The science of what damage can be done when riding on muddy trails

This article explains the impact riding, hiking, or biking can have when trails are used in wet and muddy conditions.  It is a very informative article shared by the Kansas Chapter.  The same damage would apply to the trails we enjoy in Shimek State Forest.

Article is
Courtesy of
Denise S

Erin Glassman‎ to Back Country Horsemen of America Kansas Chapter

December 1 at 10:56 AM

Hi guys, this is your current BCHK State chapter President, Erin Glassman and soon to be Trails Chair for Kansas Horse Council. I had seen a post about a very serious threat to access for us horseback trail enthusiasts earlier on Facebook today and thought this would be a great time to start making some posts about trail issues.

The post in question talked about some horseback riders getting on muddy trails on one of the rail trails.

There is a science and thought process going into the construction of the trails we get to ride in Kansas; here I'm going to talk a little bit about the impact we create on trail surface with various soil types.

According to Gene Wood in "Recreational Horse Trails in Rural and Wildland Areas: Design Construction and Maintenance", there are four basic soil properties that we can be aware of (p 5,6). These are texture, drainage, structure and bulk density; I'll not go into incredible detail here, but these details help us to determine how much impact we as trail-users have in particular areas.

There are three primary soil particle types that we deal with when it comes to texture. These include sand, silt, and clay.

Sandy trails tend to drain well and not hold mud; they can stand up to almost any kind of traffic in any weather. However, they erode very quickly on slopes and going off-trail in sandy soil quickly creates new trails where land management agencies may not want new trails to exist.

Silt soil particles are highly erodible and can be very sensitive to trail traffic and water flow, especially after having been wet.

Clay tends to be cohesive to itself and depending on the type of clay may cause slippery trails or mud that binds highly to users tread, whether it be hiking shoes, bike tires or horse hooves.

Beyond the soil types, trails that have been improved with gravel or other materials to harden them tend to cup or rut easily. (Wood, p 92) (This is what has happened on the rail-trails in our state this weekend and why we really must pay attention to where we are riding, particularly if we see that we are doing damage or signs are posted to deter riding when muddy conditions exist).

In Kansas we have a variety of soil types that our trails exist on; no matter what type, riding or hiking on the trails when they are muddy can create damage and more work for trail maintenance workers, whether they be the State Park employees or volunteer groups.

Guys, we do leave damage on muddy trails and it IS hard to negotiate even for horses when it dries up. All trail users should stay off of muddy trails, whether it be horses, bikers or hikers; there's just no question about it. If you have to go out and ride, go on a road and try to help all of us out.

 

Kathy

Editor