Why do we like trails so much?

[grsthegreat]

I made 1.25 miles of trails on my property. Takes a lot more to keep them clean and open than it took to make them. Great get away spot fo me to walk the dog year round.

 

[dfkrug]

I must now have over a mile of trails on my 19 acres. Most of that has been built in the past 2y since I got my 36" wide mini-X. Before that, it was all pick-and-shovel. No mowing.

Is trail-building the "killer-ap" for your latest tools? Rhetorical question.

 

[RalphVa]

The ticks must love you

Ticks like to hide. No place to hide on a naked body. Get very few.

 

[ultrarunner]

I built a trail from my house to mom's which is through the woods and over the creek...

Driving the paved road is much greater in distance...

The hardest part was abating the prolific poison oak...

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Trails are how you know where the deer walk. They are really kind of lazy. They stick to their own trails until I cut a new one, and then they will use it. I whack the low hanging branches over deer trails, and they are mostly useful for people, except where you have to jump to follow the track.

 

[Rustyiron]

Good trails (access) is vital to good management and stewardship.
Then there's the enjoyment and recreation side. All good reasons to like trails.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I bet deer aren't lazy. They probably know where it's safer to travel. Not like they can go to the ER if they break a leg, or poke out an eye.

I blazed a trail through deep snow to the back of the property recently. Amazing to see the wildlife traffic, evidenced by the tracks. Makes me feel like the effort is worth it, aside from just us using it.

 

[airbiscuit]

Deer are funny about what spooks them. I was cutting brush through a newly blazed trail, and with the mower crashing and banging, about 40 yards back a doe and fawn were walking down my new trail and being curious. All that racket didn't bother them, but step on a twig during deer season, and they're off and running.

 

[bcp]

Predators are silent or nearly so, and movement like that scares deer. Things making noise don't bother them.

Bruce

 

[ArlyA]

We do many, many hours of trail clearing each summer and we have also been training on how to do it. This is with whackers, saws, loppers etc, etc and in the northern hardwoods. On our dogs blog is a section dedicated to that, but its mostly photos. If anyone has any questions on the hows and whys, I'm game to try answering questions.