DRaider90
Uwharrie Off-Road Volunteering
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2007
- Location
- Weddington, NC
The most common term used when heavy trail repairs are done is that the trails have been "paved". In other words the rocks/obstacles and other more difficult areas are filled in with dirt. Here is everything you need to know about heavy trail repairs or "trail paving".
When the OHV trail system was laid out (new trails were dozed, and old trails expanded to allow OHV use) the trail system was essentially a Green/Blue Diamond system (easy/moderate). There weren't a ton of rock out croppings etc. Over time erosion from rain and trail use (tire spin etc) the dirt is removed from the surface and the trails grow in difficulty. The more erosion that occurs the harder the trails get.
So more erosion = more difficulty. To prevent excessive erosion like what occured at the Tellico OHV the trails have to be repaired on a yearly basis. At one point the trail system at Uwharrie was kept very well maintained and the difficulty of the trails reflected this (they were easy to moderate at best). Paving the trails as some call it was a yearly thing, and the trails were kept very mild.
Beyond erosion the Forest Service must also meet the goal of providing trails of varying difficulty for the general public. The definition of general public being stock to mildly built rigs. So their main focus is on easy/moderate trails. Difficult trail(s) being their secondary focus. One site has it broken down into 40% Green Trails, 40% Blue Trails, and 20% Black Trails. The round about summary of this is that the Forest Service isn't required to provide a lot of difficult trails/obstacles. And the only reason the trails at Tellico became as difficult as they did, is because they let erosion get extremely out of hand. In other words if the trails at Tellico were maintained at a level to avoid closure they would be nothing like they ended up being difficulty wise.
As many might have noticed since 2006 the trail system has grown in difficulty. This is becase a lot of the trails were "let go" so to speak, to increase in difficulty with little repairs made. Now we have reached a point where the erosion is becoming an issue, and the trails need a good bit of work. Most of the more difficult sections that have been developing over the past 4 years now need to be filled back in. The trails weren't meant to reach this level of difficulty. Especially the trails once rated "Easy". In other words what call the fun more difficult spots that have been popping up shouldn't have been allowed to "appear".
So now the trails are going under heavy maintenance to bring them back to the levels that are deemed acceptable by the Asheville office. In most areas this means 2006 levels, when the trails were a good bit easier. Because removing the effects of erosion equals bringing the difficulty back down. They go hand in hand. If you fill in a rocky area that has been uncovered from erosion your getting rid of the difficulty those rocks provided.
The silver lining is that this is an on going process. The contractors that "pave" the trails don't do permanent work in most cases. They do use gravel in the muddy areas, but in most of the rocky areas they just fill it in with loose dirt. They drive the equipment over it a couple times and call it done. So that rock out cropping you had fun driving over is only covered by some lightly compacted dirt. With a couple good rain storms, and some trail use the areas you enjoyed for their difficulty will return back to the way they were. Granted they will have to go back and fill it in again the next year or so, but its a given that as the season goes on the trails will re-gain some of their difficulty.
Bottom line is trail maintenance or paving as some call it is a necessary evil. In order to keep the trails open we have to deal with them getting reduced in difficulty from time to time. And even the more difficult trails that we do have still need to be maintained. This includes the Forest Service being able to access the trail to work on it. Which is a big part of why the 2nd ledge on Daniel gets filled in. So they can drive the FS bulldozer down it.
When the OHV trail system was laid out (new trails were dozed, and old trails expanded to allow OHV use) the trail system was essentially a Green/Blue Diamond system (easy/moderate). There weren't a ton of rock out croppings etc. Over time erosion from rain and trail use (tire spin etc) the dirt is removed from the surface and the trails grow in difficulty. The more erosion that occurs the harder the trails get.
So more erosion = more difficulty. To prevent excessive erosion like what occured at the Tellico OHV the trails have to be repaired on a yearly basis. At one point the trail system at Uwharrie was kept very well maintained and the difficulty of the trails reflected this (they were easy to moderate at best). Paving the trails as some call it was a yearly thing, and the trails were kept very mild.
Beyond erosion the Forest Service must also meet the goal of providing trails of varying difficulty for the general public. The definition of general public being stock to mildly built rigs. So their main focus is on easy/moderate trails. Difficult trail(s) being their secondary focus. One site has it broken down into 40% Green Trails, 40% Blue Trails, and 20% Black Trails. The round about summary of this is that the Forest Service isn't required to provide a lot of difficult trails/obstacles. And the only reason the trails at Tellico became as difficult as they did, is because they let erosion get extremely out of hand. In other words if the trails at Tellico were maintained at a level to avoid closure they would be nothing like they ended up being difficulty wise.
As many might have noticed since 2006 the trail system has grown in difficulty. This is becase a lot of the trails were "let go" so to speak, to increase in difficulty with little repairs made. Now we have reached a point where the erosion is becoming an issue, and the trails need a good bit of work. Most of the more difficult sections that have been developing over the past 4 years now need to be filled back in. The trails weren't meant to reach this level of difficulty. Especially the trails once rated "Easy". In other words what call the fun more difficult spots that have been popping up shouldn't have been allowed to "appear".
So now the trails are going under heavy maintenance to bring them back to the levels that are deemed acceptable by the Asheville office. In most areas this means 2006 levels, when the trails were a good bit easier. Because removing the effects of erosion equals bringing the difficulty back down. They go hand in hand. If you fill in a rocky area that has been uncovered from erosion your getting rid of the difficulty those rocks provided.
The silver lining is that this is an on going process. The contractors that "pave" the trails don't do permanent work in most cases. They do use gravel in the muddy areas, but in most of the rocky areas they just fill it in with loose dirt. They drive the equipment over it a couple times and call it done. So that rock out cropping you had fun driving over is only covered by some lightly compacted dirt. With a couple good rain storms, and some trail use the areas you enjoyed for their difficulty will return back to the way they were. Granted they will have to go back and fill it in again the next year or so, but its a given that as the season goes on the trails will re-gain some of their difficulty.
Bottom line is trail maintenance or paving as some call it is a necessary evil. In order to keep the trails open we have to deal with them getting reduced in difficulty from time to time. And even the more difficult trails that we do have still need to be maintained. This includes the Forest Service being able to access the trail to work on it. Which is a big part of why the 2nd ledge on Daniel gets filled in. So they can drive the FS bulldozer down it.
