Use the checklist in this downloadable Trail U Brochure to keep track of what you’ve learned and note the workshop days you attended.
Courses and Course Descriptions
Core Classes (Complete All)
□ Tread Construction and Repair
Electives (Pick 2)
□ Trail Structures: Native Stone
□ Any Non-Trail U NYNJTC Event
When you complete the Expert Trail Builder curriculum, simply contact [email protected] to claim your well-earned "Builder" patch as a reward.
Trail Layout and Design -
Ever wonder why a trail is in a particular location, why it twists and turns, or why it is not the most direct route? Take this workshop to find out!
Trail layout and design is the practice of combining art and science to create a route that keeps people on it, water off of it, and is harmonious with nature.
This course helps you gain or brush up on the skills and techniques necessary to design trails looking at the bigger picture of connectivity, character, and positive user experience. After a sustainable design has been reached, the course participant will learn how to lay it out on the ground taking into consideration grades, soil types, points of interest, construction requirements, and water flow.
Tread Construction and Repair -
Want to learn how to build a sustainable trail that’s resistant to erosion? Interested in learning how to repair an eroded trail? Take this workshop to find out!
Our main goal with tread construction is to create a trail surface that keeps water off the trail and people on it resulting in sustainable trail systems.
This course helps you gain or brush up on techniques to construct a sustainable trail and perform tread maintenance to keep the trail in good shape. These techniques include sidehill trail construction, utilizing sustainable grades, and implementing natural drainage features to shed water off the trail.
Trail Structures: Drainage -
Ever wonder why some trails are more eroded than others? Ever felt like the trail you were following was a stream bed? Take this workshop to find out why and learn how this can be prevented!
Drainage structures help to shed water off of our trails, which reduces erosion and increases sustainability. There are several different types of drainage structures such as dips, knicks, swales, and waterbars.
Workshop participants will learn how drainage problems can develop on sections of trail and how to mitigate them with drainage construction and maintenance. Skills taught will include assessing trail problems, drain construction, and drain maintenance.
Tool Maintenance and Repair Webinar (1:07:57) -
Want to learn how to properly clean, sharpen, and maintain your tools? Take this workshop to learn how!
Tool maintenance is cleaning, sharpening, and maintaining your tools so you can get the most out of them. In this course, we show you how to utilize wire brushes and wire wheels to clean your tools, bastard files and grinding wheels to sharpen your tools, and the types of oils used to lubricate your tools.
Rigging for Trail Work -
Ever wonder how materials are moved in areas inaccessible to heavy machinery? This workshop is for anyone interested in learning more about using rigging equipment for trail work.
Rigging utilizes the mechanical advantage of ropes, pulleys, and winches in order to transport materials while minimizing construction disturbances. Join us to see first-hand how we move large rocks, logs, and other materials without any machinery.
In this course, participants will learn how to use winches for performing simple dragging, using pulleys for mechanical advantage, belay use, and highline setup and operation. This course also covers inspecting rigging equipment for safety, knowing safe working load limits of the equipment, how to choose the proper rigging system for the job, setting up dragging systems, setting up high lines, and maintaining equipment.
Trail Structures: Native Stone -
Have you noticed the stone structures on a trail such as stairs, walls, or stepping stones? Want to learn how they get there? Take this workshop to learn all about them!
Trail structures are built to make a trail safer, more sustainable, and more enjoyable. Types of stone trail structures include stairs, walls, stepping stones, culverts, etc. Trail structures may be built with materials on site or imported, but many of the stone structures you see on trails in this area are built from native stone found on site.
This course helps you gain or brush up on the skills to build safe, long-lasting stone structures that fit into their surroundings and provide a positive user experience. You will also learn why and where structures are applicable.
Any Non-Trail U NYNJTC Event -
Attend any non-Trail U Event from the NYNJTC Events Page.