2020

The Birth of a Trail

Have you ever wondered who built the trail that you are on, or how long it has been there? Maybe you know of an area that would be perfect for trail, but no one seems to be listening.

There are a lot of things that have to happen before work can even begin on a trail, but unless you’re one of the people working behind the scenes, you’ve probably never had a reason to consider the steps.

Step 1: Land Manager Permission.

CITA does not own the land for any of the trails that it maintains, and land managers have a right to say what can or cannot happen on their property. Based on who the land manager is, there might be multiple steps to getting permission for any new trail or changes.

Step 2: Trail Design/Contracting.

The design of the trail includes multiple factors, such as the topography of the land, length of the trail, difficulty, and features. All of these items will play a large roll in the time and cost that it takes to build the trail, as well as what it will take to maintain it after completion. The design also has to be approved by the land manager, and occasionally by others as well. Once the project has been approved, an invitation to gather bids from trail building companies may be needd.

Step 3: Fundraising.

While some trail is built by volunteers, some work requires professional involvement. Features like bridges may need to be designed by a professional engineer, and some land managers require  that trails are built by professionals as well. Since CITA is a non-profit, the organization often relies on personal donations or grants to put in new trail or features. While these are very much appreciated, they can also take a long time for review and approval.

Step 4: Building.

The day is finally here. The land manager has approved of the design, all engineering has been done, and the builders (professional or volunteer) are onsite with tools in hand. Based on the scope and number of workers, a section of trail can go in over a single day, or can take months to fully complete.

Taking Care of the Trail

The work isn’t done when the trail is built. In fact, building the trail is often the easy part, since trails can be used for decades. Every year, CITA puts in 25 hours per mile of trail* in the system. All trails in the CITA system are 100% volunteer maintained, without any incentive other than the satisfaction of riding a good trail.

*This is based on self-reported volunteer hours. Actual time may be higher.