So I recently came into owning about 6 acres of land. Although this isn't very large in terms of creating any kind of substantial trail system, I thought it might be fun to create a skills park of sorts. I was thinking of cutting a primary loop around the perimeter of the property, and then adding various features in the center and maybe even a pump track. (Although I know creating a good pump track is a pretty intense undertaking in terms of materials, labor, and know-how required. Perhaps something I could build down the road.)
The property is located about 45 minutes away from my college, so it wouldn't be too difficult to pop up there a few times a week to build once the weather gets nice. Though we have an extensive trail network in our town, we are at the mercy of local municipalities in terms of what we can and can't build. The powers-that-be have prohibited us from building wood features, and any large jumps/berms/drops that are more towards the downhill/free-riding end of the spectrum would be incongruous with our predominantly xc/am trail network. I mostly want to create this because I think it'd be a fun place to go and focus on improving technical skills.
A basic description of the land. Slightly sloped away from the road, relatively deep lot, good drainage. Haven't been up there in awhile so my memory on it is a little hazy, but from what I remember it's mostly young maples and a lot of brush. (I think it had been used as a farmers field sometime over the last century, so it's lacking any kind of old growth.)
So I'm wondering what kind of advice all of you trail-savvy people can give me before I start building and find myself in over my head. Any tips for a person new to trail building who'd like to create their own little private skills park?
The property is located about 45 minutes away from my college, so it wouldn't be too difficult to pop up there a few times a week to build once the weather gets nice. Though we have an extensive trail network in our town, we are at the mercy of local municipalities in terms of what we can and can't build. The powers-that-be have prohibited us from building wood features, and any large jumps/berms/drops that are more towards the downhill/free-riding end of the spectrum would be incongruous with our predominantly xc/am trail network. I mostly want to create this because I think it'd be a fun place to go and focus on improving technical skills.
A basic description of the land. Slightly sloped away from the road, relatively deep lot, good drainage. Haven't been up there in awhile so my memory on it is a little hazy, but from what I remember it's mostly young maples and a lot of brush. (I think it had been used as a farmers field sometime over the last century, so it's lacking any kind of old growth.)
So I'm wondering what kind of advice all of you trail-savvy people can give me before I start building and find myself in over my head. Any tips for a person new to trail building who'd like to create their own little private skills park?