palgrave gets more fun...

[singlesprocket]

gnomes have been busy...

[cyclelicious]

Palgrave is looking good. There was a steady stream of riders and not a squirrel run in sight

[singlesprocket]

yah squirrel runs... a bad trail building habit to break. nothing worse then having a trail right beside another trail going in the opposite direction. i often get asked is it a good idea to build a pump track as part of the trail system... my response is "what! are you nuts..." unless you have some dj culture in the area (which means you have to build dj's also) it's a lot of extra work and maintenance. much smarter to incorporate pbj sections into the trail which will build the skills of all riders and add a degree of progression. i've talked about these to several members of the ptba and they agree based on their extensive experience. There are a couple of other issue as aesthetics, design etc...

[trailtrash]

looking good
can hardly wait to ride it

[Trail Ninja]

yah squirrel runs... a bad trail building habit to break. nothing worse then having a trail right beside another trail going in the opposite direction. i often get asked is it a good idea to build a pump track as part of the trail system... my response is "what! are you nuts..." unless you have some dj culture in the area (which means you have to build dj's also) it's a lot of extra work and maintenance. much smarter to incorporate pbj sections into the trail which will build the skills of all riders and add a degree of progression. i've talked about these to several members of the ptba and they agree based on their extensive experience. There are a couple of other issue as aesthetics, design etc...

Top Bridge Park, Parksville, BC.
XC singletrack. (Chatrell Rd. is about 1km ) There are many spots where you can actually reach out and slap someone going in the opposite direction. I can't begin to tell you what's wrong with this system.

[jduffett]

yah squirrel runs... a bad trail building habit to break. nothing worse then having a trail right beside another trail going in the opposite direction.

Why is that bad?

[Slash5]

You work with what you have. Only way to get decent trail length in small sites.
My favorite rides would all be "squirrel runs" - Puslinch Tract, Turkey Point, and Waterloo Hydro Cut.

[garage monster]

Top Bridge Park, Parksville, BC.
XC singletrack. (Chatrell Rd. is about 1km ) There are many spots where you can actually reach out and slap someone going in the opposite direction. I can't begin to tell you what's wrong with this system.

Wow, that looks like a plate of spaghetti!

[db9]

SS
I'm planning to got to Palgrave on Friday where bouts is this new section?

[tyh83]

That looks great! excellent job by all who were there.
thank you for your efforts!
hope to ride there soon.

[singlesprocket]

SS
I'm planning to got to Palgrave on Friday where bouts is this new section?

south end center...

[singlesprocket]

Why is that bad?

-hard to make sustainable
-promotes trail braiding
-no buffer zones in the forest
-does not meet mandates or fail to meet future mandates of naturalization
-aesthetically conflicts with the outdoor experience
-poor multi use design since it does not consider the use of the space as a restorative environment, etc...
-limits use to a specific stakeholder
-does not consider environmental psychology design principles

a thing to consider is just because a trail was built like that does not automatically make it the correct way to build trails...

[db9]

south end center...

I look forward to checking it out.

Thanks to the Gomes the work is appreciated

[Trail Ninja]

In the case of Top Bridge in Parksville

-hard to make sustainable
-promotes trail braiding (Boy, does it ever!!!)
-no buffer zones in the forest (Yes)
-does not meet mandates or fail to meet future mandates of naturalization (N/A)
-aesthetically conflicts with the outdoor experience (Yes to some extent.)
-poor multi use design since it does not consider the use of the space as a restorative environment, etc... (Not multi use trails)
-limits use to a specific stakeholder (Not multi use trails)
-does not consider environmental psychology design principles (Yes again)

a thing to consider is just because a trail was built like that does not automatically make it the correct way to build trails...

Top Bridge was built over 25 years ago and it is still the only mountain bike specific trail system on public land on Vancouver Island (it's in a city park) and probably in BC. When they got the chance, the local club put in as much trail as they could fit. Bikes were outlawed everywhere else. It holds up well because it's all on solid rock. If you ask anybody involved if they would do it that way again, you'd get a resounding "No". Bikes are now allowed on all trails in all regional parks and most city parks in the area. The provincial parks are behind the times but there are a few open to bikes.

[jduffett]

-hard to make sustainable
-promotes trail braiding
-no buffer zones in the forest
-does not meet mandates or fail to meet future mandates of naturalization
-aesthetically conflicts with the outdoor experience
-poor multi use design since it does not consider the use of the space as a restorative environment, etc...
-limits use to a specific stakeholder
-does not consider environmental psychology design principles

a thing to consider is just because a trail was built like that does not automatically make it the correct way to build trails...

Thanks.

All of these are certainly valid to a certain degree, though I would argue there is a time and a place... I can certainly see the value in packing the trails in to a density such that you can maximize the trail in a limited area, so long as you can maintain enough buffer to prevent the braiding and short-cutting.

[singlesprocket]

probably the most important thing is to be in sync with the mandates of the conservation authority or forestry department. a one time due diligence of a trail area does not mean that it will remain static based on that report. all areas come up for review after several years and that review (and resulting actions) is based on the policies of the controlling entity (these policies are not static). takes a bit of forward thinking to keep a trail area secure. one concept i push in committee meetings is that of legacy trails. this is actually common ground between between the mtbers/hikers and has opened dialogue between stakeholders on large projects such as nashville tract trail project . of course these trails must be multi use and have other characteristics which i touched in my previous post.

for example:

-heritage points of interests
-conducive to naturalization
-interconnectivity
-educational
-watershed or other environmental features
-community economical interests
-local agriculture opportunities (eat local)
-community recreational opportunities
-environmentally sensitive areas
-surrounding development
etc etc

[singlesprocket]

Thanks.

All of these are certainly valid to a certain degree, though I would argue there is a time and a place... I can certainly see the value in packing the trails in to a density such that you can maximize the trail in a limited area, so long as you can maintain enough buffer to prevent the braiding and short-cutting.

it can work in some areas, but design will follow this trend...

[garage monster]

All of these are certainly valid to a certain degree, though I would argue there is a time and a place... I can certainly see the value in packing the trails in to a density such that you can maximize the trail in a limited area, so long as you can maintain enough buffer to prevent the braiding and short-cutting.

It is especially tough to "rein in" the impulse to jam as much trail as possible in a limited space. In a spot like Christie Lake where we "only" have about 2 square kilometres to work with, we find that we sometimes need to take a step back, take a deep breath and really think about what makes the most sense.

We really try to keep an absolute minimum of twenty feet between treads and then we only get that close if we're running out of options due to grade or obstacles.

[Greg_o]

Was at Palgrave for the first time this past Sunday, was impressed with the couple trails I rode. Looking forward to go back and see some the improvements.

Good job, the work is appreciated!

[trailtrash]

just got back from palgrave
nice bit of work
thanks SS and anyone else involved in the trail work

[Greg_o]

Went again today - that is a great trail, it deserves an name if it doesn't have one. (just saw the numbered signs)

And that jump is bigger than the photo shows.

[singlesprocket]

Went again today - that is a great trail, it deserves an name if it doesn't have one. (just saw the numbered signs)

And that jump is bigger than the photo shows.

glad you like, never thought about a name. feel free to name it. i like it when people come up with names and make a little bit of artwork at the entrance of the trail.

[singlesprocket]

attended another trail build in palgrave...

testing out the flow...





the work party celebrating a job well done...

[SuprGrovr]

Nice!

My son and I were out helping Joe and the gang in September. Too bad we missed this build. Great to see some features added. Look forward to checking the new stuff out!

[singlesprocket]

some more pics from this weekend...

the line gets cleaned up and shaped some more...



showing some riders passing by that the feature can be easily rolled...