The Elements of Design

IMBA Trail News
Volume 13, Number 2
Early Summer 2000

Kurt Loheit, IMBA Trails Resource Director

When people talk about building "mountain bike trails," in most cases they are actually talking about shared-use trails that include mountain biking in the mix. Although mountain bike-only trails do exist, the majority of bike use is on trails that already carry other forms of traffic. Up front, this difference may seem negligible, but if you are the designer of a trail it is one of many critical elements that must be addressed. If you aren't sure what the design difference between the two types of trails is, hopefully by the time this series of articles is complete, you will.

Before we go any further, I would be remiss if I did not emphasize that you must have specific permission from the land management agency of the property on which you intend to do any form of work. Also, I will say that these articles are not meant to bestow upon the reader the skills necessary to become a patron saint of trail design. They are meant to enhance your level of knowledge when discussing trail design with public land managers.

In today's environment, it is no longer acceptable to design a trail that traverses from point A to point B solely based on the designer's perception of what he or she thinks will work. Good design is the product of input from a variety of sources, understanding of the goal for which the trail is being designed, and attention to the balance of the three main components used for decision making in the design process. These three components are resource protection, user experience, and maintenance value. If any one of these components is overemphasized at the expense of the other, the trail could cause irreparable damage to the resource, provide an unsafe or negative experience for the user(s), or suck the life out of any maintenance budget. If, in an assessment, it is decided that these components cannot be adequately balanced, then the option of not building the trail should be exercised.

Don't let all of this discourage you. In virtually all cases balance can be achieved. In upcoming articles, we will look at the individual components, discuss the pieces that tie trail designs together, land manager considerations, and available resources to provide further education.

Until the next shovel full - Kurt