Annual Spring and Early Summer Tasks

• Clear windfalls, dangerous trees and areas where slides have covered the trailbed, for safety reasons and to prevent detouring. Slide material on trails forces users to the outside edge of the tread, which is usually on fill and is the weakest part of the trail. Once the slide material is removed, repair the trail tread to the original specifications. If a tree has fallen over a trail and cannot be easily removed, cut a gap to allow passage. On some wilderness zone hiking trails, consider leaving the tree, but chop a step into it.
  
  
• Remove loose rocks and debris from the tread surface.
  
  
• Repair trail wash-outs.
  
  
• Remove new plant growth on the trail annually. Clear in the spring and early summer when the new growth is soft. Selectively clear for views where appropriate.
  
  
• Level the trail tread as necessary and restore the tread grade to the original slopes. Use local material to fill ruts, holes, low spots or muddy areas. Refill approaches at each end of bridges, boardwalks or corduroy sections.
  
  
• Repair erosion-damaged facilities promptly to prevent further damage. Check for erosion effects after spring runoff. Check and repair water bars, drainage ditches, culverts and drainage dips. Construct additional drainage structures if needed.
  
  
• Check and repair all structures after spring runoff and after severe summer storms. Check for signs of rot. Remove debris from around bridge supports. Secure all loose side rails or curb logs and respike all loose decking. Ensure any structural repairs and replacements meet the original construction requirements. Remove large rocks from stream fords to help ensure a safe crossing.
  
  
• Check, repair or replace signs and trail markers prior to the major use season. Remove any vegetation that obscures signs. Provide additional signs or trail markers where any confusion on the trail route is evident.
  
  
• Re-grade the trailhead parking area.

Weekly or Monthly Tasks (as use warrants)

• Maintain trailhead facilities such as toilets or waste containers.
  
  
• Resupply trailhead information kiosks with route or safety brochures.
  
  
• Remove windfall or other debris on the trail tread.

• Severely compacted soils may damage nearby plants and increase surface runoff. Aerate the soil and add granular surfacing materials to help reduce the compaction. Consider closing sections of trail to allow the area to recover.
  
  
• Consider trail hardening, boardwalks or bridges if wet and muddy areas on a trail cannot be drained by diverting the water off the trail. Repair small muddy areas by constructing a stone treadway or rock box. For a stone treadway, set large, angular rocks in the mud in a flagstone fashion with the best walking surface face up. A rock box consists of smaller stones placed side-by-side in a log frame made of peeled logs that have been spiked together. See trail construction details for boardwalk and bridge design guidelines.
  
  
• See trail upgrading and rehabilitation sections.