Fundamentals of Trail Maintenance - Northern Utah

If you are excited about taking care of your local trails, but need some knowledge and skills, this training is for you! The purpose of the training is to elevate your ability to identify common trail maintenance issues, understand the underlying causes of these issues, learn about and propose a viable maintenance solution, and practice implementing the solution on a real trail, with real tools, in real time. The training is an immersive, field-based, hands-on experience that will connect you with content experts and fellow trail enthusiasts.

The training will be held Tuesday, October 21st and Wednesday October 22 from 9:00am to 4:00 each day at the (PLACEHOLDER) trailhead in Bountiful, Utah. The training will consist of instruction given at the trailhead and while the group traverses the trail on day 1, as well as group instruction during the implementation phase on day 2. This training will require participants to hike several miles each day in rough and uneven terrain with a light backpack and carrying hand tools.

Participants will be responsible for their own lodging during the training. Several hotels and short term rental options are available in the general area as well as dispersed and reserved camping. A boxed lunch will be provided during the first day of the training but all other meals, snacks, and drinks are the responsibility of the participant.

Training Agenda:

Tuesday, October 21st:

• 9:00 am- Meet at the (PLACEHOLDER) trailhead. (INCLUDE MAP LINK)

• 9:00-12:00 - Learn about and conduct a trail assessment

• 12:00-1:00 - Lunch at the (PLACEHOLDER) trailhead (provided).

• 1:00-4:00 - Finalize trail assessment and develop a maintenance work plan.

• 4:00 - Depart

Wednesday, October 22nd:

• 9:00 am- Meet at the (PLACEHOLDER) trailhead. (INCLUDE MAP LINK)

• 9:00-12:00 - Learn about and in small groups, implement trail maintenance work plan from the day before

• 12:00-1:00 - Lunch at the (PLACEHOLDER) trailhead (participant responsibility).

• 1:00-3:00 - Complete and review other groups maintenance projects.

• 3:00-4:00 - Review and reflection.

• 4:00 - Depart

This training features trails expert Mark Loseth from Raven Trails and the concepts, terminology, and techniques presented in this training are derived from current industry best practices and standards and align with competencies supported by the American Trails Association's Trail Skills Project. Participants in this training will be well prepared to take the initial sections of the Trail Technician Level 1 exam.

This training is being offered by the Utah Trails Forum in partnership with Utah State University Extension, and the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation. This training is made possible, and affordable thanks to the fiancial support of Utah's Recreational Trails Program. If the registration cost is a barrier to your participation please contact Jake Powell ([email protected]) to discuss available options.

We appreciate the public land managers and those trail professionals that work to maintain the trails we all love. If you are a public land manager or work for a public land management agency please contact Jake Powell ([email protected]) for a registration discount code to help make this training accessible for you and as a thank you for your efforts.

Host or Publisher Utah State University Landscape Architecture Extension