How Much Trail Is Enough?

Steve Kasacek | OSI Trail Development Director

“How much trail is enough?” I get asked this question regularly in meetings. And, as OSI’s Director of Trail Development, I facilitate and attend a lot of meetings. Good trails are born through a collaborative approach that involves everyone from the landowner to the end user. There are many people who want to be, and should be, involved in trail planning for their community. Based on years of working in the trail development industry, it’s clear that great trail systems need to meet the wide-ranging goals of the people using them.

That question comes up often, “How much trail is enough?” Usually it comes from a land manager who is being asked for a lot more trails. While many people might think this is a simple question, it is far from that. My answer is usually some version of the same, “that is complicated and I think you could be missing something important.” And almost assuredly, they are missing something which they might not even realize. They are overlooking the fact that their trails are often one type, style, and flavor and therefore fall short of a diverse community’s needs.

People regularly think of trails as trails. The way we think roads are roads. Sure, we have interstates, city streets, dirt roads, etc. But a road is mostly a road, right? Not really. The interstate doesn’t fill the role of the country lane you may live on, and the dirt road doesn’t fill the need of the city street. Trails, just like roads, are not one size fits all.

Recreational trails by definition are something that people choose to do. Putting aside the important active transportation role trails can play, when we talk about recreational trails in natural spaces we are talking about something people decide they want to engage with.

The reasons people opt to recreate on trails are quite varied. They correlate to the desired experiences those people seek, which are quite diverse. Picture a hiking trail. What did you see? Some of you might’ve imagined a wide, smooth, surfaced pathway. Something like a gravel rail trail. Some of you might’ve pictured the challenging, rugged, and largely primitive trails on Katahdin or in the White Mountains. And some of you might’ve visualized something in between, your basic lightly built land trust trail down the road.

Those are three simple examples of hiking trails. The reason people choose to use those trails are different. Some might want to socialize side by side with friends or family. Maybe they or their companions need easy and accessible trails. Maybe they want to challenge themselves and climb difficult peaks to bask in their accomplishment and the summit views. Maybe they just want a quiet minute in the woods.

Again, three simple examples about hiking. Now add mountain biking, equestrians, ATVs, snowmobiles, cross-county skiing, rock climbing, fishing, on and on we could go with uses and modalities. Take all of those and cross-reference with the immense social and personal goals people might have, and you suddenly encounter a huge array of trail experiences.

So back to our question, “how much trail is enough?” If I am being asked that, it is usually because the land manager is being asked for more trails. And usually, if they are being asked for more trails, someone out there is not having their desired experiences met. It is also very likely (especially in Maine, and on our state land as I gave the example above), that all the trail experiences are too similar. There is no variety in the infrastructure to support the diverse needs and goals of the community.

Trails in natural spaces always have a carrying capacity. And there is certainly a limit to what is appropriate. But, despite those truths, I find it very hard to believe that we have reached the limit. Instead, I think we are missing the point. We need to assess what we have and determine our communities’ recreational goals. Then, to the best of our ability, given land management, terrain constraints, funding, and best practices, we should try to create a diverse and varied trail ecosystem that meet’s our own, diverse needs.