new trail. It’s good to read this before you go scout out the area because you will have a better idea of what natural features to look for.

Now that you have one or more possible places for your new trail, it’s time to lace up the boots!

Stay tuned for my next article: Choosing Your Line.

About the Author
Kevin Johnstone is an avid mountain biker from Ontario, Canada. He has been building trails for 4 years across Canada. He has worked with the worlds #1 bike park builder, Jay Hoots, for a number a build sessions spanning 2 years. He spent 2 seasons improving the trails at Kelso conservation area in Milton. He is currently building downhill specific trails. Kevin can be reached via private message.

Itusi trail @ Lake Norman State Park - photo by EZ-E

IMBA is on the ball again, this time organizing mountain bikers to comment on the North Carolina State Parks Systemwide Plan. As always, IBMA has some talking points for comments that can be submitted via email or letter by October 31, 2009.

If you have ever ridden or plan to ride North Carolina, please take the time to send your comments in support of expanded and improved shared-used trails in our state parks.

Looking at the draft plan itself, there are some pretty encouraging words for mountain bikers in North Carolina. I’ve pasted the section on mountain bike trails below but the jist of it is that mountain bikers in NC are vocal and they want singletrack in Umstead State Park. The plan also gives kudos to MTB volunteer groups and points to the trails at Lake Norman State Park as a good model for future trail development. Check out the NC Division of Parks & Rec. website to see how you can submit your comments before the deadline.

From the 2009 Systemwide plan:

The largest number of responses on the survey from a recreation-specific user group was from mountain bikers. The survey found that while although only 39.3% people surveyed would ride mountain bikes in state parks, mountain bike trails were by far the most requested facility-type – with 19.9% of people surveyed choosing this facility as their highest priority to develop in state parks. The 2007 NSRE found that within the previous year, 15.7% of North Carolinians participated in mountain biking.

The comments on the survey from the mountain biking community were numerous. The major themes emerging from the comments were: more mountain biking trails are needed – particularly in areas near centers of population; the mountain biking community is sizeable and organized; mountain biking can be low impact use on properly designed trails; single-track trails on natural surfaces with a wide variety of trail types, difficulties, and length are preferred; and there are many groups such as: the Tarheel Trailblazers, Brushy Mountain Cyclists, Greensboro Fat Tire Society, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, International Mountain Biking Association, and the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association are available and willing to contribute financially and also through volunteer work to help design, build, and maintain mountain bike trails.

The vast majority of park-specific comments received from this user group were directed to William B. Umstead State Park where mountain bikers were unhappy with the wide gravel road experience and noted that new single-track trails (or conversion of existing trails) at the park were desired. Several mountain bikers applauded the division’s collaboration with the mountain biking community on the design and construction of the single-track trail network at Lake Norman State Park.

Syncros is partnering with the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) to give IMBA members 25% off bars, headsets, wheels, saddles, seatposts, pedals, and tires. IMBA trailbuilders get an even better deal - 40% off Syncros products via coupons handed out by local IMBA Team Captains. If you’re looking to upgrade your components with Syncros gear a $30 IMBA membership will easily pay for itself!

Singletracks.com is an IMBA corporate member but I honestly didn’t realize that IMBA supporters received discounts at so many places. Check this out: 15% off at Backcountry.com, 10% off at the Kona web store, 10% off Western Spirit cycling tours, and Subaru gives you up to $3,300 off a new car! Even Hertz (the rental car company) offers IMBA member discounts, though unfortunately that doesn’t cover bike rack rentals

Even if you’re not an IMBA member yet you can show your support just by choosing where to shop. JensonUSA donates a portion of sales to IMBA and here on singletracks we give 100% of the proceeds from t-shirt sales to IMBA.

IMBA is doing a ton of great stuff all around the world to support mountain biking - what will you do to support IMBA?