How trail designers build good hikes
How trail designers build good hikes
The design secrets that make hiking trails feel “organic”
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Designing a hiking trail seems simple enough: It has to take a person from A to B, pass through scenic nature, and last through years of wear and tear. And for most of human history, trails did that without much intentional design at all.
But as trails shifted from essential transportation to a recreational destination, the way we make them did, too. Now, hidden in every trail is a carefully made design language of angles, alignment, and materials that keep them enjoyable for generations.
Watch our video to hear trail ecologist Jeffery Marion explain how these principles work — and why they’re more important now than ever.
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CCC trails were designed by sadists!
As someone who hikes a lot, I loved watching this. Never knew so much effort went behind "creating" these trails. I just assumed people walked some favourable paths and the trails got made. 😛
I work on a State Parks trail crew and one thing I’ll add is that trails require a whole lot of maintenance. In woody and grassy areas the grass needs to be cut regularly and trees fall across trails all the time
i honestly hate trails hiking. getting into alpine and finding your own path clears
I want to be a trail planner/builder when I grow up… I am 40 years old now, but I never knew this was a thing and now I lament not having known before.
Mainwhile in Poland they make stairs on hiking trails and cobblestone
society is a lie
Watching this as I’m hiking
Oh ok, I always just assumed trails had been there for centuries and were created by people that needed them to go places
loved seeing my favorite overlook featured in this video!
Many trails are very old here in Europe just connecting villages back in the times when there were no cars… people back then really knew how to build a trail without any scientific knowledge, how great is that?
I want one of my own to share with the community. Please someone show me some secrets to build a small walking,bike and running trail.
Poor interview audio unprofessional 😕
thank you trail builders and thanks for this video for the peek into their work!
edit: typo
I love how their “expert” did the interview in a t-shirt and in his garage gym. So classy and professional, both y him and Vox. Next time, Vox should find someone to interview from his toilet while taking a dump.
to me, this lacks some acknowledgement of indigenous trails and the complexity behind ‘trail’ & its history. otherwise a great video!
Im glad I stumbled on this video. Love hiking and never even knew all of the mechanics and complicated logistics behind trail design!
There’s a mountain not far from where I live, Mt. Miguel
These “desired lines” definitely decimate otherwise beautiful trails
There is an especially bad patch where it’s supposed to be switchbacks but people opted to go straight up through all the plants and now there’s a huge void space of rocks and dust
Thankfully trail markers and reminders have been put up, but who knows how long until it recovers
That is not a hiking trail that is a full on road
lol, such an American video, it’s like they’ve just discovered walking in the past 50 years xD
ну охереть!
Люди тропы делаеют прилагая к ним такое количество могзов и сил.
As a swiss person, these are not hiking trails, these are walking paths.
Most of the trails in my country were left by the incan empire and were then used by arrieros. It’s interesting to see how they can be designed to last with today’s technology and makes me wonder if they might have had a similar thought sequence when building their’s.
Ngl I thought most trails were just big desire paths
I am grateful for all these trail designers and those that maintain and protect our ecosystems. God bless.
99% invisible has a really good episode about trail design. I like this one too though.
This is great
bruh, thats not now its done.. at least in romaniaa, the ANIMALS walk the trails, and then the humans only Mark and, in certain cases, do adjustments, like a small plank bridge or anything……….
This is one of the most American video ever
I expect now muricans hiking in the alps above 2500m and thinking the trail is *designed* by someone lol
It’s just the least resistance and most useful path made in centuries and constantly evolving with the landscape
I love Vox videos like this
a large amount of the trails where I live originated as dear trails or trails from the native americans where im from and are forced on the paths they are because of the incredibly hilly environment.
In Cape Town, South Africa we have excellent trail crews who do an amazing job at maintaining the trails around our various forests and mountains. It’s cool to see what work goes into that.
A job I didn’t know I wanted. I have a GIS background, is there anyone who could tell me how to get into trail design?
well, I dont know man, the guy that made the hiking trail I took the other day in a way that you went through grass higher than you several times… pure genius
this is amazing, fist video from vox I liked
I am looking to get certified as a hiking trail technician, I live in Mexico. Can you suggest where I can find a certification to build hiking trails please?
600th comment
Where i live in norway a lot of trails in the forest simply has a layer of plastic under the soil that prevents plants from growing there
This would have been a perfect collab with 99PI
20,000 Spirits of God create trails 👣 as they are working for God in nature. Natalie Helferty the Queen of Canada and Royal Chieftain of Indians of America. God signed Royal Assent through Me in 1975 of the Parks Act. I was 7. God established National and Provincial and State Parks then. God created the trails then. The Spirits of God maintain the trails and forests in the parks. There were Spirits of the Evil Spirit that were damaging the forests and made hazards outside of parks. The Spirits of God went after them to whitelight them.
Wow I learned so much ❤
I recently visited Shenandoah NP and was impressed by the clever use of drainage swales to slow and spread water that would otherwise course through and erode away the paths.
I wasn’t hoping to get a firsthand look at these swales in use, but we got caught in a sudden thunderstorm atop a mountain!
Even in the heavy flow rate of rain, the path was able to shed enough water off the path so it didn’t accumulate and wash us away 😅
This was fascinating. I had no idea so much planning went into building these trails.
Very interesting! I never gave this much thought, but it makes a lot of sense. A lot of work goes into something that, afterward looks completely untouched by human hands.
idk about YOUR trails, but korean trails are stairs to the peak
Thanks for watching. This video is part of By Design, our series about the intersection of design and technology. For more videos like this, from playgrounds to font decisions, check out the playlist here: https://bit.ly/3PAav9U
And if you’re still reading, thread some of your favorite trails below!
I wanna talk to whoever did angels landing
Without watching, lemme guess what this is going to say: 1. it needs to allow for safe thoroughfares, 2. it needs to not interrupt natural ecological passageways, 3. not promote erosion and finally, 4. allow for multiple viewpoints.
As a trail planner, your 5-minute overview was OUTSTANDING! Here are a few additional factors that trail planners must take into account when designing trails: target user group, accessibility for all trail users, usage patterns and long-term upkeep, feasibility for trail crews to transport equipment to the site, effects on local flora and fauna, trail surface types, and more. Well-designed trails can reduce erosion and minimize the environmental footprint by up to 30%.
Or just follow where the deer go.