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2016 Mr. Toad’s Trail Maintenance

TAMBA hired American Conservation Experience (ACE) crews to perform work on Saxon Creek Trail, a.k.a. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. ACE crews worked under U.S. Forest Service supervision to armor sandy turns, repair eroded sections, and return widened trail segments back to singletrack. Work was focused on two main areas: the lower section of the upper rock garden and the trail segment above the old motorized turn around.

Armoring means reinforcing the trail with rock, creating a harder tread surface. The new surface resists erosion and is particularly important on steeper slopes, in sharp turns, and in drainages. Armoring limits soil loss, reduces sediment runoff, and decreases the likelihood of ruts developing in the trail. It creates a more sustainable trail, which requires less future maintenance. This trail needs more work, and we plan on additional trail maintenance next year. Our goal is to create sustainable trails, but we also want to Keep Toad’s Wild!

Funds raised from 2016 TAMBA events were used to complete this work.

Below are some before and after pictures of the work done.

Before - widened trail After - After – armoring and narrowing drainage

The left image shows a wide, sandy trail. The right image is after armoring and narrowing the trail.

toads-2-before-and-after

The left image shows a wide, sandy turn. The right image is after armoring and narrowing.

The image on the left is a sandy, rutted section of Toad's rock garden. The image on the right is after armoring.

The left image shows a rutted section in Toad’s rock garden. The right image is after armoring.

The image on the left show two side-by-side trails. The image on the right is after narrowing and ensuring drainage.

The left image shows a section with two trails. The right image is after narrowing and ensuring drainage.

The image on the left shows a rutted trail. The image on the right is after armoring.

The left images shows a rutted segment of trail. The right image is after armoring.