Last weekend some folks and I met to discuss building a new trail near Minot, ND. If you have ever been here, or anywhere else in the great plains, you will recognize the type of terrain. The area we are looking at is an area where the iceberg ended during some Ice age or other. I think that it ended some time next month.
Looking up and down the draw. There is a spring fed creek at the bottom of the draw that can get quite deep and wide. One of the biggest challenges will be to find a way to cross the creek. The last picture is of our most likely location for crossing.
We hope to have at least four miles of trail complete by July of this year, and eight miles of trail by the end of summer. IMBA is working with us, and we have motivated property owners that actually WANT to have the trail put on their property. Please wish us luck as we haven't got a great deal of trails in the area as of now.
.......just caught your analogy @ the bottom of your posts....I'm doing a little reality check lately myself. Was in my own little world for a couple hours just spinning around the trails on my SS!
Prairie trails can be beautiful and fun. What's your plan for vegetation control? Mowing? Herbicides? I'd like to know because we may be doing something similar here (Iowa) with a group of equestrians. I'm sure IMBA will make sure that you have the proper grades & drainage to make the trail sustainable and fun to ride. Good luck!
Matt
PS - I'm sure IMBA will tell you this, but remember that keeping the trail DRY is the key to making it last. If your soil is like ours, it has almost no "backbone" when wet, so moderate grades and sidehill design with excellent drainage are very important.
Prairie trails can be beautiful and fun. What's your plan for vegetation control? Mowing? Herbicides? I'd like to know because we may be doing something similar here (Iowa) with a group of equestrians. I'm sure IMBA will make sure that you have the proper grades & drainage to make the trail sustainable and fun to ride. Good luck!
Matt
PS - I'm sure IMBA will tell you this, but remember that keeping the trail DRY is the key to making it last. If your soil is like ours, it has almost no "backbone" when wet, so moderate grades and sidehill design with excellent drainage are very important.
We plan on mowing initially in areas that will be conducive to that. In areas where a mower is impractical, some herbicide will go down, but we want to be SURE that is what we want before using any herbicide as it takes a long time for the prairie grasses to recover from that. In areas where neither will work, it will come down to good ole sweat with pulaskis and mccleouds.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mountain Bike Reviews Forum
15.4M posts
515.2K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Mountain Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, trails, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!