Trail building
This page is supposed to be a repository of past experiences (what works and what doesn't) for trail building.
Route Planning and Flagging
Setting the route for the trail is an iterative process and could take a few tries to get it exactly right, especially if both summer and winter use are expected. Winter only trails must also consider variations in snowpack depth - i.e. early season vs late season use. A deep snowpack is ideal for setting trail markers, but it also hides a lot of obstacles that could be problematic earlier in the season or in a low snow year.
If possible assign different colours of flagging tape to different meanings and/or different iterations of the trail. Suggested flagging types are given below:
- The trail - of course you want to flag the trail. It may be useful to have different colours for different iterations of the trail alignment.
- Stream / wet area - these may not be obvious in dry conditions so it may be a good idea to flag them while they are visible.
- For ski trails, flag problem trees in the winter so they can be cut down in the summer.
Trail Markers
For night travel, a retroreflective material such as 3M Diamond Grade Reflective Sheeting is ideal since they reflect light from a headlamp directly back at the trail user.
- Trail markers from the ski trail to Brew Lake were purchased from Astrographic Industries
- Trail markers for the Phelix Creek trail were purchased from Inprotect Systems
Guidelines for placing trail markers:
- Place trail markers in the spring when the snowpack is high to avoid having to climb trees
- Trim branches on the tree that would obstruct the view of the marker. Consider that heavy snow can weigh down branches so that they point nearly straight down the tree. Also, snow can pile up on branches that are below a marker.
- Have someone sight the marker along the trail while it's being placed. As a bare minimum, the marker must be visible when standing at the previous marker. Ideally, from any point on the trail there should be two markers visible in either direction.
- Leave the nail head protruding about 1/4". This allows room for the tree to grow without enveloping the marker, and it also allows easier rework in case the marker needs to be reposisitioned.
- Holes drilled in the markers should be sized so the nail provides a snug fit to prevent the marker from spinning when placed as above.
- Use only aluminum nails to attach markers to trees, since these do not pose a safety hazard in sawmills should the tree ever be harvested in the future.