Thirty-five USFS and BLM OHV trail crewmembers, recreation managers and OHV enthusiasts attended the NOHVCC Great Trails Workshop in Breckenridge, CO, July 13-15, 2018.
Sponsored by the Colorado Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition (COHVCO) and funded by a grant from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the workshop kicked off with a day of classroom sessions covering OHV trail design, construction, maintenance and management topics. Two days of field sessions on the USFS Dillon Ranger District provided on-the-ground opportunities to apply newly learned principles and practices.
Layout and design exercises challenged six teams of participants to flag OHV trails on a variety of terrain and physical features. Teams laid out new connecting trails, relocated existing trails with impact and erosion issues and designed an innovative challenge and training area adjacent to a trailhead.
The challenge and learning area generated a lot of creative thinking that provided endurocross and trials sections with easy/hard options, extended seat time, spectator appeal, shade structures and tables, and hours of recreation experience on a 10 acre site.
At the conclusion of the layout and design exercises all layout teams explained the decision-making process that determined their trail location and all participants critiqued each trail based on their field experiences. All participants commented that the exercises provided a new perspective on how to build enjoyable and sustainable OHV trails.
If you have an existing or proposed trail system that would benefit from the training offered by a NOHVCC Great Trails workshop, contact trailhead@nohvcc.org.
