Trails and standing water

[mcmopar]

Hello all, I have some trails, in my woods, that I cut/built last summer. After all the snow has melted, southwestern New York, I checked on my trails and of course they are kinda wet and muddy. However I have some areas that have standing water and my question is, how to fix/get rid of the wet/standing water areas? Fill dirt, stones, or? I have a tractor, with loader and backhoe, also have a woods box scraper. I have attached pictures of the worst areas. Thanks for the help.

 

[Sberry]

Are they going to dry shortly?

 

[buck12]

We have miles of logging roads on our hunting leases. What we do dig a trench on the low side to let water drain. Standing water and ATV or truck traffic will create a mud pit over time.

 

[WranglerX]

IF water is in low spots and you can not drain it off, yes you are going have to fill it...... What ever method does the job is acceptable, rock, gravel , compactable soil....

 

[mcmopar]

Are they going to dry shortly?

I don't know when or if, I do know they get worse when the rain comes.

 

[mcmopar]

Thanks for the reply's, please keep them coming, with suggestions.

 

[bcp]

Raise the road, or dig drainage ditches to a spot lower than the existing road. Without knowing the terrain nearby, it is hard to suggest which is best.

Bruce

 

[Jstpssng]

Can we assume these are recreational trails, and not something you will use to access a camp or outbuilding on your property? From your pictures it seems like you can get them to drain off. The first two just need a little help getting it to drain off to the left. The last one where the water wants to run across the road really need a culvert or small broad based dip to let the water run across.

 

[John_Mc]

If the terrain allows it, the best approach is to drain the water off the trails: if it's possible to dig out the side of the wet area and let the water drain away, that is the place to start. Just building the trail up might not help if all you are doing is creating a dam for water on the uphill side.

Obviously, some types of terrain will not allow for this.

 

[Gordon Gould]

All good advise. You can do a lot with ditchesaccros the road and through the edges but sometimes you need fill too. See if you can find a place to ditch and drain/lower the standing water beside the road also. It may be a ways from the road. Another thing is figure out where the water comes from. If it runs down the road and accumulates in the low spot then you can make some water bars/ditches to get the water off the road before it gets into the low spot. If you put a culvert where the is no grade it will probably just fill with mud but an open wooden culvert made from logs or lumber would let you clean it out easily.

gg