Impromptu day off tomorrow as it’s going to be sunny, gonna head down the woods and start building a track (hoping it’ll be done by spring if I start now). I’ve found a good spot but what’s the best way to start? Have a walk around the whole area or just start from the top and ‘make it up’ as I go?

Planning on keeping it as natural as possible so will probably just clear a route first, reasonable amount of hill to play with, any other general tips would be great.

Walk the area well first, look for natural features that can be used,rocks, roots, bomb holes, etc.
Decide what sort of trail it is to be, DH a fun trail rider trail.

If building jumps, see if you can make them rollable, and bermed corners may gather water if not thought out.

Use the hill wisely, so don’t lose height by dumping it down the fall line, it will just become a water course and a rut/gully will form.

If the area is fairly dense with trees, cut back all branches that are trail side, cut the back tight to the main trunk, last thing you want is getting stabbed by a piece of wood poking out of a tree. And also be aware of riding height, riders are taller when riding, than the height you’ll be stood on the ground(more room for jumps and kickers.

If crossing walker paths, design the trail so speed will have to be scrubbed off to avoid rambler traps(if you upset a walker by crossing at speed, next time there maybe a unexpected piece of tree, fishing line,etc. Consider other users.

Safe run outs and landings, make sure the blind side of any air time features, have sufficient space for landing on, try to avoid a tree stup littered area.

Ground conditions, this will have a big factor on how the trail rides through the seasons, good ground maybe under the surface.
What trees are in the wood and the gradient, will determine moisture content. Fir trees keep the ground drier but usually means years of dropped needles and a soft feel under tyre.

Enjoy! it’s very rewarding and when you receive good feed back it’s a great feeling, even if it’s from people not enjoying all the roots that appear from lots of use.

Get a mattock, a rake, a folding saw, perhaps a bilhook and a spade.

Iron bar and sledge if you need wooden stakes to hold up lips or berm edges, wood will rot in time, so don’t let it be the main strength in the feature.

Try to not expose the trail head and exit till it’s all done, i’ve been down partially built trails only to find it not finished resulting in me crashing through undergrowth.
Also means you can stash your tools without much awareness that the pixies are aboot.

All good advice above. Just want to add good luck!

And echo the bit about hiding the trail head until it’s ready.

Thanks Sharki that’s great some things I didn’t think of there.

GHill – thanks, might post some photos tomorrow if I can decide on a route

Drainage is the difficult bit, avoiding fall line is obviuos enough, try to guess where water will stand once trail is ridden in and avoid. Cut across slopes and avoid flat sections / dips etc. Go over natural humps, use them as water bars.
Avoid bits of trail that go fast then need heavy braking, it will just get knackered.

Dont build any trail head nor exit at all if you want it kept quiet. They will appear once its found but it can help keep a finished trail under the radar for a while.

It takes lots of doing things wrong until you can have a good idea of what works and what doesnt if its just a cheeky trail in the wood. Ive learnt alot from attending official sanctioned build sessions and from friends helping who know about ‘proper trail building’.

And take lots of supplies, water and first aid kit.

Can be the first “dad” to say – get the landowner’s permission 😉

I’m not going to argue pro’s and con’s but it’s undeniably gutting to spend time and effort building a sweet trail to have a landowner find it and tear it out. They will find it, sooner or later. Permission up front can help ensure this doesn’t happen.

Your situation and POV may vary etc etc. Of course if it’s your land, knockk yourself out 😎

Sharki’s and Scruff’s advice is all good. Getting to an “official” trail building day is a good way to pick up tips. Depends where you are. We (SingletrAction) have a few across Yorkshire.

If you aren’t going to get permission then, personally, I’d go for a softly-softly approach. By that I imagine just raking a line and very gentle / subtle shaping and pruning to create only essential trail features. The less it looks “built” the less other users may feel they “object” and therfore less likley to report or destroy it themselves. Plus the less alarming and striking the land manager is likley to percieve it when it is, eventually, found. That might not be possible with what you have in mind.

IMBA UK and the parent organisation IMBA have some good information on their respective websites about trail planning and building. It can be a bit hidden away and some of it has to be paid for but there’s a lot that’s free (especially on IMBA). Lee McCormack’s pdf book (a $10 download) “Pump Track Nation” is excellent (LeeLikeBikes.com). Not just for PTs as you can take the concepts and apply them to trails very effectively.

IMO water is your biggest enemy. Try to avoid the fall line whenever possible. Make sure water can run off the side of the trail faster than it can run down it (cross fall).

PLan it form top to bottom in advance taking into account all the stuff the others have mentioned. Use what you’ve got to hand. Start simple and learn from your mistakes, you’ll make loads 😉

Good luck.

Thanks CM, the softly softly approach it will be 😉

Fair enough, I’m not your dad 😉

One thing to bear in mind, if there’s an established trail group or similar active in the same area it would only be polite to talk to them. We have had “kids” building DH-ish tracks in the woods where we do some of our work.

It’s a bit of a PITA because it has the chance to undermine what we’re trying to do with FC, isn’t built very well and generally makes everything a touch more awkward. Also, whilst I’m not claiming “dibs” we have been working on some of these sites for years (8 or 9 at the one I’m thinking of) it’s a bit galling to have someone waltz in and do what the heck they like without even talking to us.

Yet again though, this might not apply in your situation.

😎