Building a Walking Trail

[BTDT]

I bought 50 acres last year and started a trail for hiking and jogging around the perimeter. For my purposes, a Stilh brushcutter combined with my chainsaw worked very well since I had mostly thorn bushes and small trees. I can wind the trail around the larger tress and cut out an ocassionaly samplings of 3 or 4 inch diameter. Part of the trail is too sloped for my riding land mower or a tractor and has rocks on the slope so brushcutting is the only answer. For the remainder of the trail, I have used my riding lawn mower and after many mandrel replacement, I realize why they call it a riding LAWN mower. But I am afraid of rolling over the tractor.

This project it about 75% complete, almost ready to start the bridge over the small stream. Good luck, Remember making a pth it is healthy workout, not work!

Maybe you can start a thread on your trail and bridge project. I'm sure folks would be interested. We always like pictures.

 

[dmccarty]

We have trails left from the skidders these are a good 8 feet wide but these are intenal to the proprety. They are good to get access to the edges of the property though.

Around the property lines I have slowing been clearing for trails and to keep the lines open. I have done this with a Stihl brushcutter. That is more than tiresome and slow. Now I use a DR Mower brushcutter with a 30 inch width. This is MUCH faster and easer than the Stihl. Once the initial path is made its pretty easy to keep clear. I bought the DR this time last year and cleared some lines. I went back in December and recut it with no problem what so ever. Almost like mowing a lawn at that point. I use the DR to cut my grass as well.

I will have to widen the trails and that is work the DR can do but a chainaw will have to get used as well. My goal is to get the trail wide enough to get the JD4700 and brush cutter to do the work. But it will take quite a bit of work to get the lines cleared 8-10 feet wide. Eventually I'm sure I'll have to put up a fence. A fence is already needed in a couple of spots.

One of the local parks used to use simple mulch for the paths but they had so much traffic they had to go with ABC gravel and then a layer of mulch. One problem I have with using the tractor to cut the lines is the soggy soil. In some places I may have to put down geotextile fabric and gravel to support the tractor. I would like to put down mulch but when you are talking a path 7 feet wide 4 inches deep and one mile long that is big bucks and even more time....

Later,
Dan

 

[EddieWalker]

I make my trails with my dozer. I drive through the brush and trees, knocking over what's in front of me without taking out the bigger trees. I like to wonder through the woods if I can.

The dozer dosn't do a very good job on the smaller stuff, and is pretty rough on the ground too. A few months after the dozer has done the majority of the damage, I'll bring in the backhoe and take out the larger of the small saplings out. Then I clean up all the debri that's had time to dry out and take it to the burn pile.

Next I drag the trails to smooth them out. This might take several passes, or most of a day of going back and forth over the ground to get in nice and smooth. Sometimes I have to bring in loads of dirt to get it real nice.

Then I let nature do her thing with plants and grass. I'll start mowing when it's tall enough and keep it mowed.

My trails are ten to 12 feet wide because I like to be able to drive down them if I have to, or just want to play on them. I also like them that wide for hunting and running away from snakes. At 12 feet, that's still way too little room for a snake encounter!!!! Steph and I came across a cotton mouth on a trail last spring that was laying across the trail. We saw it just before it took off into the woods. We don't know where it went because we were both running in the oposite direction!!!!!

Make your trails wide enough to be safe and comfortable to use for a multipile of reasons.

Have fun,
Eddie

 

[MossRoad]

Ride along with me as I build a trail. I also need to clear a field.


All done except for this multiflora rose.

It works just as well in the woods on anything that it can knock over. Usually limited to 1.5" oak or 2" softwoods.

 

[Jagmandave]

I think the way Bmac did it is the way to go, done in a few hours and only minor maint from there on - instant gratification and returns the spoils to the environment..........

 

[scott_vt]

I have about a 1 mile trail around the outside of our 12.5 acre property.

Afternoon Mike,
I was just doing some simple math and wondering how you get a 1 mile trail around 12 acres ? Does it do a bunch of meandering ? I would think you need about 40 acres to get a 1 mile trail around the perimeter ? Not nitpicking just curious.

 

[3RRL]

Licklog,
I recently did what you are planning to do, except I made my trails big enough to take my ATV on and even my jeep.
Here is my thread about it.
Pushing in Roads and Trails
To start, my wife and I hiked around the property to decide what areas we'd like to stroll through. Some of the places we wanted to visit were not the greatest to work on, but having a road or trail there would really open up the rest of the property for our pleasure. Knowing that I would eventually use the tractor to make the trails and roads, I made sure there was enough room for it to pass through and between the trees and obstacles. Then I proceeded to use the tractor to make trails and roads.

 

[BTDT]

Afternoon Mike,
I was just doing some simple math and wondering how you get a 1 mile trail around 12 acres ? Does it do a bunch of meandering ? I would think you need about 40 acres to get a 1 mile trail around the perimeter ? Not nitpicking just curious.

Yes, some times you cover the same ground going and coming,(see attatched), but when we started walking it I took one of the cheap measuring wheels along, and we measured, and it came to about a mile. But, also, as you can see, some of it goes on property adjoining us (kind of misleading I guess), the levee along the creek to concrete crossing and back.

 

[mjarrels]

Guess I'm spoiled rotten... live next to a 36 hole golf course and have miles and miles of walking trail (paved too). If I get lazy, I can ride a cart.

mark

 

[EddieWalker]

Ride along with me http://www.mossroad.com/PT425Videos/PT425DeepWeeds1.WMV

MossRoad,

Thanks, those were some great clips. I've never seen one of those tractors in action and it realy impressed me at how fast and smooth it looked. The mower in the front is just the greatest feature in the world!!!!

Thanks,
Eddie