Design Experiences, Not Trails
IMBA Trail News
Volume 13, Number 3
Summer 2000
This is the second of a series of trailbuilding articles written for ITN by IMBA Trails Resource Director Kurt Loheit.
In the last column we covered some basic issues and etiquette required for mountain bike trail building. Now we begin the planning stage - perhaps the most crucial of the entire process. Before any trail construction begins, there are a couple of questions that must be asked:
- Why do we need this trail?
Before you put a lot of time, energy and money into building a new trail, make sure that the existing trail system is working to its full potential. If a new trail is being built because an old trail isn't working, figure out why it isn't working before you proceed. In many cases, maintenance and some re-routing of an existing trail may be all that's needed, which would allow money and resources to be used on other trail needs.
- Who will use the trail?
As a designer, you need to know the types of use your trail will have to support. Assuming the trail you are building is multi-use, you should consider what makes a quality trail from a number of different user group perspectives. Hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and birdwatchers all have specific expectations for their trail experience. (One of my favorite phrases is, "I don't design trails, I design experiences.") Your personal trail perspectives should also be incorporated into the design. However, in order to satisfy the needs of many different potential users, you should blend your ideas with the needs of the customer.
Answering these two questions - why do we need this trail and who is it for - sets the wheels in motion for how you design the different characteristics of your new trail. The next step is to get input from the different user groups, take that information, and incorporate it into your trail design.
Until the next shovel full - Kurt
Kurt Loheit - IMBA Trails Resource Director
