Professional Services: Expert Trail Design for Your Landscape
The Trail Conference works with municipalities, land trusts, and land managers to plan, design, and improve sustainable trail systems across the region. Our specialty is low-impact natural surface trails designed for hikers and mountain bikers, often across challenging terrain that front-country planners and construction contractors are ill-equipped to handle.
Our staff includes experienced trail planners, builders, and cartographers who help partners move trail projects from concept to implementation.
What We Offer
New Trail Planning & Design
Our team plans sustainable trail routes and networks that balance user experience, environmental impact, and long-term maintenance considerations.
We Provide:
- Trail alignments informed by terrain, anticipated use, and sustainable best practices
- Site assessments evaluating environmental constraints and opportunities
- Concept plans and phased implementation options
- GIS data collection and on-the-ground flaglines
- Construction-ready work logs to guide RFPQ processes and project budgeting
Existing Trail Assessment
Our team evaluates trail conditions, identifies issues, and prioritizes future improvements to support safe, sustainable use.
We Provide:
- Trail condition assessments and field evaluations
- Identification of drainage, erosion, and safety issues
- Prioritized recommendations for maintenance and repair
- Documentation to support future project planning and funding decisions
- Interactive GIS maps and/or narrative reports designed as tools for long-term curation by land managers or volunteers
Trail Mapping & Signage
Our team locates, designs, fabricates, and installs quality maps and signage to improve visitor experience, navigation, and safety.
We Provide:
- Trail maps for print and digital use
- Map updates and revisions for existing trails
- Trailhead kiosk panel design with essential visitor information
- On-trail wayfinding, intersection, and navigation signage to prevent lost trail users
- Physical sign fabrication and installation
Trail Accessibility Improvements
Our team identifies obstacles or barriers to access, and recommends practical improvements to make a wider audience feel welcome and safe on your trail.
We Provide:
- Accessibility assessments of existing trails as GIS maps or reports
- Layout and design of new accessible trails
- Identification of existing or anticipated accessibility challenges
- Practical recommendations for improving access through both structural trail improvements and adaptive equipment
- Guidance aligned with federal accessibility standards
Community Engagement
Our team facilitates public input and local stakeholder engagement to meet community needs and secure local buy-in via thoughtful, inclusive trail planning.
We Provide:
- Public meetings and stakeholder workshops
- Surveys and visitor data collection
- Facilitation of collaborative planning discussions
- Documentation of feedback and actionable outcomes
- Outreach and education programs to introduce trail amenities to communities
Training & Workshops
Our team povides hands-on training and educational workshops for land managers, staff, volunteers, and the general public on a variety of trail topics.
We Provide:
- On-site and classroom-based training sessions
- Content tailored to suit agency staff, volunteer groups, or the general public
- Trail building and maintenance taught to professional standards
- Ability to complete physical trail improvements and other tangible accomplishments during workshops
Led by Experts in the Field
The Trail Conference Professional Services team brings decades of hands-on experience in trail planning, building, and land stewardship across the region.
Peter Dolan
Senior Trail Planner
Peter Dolan
Senior Trail Planner
Peter Dolan joined the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference in 2013 and holds the title Senior Trail Planner. He leads the creation of planning resources for partners including municipalities, State agencies, land trusts, and other entities which manage open space. This work includes the creation of trail plans, inventories/assessments, layout and design proposals, interactive GIS maps, regulatory reform recommendations, and related documentation for projects in anticipation of formal permitting or RFPQ processes.
Peter’s planning work is informed by a range of outdoor experience including a degree in field science from Bucknell University, wilderness guide work with an emphasis on inclusion and accessibility, multiple seasons of hands-on trail construction, ongoing service as a Search and Rescue team member, and more. All of these disciplines come together in planning work which is data-driven, while also deeply aware of the impact that trails have on both the environment and the human experience.
Peter’s other roles include Chairman of NJDEP’s State Trails Program Council, member of the Access Nature Forum’s Regulatory Reform and Site Assessment Working Groups, and speaker at events such as the International Trails Summit, NJ Land Conservation Rally, and NJ Trails Summit. In his previous Trail Program Manager role, Peter led the Trail Conference team on projects across over 200 land management units and 2,150 trail miles including long-distance trails such as the Appalachian Trail, Long Path, and Highlands Trail. This experience still informs his planning work, and his close collaborative ties with local volunteer committees remain an important part of projects.
Ben Sugar
Senior Trail Builder
Ben Sugar
Senior Trail Builder
Ben joined the Trail Conference in February 2018 with over 15 years of experience in trail building, designing, and management. He discovered his love for the outdoors while building trails with AmeriCorps in New Hampshire in 2003. Ben holds a B.A. in History from James Madison University and has graduate studies in Recreation Resource Management from Utah State University.
Brent Boscarino
Director of Land Stewardship
Brent Boscarino
Director of Land Stewardship
Brent Boscarino joined the Trail Conference in 2019 as the Invasive Species Citizen Science Program Coordinator in association with the Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (LH PRISM), a regional alliance of environmental organizations and stakeholders that is coordinated by the Trail Conference. Brent now serves as the Director of Land Stewardship at the Trail Conference and the Coordinator of the LH PRISM. Brent spent the previous 10 years as a high school science teacher, research scientist and environmental outreach coordinator at the Poughkeepsie Day School and the Harvey School. In his role as Senior Research Associate at Poughkeepsie Day, Brent ran multiple invasive species-based research projects in collaboration with Hobart and William Smith, Ithaca, and Bard Colleges. He holds an undergraduate degree from Middlebury College and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from Cornell University. Brent is an enthusiastic nature lover who aims to inspire a sense of wonder about the natural world.
Jeremy Apgar
Cartographer
Jeremy Apgar
Cartographer
Jeremy joined the Trail Conference in 2007. He produces a variety of maps, including published trail maps of the NY-NJ area as well as maps to aid with trail-building efforts, open-space acquisition, and various advocacy and stewardship initiatives. Prior to joining the Trail Conference, Jeremy received his Master’s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Lehigh University. While obtaining his Master’s degree, he published his research findings that utilized GIS, remote sensing imagery, and fieldwork in the Yukon Territory, Canada to learn about climate change in the Arctic. Jeremy fondly remembers his experiences exploring the trails of northwest New Jersey as a kid and currently resides in the woods of Andover, N.J., with his wife and two kids.
Who We Work With
The Trail Conference partners with public agencies and conservation organizations to plan, design, and improve sustainable trail systems.
Land Trusts
Organizations seeking to integrate trails into newly protected landscapes.
Municipalities
& Counties
Public agencies managing parks, open space, and recreational access.
Accessibility
Advocates
Partners working to expand access to outdoor experiences for all people.
Urban & Community Pathway Projects
Project planners developing front-country trails and greenways.
Why Work with Us
Decades of regional experience
Specialization in rustic natural-surface trails
Unique experience completing projects with volunteer engagement elements
Interested in learning more? Contact Senior Trail Planner Peter Dolan at [email protected] today!
We believe that every trail project is a unique combination of art and science, which needs to be physically experienced to be understood. To ensure that our work is fully informed by the specific needs of each site, and in line with our commitment to the environment, generative AI is not used in any part of our trail planning process.
Professional services provided by the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference
