Still though,
Not EXACTly the information I need.
I don’t need to know HOW to build them (leaving THAT to the pros)
but How Much$, and How Long would it take.
–for say, 1 mile of single track, OR a half mile drop down the side of a mt.?

Land access is something I haven’t talked about a lot because I’ve almost always worked in areas where I’ve had permission to build. I’m currently connecting with my local MTB club and the government of Canada trying to learn more about the process of determining who owns what land and how to get permission to build. Remember when asking for permission to build your plea is stronger when you represent a group of people (ie a club) rather than just yourself.

After my “Trailbuilding 101″ series of articles is complete, I’m planning on writing an article exclusively on land access. Hopefully I can dig up enough info about it!

Here in the western US, most of the available land is public (BLM or Forest Service). Technically, you can’t put a shovel to the ground until you have all the approvals (environmental, archeological, etc.). That’s really expensive to do, so consequently a lot of people try to avoid the red-tape and just start making their own “‘secret” trails. Some of them turn out really good; more of them are crappy, rutted, erosion prone messes. You’ve gotta know what you are doing before you take on one of these projects.

So before you start creating that dream trail please spend some time to learn how to do it right. There are lots of ways to learn. The most practical way is to apprentice with groups that have a core of experienced trail builders. Any established bike club has people who have been doing trail design for awhile and should be willing to take you under their wing. If you have the opportunity to attend classroom training I highly recommend doing it. IMBA has a great intro course that covers the main topics, or, even better, some groups offer multi-day training courses with field exercises that let you apply what you have learned under the supervision of an expert. Nothing beats going out with somebody who knows what they are doing and going over their thought process with them as you plot out a new trail.

Anyway, I suggest that before you start hacking in your new fun-ride, take the time to learn how to do it right so that you end up with a good trail and not just another scar on the land. Personally, I would prefer to have a few well-built trails rather than lots of crappy bootleg trails.

Kevin

I totally agree; get involved! I think that I have spent as much time doing trail work this year as I have riding. And you know what, that’s just fine. Building quality trail is really satisifying and you do get to meet some new riding buddies while you are out digging. Give it a try if you haven’t already.

I will second the IMBA suggestions. I especially recommend attending one of their trail-building classes if you get a chance. They have managed to boil down the most important aspects of trail building into a few well-spent hours. Definitely worth your time.