What makes a trail (pathway) good?

I was watching a recent video that Paul where he was showing off how he Builds a Mountain Pathway Six to Twelve Feet per day.

What makes a good trail? Is it more than a compacted pathway? How could a person improve their trails and pathways?

A good trail in my mind is one that you can walk on barefoot easily and comfortably. That means sweeping sticks and thorns out of it and keeping it clear of sharp stones, as well as having boardwalks over muddy areas or avoiding them altogether.

In my book, smooth stones and brook crossings are okay in summer, as the feet stay clean, but some sort of bridge might be welcome in winter.

Ideally, it should not be too steep, especially if there is risk of slipping.

This is different from paths for vehicles, that may go over stones, sticks and so on, and need a wider area. Often they cause ruts that collect water and become muddy, leaving a single strip of grassy, easily walkable pathway in the middle. But oftentimes they are also fine for walking.

Sections of the Appalachian Trail near here are a good example, and also a certain path up a local mountain that is worn by use.

My favorite trails/paths have twists and turns that make me wonder what's around the next corner.  

My immediate first thought was “improve for who or what?”  To use an example, the Grand Canyon is full of trails.  Some seem to be more like an interstate….such as the Bright Angel”.  I saw a woman using it wearing fashion boots with heels. Others, I wonder how a mountain goat could navigate them.

On a similar level, on my homestead I stay aware my wife often uses a cane. I am also aware that some day she may use a wheel chair.  Do all paths have to be available to her …. No. But I do know she likes to visit the goats and chickens….so those paths are better maintained. I am providing the chickens a larger home closer to the house.  I am also putting in a container garden closer to the house.

Now, for me, I want a trail that has some visual interests and some challenges. …hiking wise.   Around the homestead, I want pathways that don’t get muddy in the rain.

My property has a lot of trails though they are mostly used by deer.

In spring, I had patches of wildflowers that come back every year though they are isolated deep in the woods.

I would be nice if I had walking trails back to those flowers.

My walking trails would need to be flat and smooth.

So that the trail is not lots over time it would need wood chips thickly laid.

The way my property is 30 to 45 minutes would be enough to get to those flowers.

Other times of year the trails could be used to pick prickly pear cactus tunas.

I like my tracks
- Wide enough and level enough for a wheelbarrow.
- Without overhanging branches that catch at me and get me wet.
- Not getting too muddy when it rains.
- Taking me where I want to go without sharp bends or excessive distance.
- With useful and edible plants to the side of them.

I've improved some of my pedestrian paths to make them wide enough for our little invalid scooter

pathway under improvement

To me, the most important thing to control is water. If a trail gets muddy, it's more likely to deteriorate and erode.

It's nice to use all local material, but one area of our farm trail gets water sheeting over it in heavy storms. Using a pipe would concentrate that water. So we got some "road base" fine gravel which we spread and compacted in that area. Now the water sheets over it in a wide enough area, that it doesn't erode either the trail, or the forest down from the trail. This likely wouldn't work if the area wasn't just very gently sloped.

The wheelbarrow width test is the one I always come back to. If it can't take a loaded barrow it's more of a stroll path than a working garden path. And water is everything, a perfectly graded path turns into a mud pit by November if you haven't thought about drainage.