Signage

Land Manager's Mountain Bike Management Toolkit

An excerpt from "Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack"

It is important to develop a comprehensive signage system for your trail network. Signs should be placed at the main trailhead, at trail intersections, and at other key locations. When planning signs, consider the location. Trails with high use should be well signed. Conversely, trails deep in the backcountry should have far fewer signs. Signs can intrude on a visitor's outdoor experience, so use them with care.

Sign Types

Trailhead Kiosks
Trailhead kiosks are larger signs positioned at the beginning of the trail or trail system. Well-designed kiosks include a complete map and description of all the nearby trails. The main trailhead kiosk is the ideal place to describe trail length and relative difficulty. Visitors armed with this information can make smart decisions about which trails to travel. Trailheads are also excellent places to promote trail etiquette, explain local rules, list emergency contact information, and recruit volunteers for future trailbuilding efforts.

Directional Signs
Directional signs provide navigational information - everything from a simple blaze or trail name to the length of a route - and should be repeatedly posted along the trail. These signs can be small, so long as they are obvious and clearly mark the way. Be careful not to overuse them, especially if the route is easy to follow. More frequent placement may be needed for trails that are hard to follow, such as on slickrock or paths that are frequently snow-covered.

Warning Signs
Warning signs are used to caution trail users of upcoming hazards and should be placed close to the trail so they're easy to see. Be sure to position them well in advance of the hazard so that visitors have enough time to read the sign and react. It is particularly important to sign before very challenging technical trail features, like big drop-offs, narrow bridges, or other elements of increased risk.

Difficulty-Level Signs
These should be posted at the main trailhead and at every access point. Signs should be large enough to clearly display the trail's difficulty level as well as its length. Signage should be particularly clear at the intersections of trails with differing difficulty levels.

Regulatory Signs
Regulatory signs delineate rules, such as the direction of travel, or designate user groups. When creating regulatory signs, keep the tone constructive and upbeat. Visitors are more apt to obey rules that are presented in a positive way.

Educational Signs
Educational signs interpret natural or cultural points of interest along the trail and should be placed farther from the trail tread - roughly 4 feet away. Trail users will stop to read these signs, and you don't want them to block the trail for extended periods. Post the signs in clear areas that are easily accessed (you don't want vegetation to be trampled while people read the sign). Educational signs are most useful when they are in close proximity to the elements they describe.

Way-Marked Routes
In a way-marked route system, certain trails are identified by unique blazes that enable users to follow a designated route on interconnecting trails. Marking routes in this manner is a convenient and effective way of giving visitors a self-guided experience without the need for frequent map checks. Way-marked routes usually link trails of similar difficulty.

Sign Materials: Pros and Cons

Signs can be crafted from a wide range of materials - everything from flexible plastic strips to immovable stone cairns. Here are the pros and cons of each.

Plastics are widely available and come in a range of colors. Durability varies, so do your research. Plastics tend to expand and contract with temperature changes - something to consider if you live in an area marked by extreme temperature swings. Vandals are more likely to break a plastic sign than a stout steel sign, so keep that factor in mind if the trail is in a high-use urban setting.

Wood is an aesthetically pleasing material and can be fairly affordable, but it is easily damaged by vandals. Be sure to use rot-resistant wood.

Aluminum is lightweight and doesn't corrode. However, aluminum is expensive and doesn't blend with nature as well as wood or stone.

Steel is affordable and durable, but it is prone to rusting and must be galvanized to resist corrosion. For some reason, there is a special breed of vandal who takes pleasure in shooting steel signs. One company actually produces signs that appear to have already been shot by a shotgun, as vandals are less likely to shoot a sign that's already been hit. It's a "beat 'em to the punch" approach that, while not terribly attractive, might keep your sign from being shredded by a shotgun blast.

Stone is durable, but it limits the amount of information that can be posted on the sign, as carving stone is tedious and therefore expensive. Stone is best used in rock cairns that simply inform trail users that they are, in fact, still on the trail. Stone cairns can be made more permanent by corralling the stone in a wire framework.

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	Signage Land Manager's Mountain Bike Management Toolkit An excerpt from "Trail Solutions: IMBA's Guide to Building Sweet Singletrack" It is important to develop a comprehensive signage system for your trail network. Signs should be placed at the main trailhead, at trail intersections, and at other key locations. When planning signs, consider the location. Trails with high use should be well signed. Conversely, trails deep in the backcountry should have far fewer signs. Signs can intrude on a visitor's outdoor experience, so use them with care. Sign Types Trailhead Kiosks Trailhead kiosks are larger signs positioned at the beginning of the trail or trail system. Well-designed kiosks include a complete map and description of all the nearby trails. The main trailhead kiosk is the ideal place to describe trail length and relative difficulty. Visitors armed with this information can make smart decisions about which trails to travel. Trailheads are also excellent places to promote trail etiquette, explain local rules, list emergency contact information, and recruit volunteers for future trailbuilding efforts. Directional Signs Directional signs provide navigational information - everything from a simple blaze or trail name to the length of a route - and should be repeatedly posted along the trail. These signs can be small, so long as they are obvious and clearly mark the way. Be careful not to overuse them, especially if the route is easy to follow. More frequent placement may be needed for trails that are hard to follow, such as on slickrock or paths that are frequently snow-covered. Warning Signs Warning signs are used to caution trail users of upcoming hazards and should be placed close to the trail so they're easy to see. Be sure to position them well in advance of the hazard so that visitors have enough time to read the sign and react. It is particularly important to sign before very challenging technical trail features, like big drop-offs, narrow bridges, or other elements of increased risk. Difficulty-Level Signs These should be posted at the main trailhead and at every access point. Signs should be large enough to clearly display the trail's difficulty level as well as its length. Signage should be particularly clear at the intersections of trails with differing difficulty levels. Regulatory Signs Regulatory signs delineate rules, such as the direction of travel, or designate user groups. When creating regulatory signs, keep the tone constructive and upbeat. Visitors are more apt to obey rules that are presented in a positive way. Educational Signs Educational signs interpret natural or cultural points of interest along the trail and should be placed farther from the trail tread - roughly 4 feet away. Trail users will stop to read these signs, and you don't want them to block the trail for extended periods. Post the signs in clear areas that are easily accessed (you don't want vegetation to be trampled while people read the sign). Educational signs are most useful when they are in close proximity to the elements they describe. Way-Marked Routes In a way-marked route system, certain trails are identified by unique blazes that enable users to follow a designated route on interconnecting trails. Marking routes in this manner is a convenient and effective way of giving visitors a self-guided experience without the need for frequent map checks. Way-marked routes usually link trails of similar difficulty. Sign Materials: Pros and Cons Signs can be crafted from a wide range of materials - everything from flexible plastic strips to immovable stone cairns. Here are the pros and cons of each. Plastics are widely available and come in a range of colors. Durability varies, so do your research. Plastics tend to expand and contract with temperature changes - something to consider if you live in an area marked by extreme temperature swings. Vandals are more likely to break a plastic sign than a stout steel sign, so keep that factor in mind if the trail is in a high-use urban setting. Wood is an aesthetically pleasing material and can be fairly affordable, but it is easily damaged by vandals. Be sure to use rot-resistant wood. Aluminum is lightweight and doesn't corrode. However, aluminum is expensive and doesn't blend with nature as well as wood or stone. Steel is affordable and durable, but it is prone to rusting and must be galvanized to resist corrosion. For some reason, there is a special breed of vandal who takes pleasure in shooting steel signs. One company actually produces signs that appear to have already been shot by a shotgun, as vandals are less likely to shoot a sign that's already been hit. It's a "beat 'em to the punch" approach that, while not terribly attractive, might keep your sign from being shredded by a shotgun blast. Stone is durable, but it limits the amount of information that can be posted on the sign, as carving stone is tedious and therefore expensive. Stone is best used in rock cairns that simply inform trail users that they are, in fact, still on the trail. Stone cairns can be made more permanent by corralling the stone in a wire framework.


Help \| Site Map \| Copyright