Trail Building and Maintenance with Kids

Have you ever traveled down a trail and wondered who built it or how it got there? Have you given any thought to how trails are actually made? Have you ever thought about creating your own hiking trails that go exactly where you want them to go? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re going to love this post! Today, Jared Ryan, Oklahoma dad of 2 and literal trailblazer is here sharing his experience building trails with kids and how to maintain hiking trails. 

An idea is borne

As a father who is constantly seeking ways to inspire my kids to be adventurous, and wild, and borderline primal, I usually find our journeys heading down a trail. We LOVE hiking, and mountain biking, and even just finding a place to picnic where our conversations and thoughts are not interrupted by other people… Ironically, people like us. 

We wanted to get away from it all. And so, an idea was borne. 

The idea started on a particular hike when my son (7) and I were looking for rocks to add to his collection. We had let my wife and daughter hike ahead while we searched and chatted. He made a comment on how “cool” the trail had been. This sparked an amazing conversation about what he’d do if he could build his own trail. I kept note of this conversation and naturally as any sane and loving father would do, I started cutting a private trail on family land. With my kids…

Planning our trails

Using a little Field Notes book, we began collecting data on all of the trails we hiked. We noted what we liked, what we disliked, what we would do differently, what worked well, etc. We even started taking pictures of how features were built and laid out. This really helped my kids recall previous conversations we had as we could pull up the photos and discuss. 

Then, when we were ready to start creating our own trails on our family land, I allowed my kids to pick the routes we wanted to take and even choose what features they wanted to incorporate. Luckily they kept it mild, aside from a few bridges. 

Survey the land

We started by completing a hasty survey of the land to determine what we were working with. Then, we flagged and staked the trail. Initially, we did this with orange flagging ribbon so that it stands out in the timber. Once each section of trail is completed we will go pack and remove the flagging, replacing it with wooden DIY arrows and trail ducks (stacked rocks).  Our arrows are simply burned into 1-inch thick slices from a wooden fence post. 

Blazing trails and teaching moments

Currently, we have hand-cut 1 mile (one way) of singletrack hiking trails on our land. This has allowed me to teach my kiddos the parts of a trail and how they function. Through our trail building experience, they’ve learned about adding berms to allow mountain bikers to carry speed through a turn. They know how to benchcut an off-camber section to keep the trail from eroding downhill. They’ve even learned how to out-slope the trail to keep water from pooling on it.  These are all attributes of any good trail that no longer go unrecognized by our kids. Trail building is much more than just a path through the woods (although, sometimes that is exactly what it is). 

Trail building has given us so many opportunities to get them to think outside the box and exercise those engineering and problem-solving skills. I like to ask them how they think we should fix or mitigate a problem with the trail, which allows them the opportunity to have input and use what they’ve learned so far. They’re quite the problem-solvers and often bring up ideas I hadn’t thought of. And then sometimes their ideas are along the lines of “just build a ramp, Dad, so we can jump the creek!” 

Helping build trails on public land*

Our favorite public trail systems can almost always use our help. If you’re interested in helping build or maintain trails on public land, reach out to your local trail bosses or state parks. Volunteer yourself (and your family!) to help them cut and maintain those magnificent trails that you use and love. Most organizations even have designated trail workdays that you can jump in on. This is a great way to use the knowledge you already have and gain even more experience working with professionals. 

*I should probably add that you should never do any work that is not authorized or planned by the maintainers of the trail. Even something simple like removing rocks or detouring around a mud puddle can completely alter the layout of a trail. 

Trail building tools

Whether you are joining a trail crew for the occasional workday or starting your own network of trails on your land, there are need a few basic tools you need for building trails. 

Rakes

After flagging your trails, you’ll want to rake away all the loose grass and leaves down to the dirt. I like to use a leaf rake where the grass is already sparse and a garden rake when trying to pull out any shallow roots or small rocks. (A garden hoe works well for this also). Raking the path is an easy, simple, and safe task for any age kid and gives them immediate gratification. 

Hatchet

A good hatchet might become your most used tool on the trail. You’ll want to use the hatchet for most smaller diameter limbs and little shrubs. I also find myself using it for ripping out briar bushes and busting up softer sandstone rocks with the blunt side.  Make sure to closely supervise kids when using tools like a hatchet. Older kids can probably handle them, but little ones will need assistance. 

Handsaws

Carrying a compact handsaw will make quick work of any small trees or medium-sized limbs. Where a hatchet may take several minutes to chop a small tree, a handsaw can fell it half the time. Again, supervise kids and make sure to teach them proper tool safety lessons. 

Quality work gloves

It only takes forgetting your work gloves once and a nice big blister to realize your mistake. I prefer to use leather gloves over synthetic ones, but it’s really a personal choice. For my kids, I was able to find full leather gloves at our local Tractor Supply store. I’m sure you can find them at most big box stores, or online if you know your kid’s glove size. 

Other trail building supplies

Probably goes without saying, but pack in plenty of water and snacks when you’re out building trails with kids. It’s really easy to lose track of time when you’re all working hard. Time has escaped us enough times now that set alarms on my phone to remind us when to eat and when to call it a day. 

I prefer to bring a backpack to carry anything that will fit. After working all day, the last thing you and the kiddos will want to do is hike out while fumbling around with your hands full of your tools.  

I also like to bring along a map so that I can map my trails and see the progress we’re making as we work. While I use a combination of my Garmin watch along with the Motion-X GPS app on my phone (any GPS device will work). The app is free and allows you to record your tracks and even set waypoints with notes. There are plenty of GPS apps out there and most will work just fine as they all use your phone’s built-in GPS receiver.

Some necessary trail building rules

After building trails for a while, we’ve figured a few things out. We’ve had to set a few ground rules for the kids (and adults) that we’ve laid out for our trail building workdays:

The hatchet is BY FAR my son’s favorite tool, naturally. So we have a little saying of “One swing, one strike”. Simply meaning that he swings once, and then resets before swinging again. This was just my way of keeping him from swinging too fast or uncontrollably. The other hatchet rule is to never swing the hatchet over their heads. This is really a sound rule for kids and adults alike.

We all wear our gloves anytime we are working. Aside from avoiding blisters, I require them to prevent cuts from the handsaw and to protect our hands from scorpions and “trick sticks” (what my son calls snakes) that often hide under the rocks and brush. 

We also stop when it is time to stop. My kids have really impressed me with how dedicated they are to their task-at-hand. And how hard they will work to complete it. But, the last thing I want is for them to have overworked muscles the next day and to be tired at school. So we set a sort of ‘quitting time’ and when it’s time to stop, we stop. This also allows us time to admire our day’s work and not be rushed to leave it. 

Maintaining trails with kids

Building trails and maintaining them is a never-ending project. Nature continuously repairs itself, so maintenance and upkeep will be necessary for the life of any trail or nature will take back over. That’s both a wonderful thing and an exhausting one. Once you’ve got a well-packed centerline along your path, most of the maintenance will consist of seasonal upkeep.

In the spring and summer months, weed-eating along the edges and trimming limbs will be the bulk of your work. But, be prepared to fix any low spots that are holding water or eroding away as a result of the spring rains. 

Winter and fall maintenance is a little easier, in my opinion. We walk our trail with a rake and leaf blower and this is usually all that needs to be done. For us, this needs to be done 2-3 times per season. The cooler months are also when we prefer to add any new features or big projects to our trail. While my kids prefer the warmer work days, working in the cooler temps provides more safety for the kiddos from any slithery snakes or even scorpions. 

Trail building through all weather

My kiddos have never shied away from the tough work, so I never shied away from letting them do it, even in tough weather. As I mentioned above, trails are a never-ending project and always need work. That’s why I don’t cancel a trail day due to “bad” weather. I’m not talking about thunderstorms or sauna temperatures, but if the weather forecast calls for showers or hot weather, I simply plan accordingly.

Pack up the rain jackets for storms or the frozen water bottles for the heat. Dress accordingly (always layers). It’s much cooler in the woods than you might imagine on a hot day. And, working in the rain can be an easy way to see where your trail might be holding water requiring more adequate drainage points. 

Kids are resilient. I am continuously impressed with how often my kids want to work on our trails regardless of the weather. We have had plenty of HOT workdays and days where a warm fire and some hot chocolate were the perfect end. They seem to forget about the conditions when they’re focused on their task at hand.

Why we love the work

We love being in the woods, getting dirty, and how we always feel better after exerting our energy through a productive outlet. There is so much about trail building that we love and too few ways of explaining it. Everything from the pride you get in your labor to the sense of ownership you get to have over the trails you love.

For me, the benefits of trail building seem to come in unexpected ways. Like when we’re hiking in a state park or on any public trail and my son points out the attributes of a trail that he wants to incorporate into ours. Or even parts he’d fix differently. This has been a wildly unexpected and prideful result of this entire process. I knew my kids would learn and grow from the physical and mental work, but I could not have imagined the joy they would have from working so hard and how proud I would be of them. 

Get into the wild

At Run Wild My Child we are adventurists and explorers of the wild. We all have a connection to trails, so let’s not be scared to reach out to a local trail boss and offer up our weekend to help maintain them. The trail crews and patrons alike will GREATLY appreciate you and your littles’ hard work. And we can all continue to reap the benefits of like-minded trail-lovers everywhere. Because we are all part of nature and it belongs to us all. It’s our responsibility to take care of it. 

National Trail Day is June 5

Did you know that National Trail Day is coming up? This Saturday, June 5th is National Trail Day. How are you going to celebrate? By hiking your favorite trail or blazing a new one? If you want to help, visit the American Hiking Society, International Mountain Bicycling Association, or your State Parks Department to find out how you can become involved. 

About the author

Jared Ryan is a husband to a talented and beautiful wife, Kristen also a father of two fun-loving and adventurous kiddos. He enjoys leading family adventures to both near and far destinations. Whether it is hiking, camping, climbing, bike riding, or playing in the backyard, he loves it all. He instills in his family the importance of nature and all the benefits it can bring to one’s life. Jared is a GIS analyst by trade, so he is naturally drawn to creating maps and all things trail-related, whether it is creating new trails, recording family hikes, or teaching his kids land navigation, he loves to tie in his own work with family adventures.

You can find Jared online in the following locations:
Instagram: @bikeshikesbiners
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