Tips for trail building in the East

PB Forum :: USA - East
Tips for trail building in the East
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flag dualcrownscottspark
O+
Posted: Jun 22, 2020 at 9:46 Quote
I was wondering if anyone has tips that apply to building in the east, and how to get towns on board to make sanctioned trails.
flag JacobyDH
Posted: Jul 10, 2020 at 15:12 Quote
I (obviously) live in a vastly different place than you, however I do have a tiny bit of experience on east coast soil, and generally it is the same coast to coast.

For the most part building that is done (separate from parks) for jumps, flow, etc. is done illegally, however many organizations do it legally. In my perspective at the very least start out by doing it legally if not for the whole time.

The first step is to join your local trail organization (if you have one). Spend the free time you got working with them (as annoying as it might be to not be making jumps). If you can, log your hours too. When you’re done, you can create a proposal for building, and it is best to get a group of friends on board too. The smaller the town you live in the easier it is to get this group, and if you live in a larger area, don’t create the group. Once you have your hours in, propose the area, trails, and the trails rules. Worst case senecio; you get a no. For me, I called up our park rangers and asked them who to propose it to. They gave me a phone number to someone who gave me a phone number, and so on. Eventually I ended up talking with someone who agreed to do it. I did however have to pay some fees, and what we can/can’t do is still a little fuzzy but still it beats the idea of getting sued or ticketed for trail building. Another place where your local organization comes in is when you need supplies, or help from other workers. Just call them up or mention your project and you’ll have 15 people eager to help you out. The trail builders have the 2nd best community out there... (1st is MTB). Recently I’ve started making these pump track type things in my backyard and after telling my buds about it they arrived with masks and chainsaws ready to help out. (That may sound freaky, I guess you had to be there to get it...) While I personally belive that building is not a crime and do (sometimes) maybe sorta kinda build in places that are illigal, staying with that law is the way to go.

Lastly, practice makes perfect. I know it’s cliche and the term is thrown around a lot, but it really does mean something. If you have a backyard, tear it up to make a flow trail, ride it, and then repeat. It can be slow at times, but when your trail is done nothing beats riding it again and again. It doesn’t come overnight, it is a practice that occurs over time. Learn the land, and the shovel and pretty soon you’ll be riding the best trails in the world... in your backyard!

I hope this helps and is what you wanted!

Cheers!

 


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