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Trail Building in Juneau, Alaska
A few thoughts on trails and how they
are built
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 Bottomless
muskegs, devils club so thick you can’t see five
feet in front of you, mountains like walls that rise straight
out of the sea and, on top of it all, buckets upon buckets
of rain. You could say that building trails in Southeast
Alaska has its challenges. Just clearing a way through
the woods doesn’t quite qualify for effective trail
building here in Juneau. A lot of forethought has to be
put into trail placement, grade, drainage and tread hardening.
With the right tools, training, energy and rain gear it
is possible to build a solid trail that will last for years
with little maintenance.
Building solid, long lasting trails serves two equally
important purposes. The obvious reason is access. Access
to the alpine by hikers, access to the back country for
snowmachiners, access to great view points, birding areas,
beaches or fishing holes, the options are as endless and
diverse as the users themselves. The second reason is equally
important and that is to minimize impact to fragile ecosystems.
Well built trails help minimize the erosion of unstable
soils as well as contain users to a single pathway, keeping
impact to vegetation and wildlife to a minimum.
There are piles of books and loads of people out there
with scads of different ideas on how to build and maintain
trails. Through trial and error and with a lot of guidance
from our friends at the U.S. Forest Service (Juneau Ranger
District), Alaska State Parks, the City and Borough of
Juneau’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Southeast
Alaska Guidance Association and other trail experts, Trail
Mix has found several tried and true trail building techniques
that we’ve used with great success in our soggy city.
But of course, it all begins with safety.
Getting Started
There is no denying that trail building is dangerous work.
Sharp tools, falling trees and moving extremely heavy objects
are but a few of the hazards one might encounter on any
given day on a trail crew. Proper training, following a
detailed safety policy, wearing proper safety gear and
using common sense are the keystones to successfully building
and maintaining trails. No trail is worth losing life or
limb over. Being prepared before you begin building or
maintaining a trail is essential to reducing the risk of
injury to yourself or those around you.
What makes a good trail?
There are a lot of different standards for trails out
there and a lot of opinion on what they should be like.
We have primitive trails that look like they were probably
made by marmots and we have major paved trails that look
like they were made (and probably were) by DOT. We feel
there’s demand in Juneau for both types of trail
and space for nearly everything in between.
Layout
 No
matter what type of trail you are building, a trail will
never be a great trail if you build it in the wrong place.
Like the mantra of successful business owners around
the world it’s “location, location, location!”
When laying out a trail, the planner must keep in mind:
- Maintenance – How can I build this trail so that
it will require little maintenance? Proper placement
may mean the difference between rebuilding entire washed
out sections of trail every year or just cleaning out
a few ditches.
- User group – Who will be using the trail and
how can the trail placement enhance the users experience?
- Grade – Can we get the trail where we need it
to go without going straight up the side of a mountain?
- Trail base – Stick with stable, well drained
soils where possible. Gravel makes a better trail base
than mud.
- Aesthetics – It is every bit as important to
make a trail as pleasing to the eye as it is functional.
Otherwise, what’s the point? When possible keep
a buffer between the trail and things like buildings,
roads, garbage dumps or sewage treatment plants. It’s
also nice to have a trail that meanders like a river
rather than one that runs straight like a bowling alley
- Impact – How can I build this trail with the
least amount of impact to the land and the critters that
live there, be they feathered, leafy, hairy or scaley?
- Erosion – Where do I place the trail so it doesn’t
become a lake or a stream?
Erosion Control
Wherever you decide to put a trail, erosion will always be a concern. Whether
it’s boots, bicycles, or just plain rain, it’s the nature of mothernature
and mankind to abuse trails. Steps can be taken to reduce these impacts.
Preventing water erosion
- Ditching – Nobody likes to dig a ditch but without
them most trails in Juneau would look more like streams.
Water that is allowed to run down a trail moves the stable
tread material and exposes rocks and roots, making a
rough trail. Or if the trail is flat, water puddles and
turns hard trail into slop. It’s a dirty job but
someone’s gotta do it.
- Water bars – Water bars are built to move flowing
water off of a sloped trail. Typically, the steeper the
slope the more water bars you need. There are a few different
ways to make a water bar but the one we like best is
called the “drainage dip”. The drainage dip
is a gentle dip in the trail, angled to catch flowing
water and move it off the trail. The trick to the dip
is making it deep enough to catch water but gentle enough
so that bikers and hikers don’t fall on their faces
when moving through it.
- Crowning – When building trail with gravel it
should always be crowned (making it a little higher in
the middle than on the sides). This is a great way to
keep water from collecting on the trail.
- Tread hardening – Simply put, the harder the
trail, the harder it is to wash away. Planking and graveling
are two commonly used tread hardening techniques.
Preventing user erosion
- Tread hardening – Once again, the harder the
trail, the harder it is for boots and bicycles to destroy
it.
- Proper layout – Switchback shortcutting is like
a runaway train, once it starts it’s impossible
to stop and it wipes out everything in its way. It breaks
down the sides of a trail and often makes a path for
water to follow which only makes matters worse. When
laying out switchbacks, care should be taken to create
a buffer between the upper and lower trail so users aren’t
tempted to jump track. Trail should also be well defined
so that what erosion there is will be confined to a single
area.
Techniques of Trail Building in Southeast
 There
is no one right way to build a trail because trails serve
so many different purposes. Most trails that are built
in Juneau, no matter what its purpose, must be built using
some type of tread hardening technique. Here are a few
tried and true ways to build trail that Trail Mix has used
and a little bit about the pro’s and con’s
of each.
Plank Trail
If you’ve ever done much hiking in Southeast Alaska you’ve probably
set boot to plank on more than one occasion. We certainly have a love hate
relationship with it, trail builders and hikers alike. Many of us in Southeast
have attached some sort of sentimental value to the plank trail. Wherever you
are in the world, if you find yourself on a plank trail your thoughts will
probably flicker for a moment to the Dan Moller Trail or a number of other
trails in Southeast.
Things we like about planking
Plank trails get us where we need to go across places that are more parts water
than dirt. It leaves a relatively small footprint on the environment and a
well built plank trail can be aesthetically pleasing. In the short run it’s
less costly and labor intensive than some of the alternatives. For the most
part it’s easy to build, requiring not much more than lumber, a chainsaw,
nails and a hammer and a crew to level the building area with pulaski’s
and shovels.
Things we don’t like about planking
Planking is made for one type of user, the hiker. We strongly advise against
trying to ride a bicycle on planking, especially on a rainy day. Planking becomes
very slippery even for hikers and because it is often only one 12 inch board
wide it requires some amount of concentration to negotiate, which takes away
from gawking at nature, which most of us like to do when we are on a trail.
Many plank trails are made out of treated lumber which,
even though it’s pumped full of chemicals, still
rots over time. Plank trails require a good deal of maintenance,
and rotten lumber that’s been treated is considered
hazardous waste and must be disposed of properly. This
means packing it out and paying to get rid of it.
Gravel Trail
There are several different types of gravel trail which can be adapted to fit
the type of trail that needs to be built. Whether it’s done on a large
scale to accommodate motorized use or large groups of people or on a small
scale for a more primitive style of trail, most gravel trails are built in
much the same way.
Where possible the top layer of organic material is first
scraped off to the desired width of trail. This is done
with the hope that there is more stable material under
there somewhere. In muskegs or other particularly soupy
areas fabric is laid to keep the tread material from sinking
out of sight. Then a base material of larger rock is placed
in the trail bed to make a solid foundation. Finally a
capping material is placed on top which is used to make
a hard smooth surface. Ideal capping material is typically
some type of gravel with a good mix of fine material like
glacial silt and sand which will allow it to “set
up” and become hard. Gravel trails can be built with
native materials or with material imported to the site.
Things we like about the gravel trail
A trail that is built with gravel and is built right is a trail that is going
to last a long time with minimal maintenance, cutting down on upkeep costs.
They can be built to any width to accommodate any type of user and they don’t
get slippery like plank trails. In the winter gravel trails remain fairly dry
and require little snow fall to allow for cross country skiing and snowmachining.
The first season after a gravel trail is built they usually
look bright and maybe a little rough around the edges.
It doesn’t take long however for vegetation to begin
creeping onto the sides and for the trail to darken with
spruce needles and other debris. Thanks to the fact that
we live in a rain forest, it only takes a few seasons for
gravel trails to lose that “brand new, just built
look.”
Things we don’t like about the gravel
trail
Importing non-native gravel to a trail site initially can be costly and time
consuming, usually involving helicopters or heavy equipment.
Turnpike
Turnpike is another gravel style trail building technique
that is used to elevate trail above particularly wet ground.
It involves building a gravel retainer out of skinned logs
to the desired width of trail. The logs are spiked together
end to end and braced in between to create a trough which
is then filled with rock and capped with gravel to create
a hard, smooth surface. The logs act to stabilize the gravel,
keeping it from being dispersed by users or pushed into
the muck.
Things we like about turnpike
Turnpike is a long lasting, low maintenance solution to building trail in really
wet areas. Over the years the logs will rot away leaving behind a duff berm
that will still retain gravel. Unlike plank, which often needs replaced or
repaired, turnpike requires little maintenance after the initial expense and
energy required to build it. Like other types of gravel trail, turnpike stays
high and dry in rainy weather and allows hikers to cross through some nasty
terrain without having to slog through boot sucking slop.
Things we don’t like about turnpike
There is no doubt that turnpike is very labor intensive. A route must be cleared
and leveled. Trees of proper size must be felled, skinned, hauled to the trail,
cut to size, spiked together, braced and filled with gravel. Building turnpike
of any length requires an energetic trail crew that’s not shy of hard
work.
Maintenance Tips Every Trail User Should Know
There are over 90 trails in Juneau, some paved, some plank,
some are well maintained and some aren’t maintained
at all. Between the City, State, Forest Service, SAGA and
Trail Mix, an enormous amount of energy has been spent
trying to keep a lot of these trails safe, open and usable
for everybody to enjoy. As you can imagine, it’s
impossible to keep up with all of the work that needs to
be done. Thoughtful trail users with a little bit of knowledge
can make a huge impact to the life and quality of trails.
Here are a few easy things you can do while you’re
out on the trail to help out.
Brushing and pruning
Some people carry a little pack saw or pruning shears with them in their back
pack when they go hiking. This is great for cutting back small leaning alders,
stray branches or creeping brush. Remember there is more to pruning than just
hacking off whatever is in your way.
- Before you go out and cut brush on any trail, remember
that there are many types of poisonous plants in Southeast
Alaska. Where proper protective gear and consult a plant
guide to find out what to watch for.
- Always use the proper tool for the job. Not doing so
could result in serious injury.
- To see whether a standard size foot trail needs brushing,
stand in the center of the trail and hold your arms straight
out from your sides then hold them straight up over your
head. If you touch anything it probably needs to be cut
back.
- When limbing trees, don’t just hack the limb
off in the middle and call it good. A properly limbed
tree is cut at the collar, which is the ring around the
limb where the limb meets the tree. Care should be taken
not to scar the collar. Limbing trees in this way allows
the cut area to heal over faster in order to prevent
rot. Hide the cut limb a ways from the trail.
- When cutting brush or small leaning trees don’t
just cut them back half way leaving ugly stobbs sticking
out. Cut them back as close to the ground as possible
and drag the cut branches off into the woods.
Drainage
Water
is extremely destructive to trails. Keeping a few of
the following simple tips in mind as you’re out
hiking may save hundreds if not thousands of dollars
in trail maintenance costs.
- Clogged culverts allow water to back up in ditches
then flow across the trail. Given enough time, this will
eventually wash out the entire culvert and destroy a
section of trail. If you take a few minutes to clear
the clog you could save hours of work.
 Clogged ditches will allow water to flow down a trail,
possibly destroying huge portions of the tread. If you
notice a clogged ditch, take a few minutes to remove
the blockage and you can sleep that night with a clean
conscience (and dirty fingernails.)Because it rains so
much here, drainage dips and water bars fill up with
debris or break down quicker than you can say “Xtra
Tuffs are not hiking boots but if I don’t wear
them my feet get very wet.” If you notice water
running down the trail where water bars have been
built, you can probably assume that the water bars are
clogged. Scuff your boot parallel to the uphill side
of the bar or dip until it starts catching water then
pat yourself on the back for being a thoughtful trail
user. Check to make sure the outflow ditch is not clogged
as well and that the water is free to drain somewhere
off the side of the trail.
 If you don’t have time to do a little spontaneous
trail work or if you just don’t want to get dirt
on your brand new hiking pants, please notify Trail Mix
or the agency that manages the trail and explain the
problem and its location. An erosion problem caught in
time may be the difference between an hour of preventative
labor and a month of major reconstruction.
Glossary of terms
Pulaski
Mattox
Sling load
Mcleod
Trail crew
Hardener
Slough and Berm
Drainage dip
Turnpike
Outsloping
Tread
Log retainer
Step and run
Water bar
Crown
Switchback
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