Trail Construction Tools
- Labor tools are the most common for the trail building process. The tools include shovels and picks for clearing the lane and relocating plants. Trail builders use picks and shovels to dig holes for log or stone steps. Post hole diggers and digging bars make holes for bridge supports, sign posts and for general use in moving materials. Digging bars are also effective for prying large rocks out of the ground. Builders use saws, hammers and nails to build bridges and use the saws to move downed trees.
- Motorized equipment includes weed whackers, chainsaws and big equipment like the backhoe and bobcat. The big equipment is primarily used to create large trails on private lands, as wilderness areas and public lands restrict the equipment from damaging the natural features. Chainsaws are a common tool for trail building. The saws allow trail builders to quickly remove downed trees and trees that are a danger to people walking the trail. They also use the chainsaw for fire management in the trail area and for carving log steps to insert in the trail.
- Measuring tools help maintain a relative trail width and determine the inclination required for switchbacks and different trail routes. The tape measure is a common tool for measuring trail width as well as the dimensions of potential rock and log steps. The clinometer is also an important tool that assists with measuring the grade of a slope. The tool helps trail builders determine the grade and number of switchbacks required to reach a high point.
- Bonding materials include mortar and cement. The materials require trowels and buckets for mixing and application. Builders use bonding to build rock steps and to cement log steps into the ground. Using the materials is not common on remote trails but many park trail systems use the techniques to create a safe trail. Bonding also can cement rocks and logs along the edge of a deteriorating slope. The stabilization process protects plants on the slope and helps prevent hiker-caused erosion.
