Trail Building Tips: How to Use a Contour Map & Clinometer

A quicker video on the clinometer for those in a hurry.
• How to Use a Clinometer
How to read a contour map 00:20
The paper plan 2:40
How I mark a trail to use the clinometer by myself 5:16
How to use the clinometer 5:59
Why you can't get away with eyeballing the slope 7:22
With a contour map I can accurately plan my trail before leaving my house. However, there's always some natural variances so we'll have to take my rough draft and go see for ourselves what the map won't show me.
While exploring we'll use a clinometer. This tool measures the slope of a hill so we can keep the steepness of our proposed trail at an acceptable level for both difficulty and sustainability.
Let's go build some trail, yeah?
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[@lemsy]

Good stuff, brother. Thanks!

[@EzRichardson]

Awesome video man!

[@A.T.TrailWorks]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I'm overdue for some new videos. Got any ideas?

[@EzRichardson]

@@A.T.TrailWorks I would love to see anything more on your design process!!

[@cancer8343]

Thank you for this video! It is a shame trail building videos get less views than the new super bling carbon superbikes. Without trails there wouldn't be mtb.

[@A.T.TrailWorks]

Right?! Without trails our mtb's would just be terribly inefficient road bikes.

[@FernFlowMtb]

Super helpful - looking to build and been studying the terrain maps. Also, just ordered a clinometer and going out to walk the zone this weekend. Anything you would have done differently in the planning phases if you could do it over?

[@A.T.TrailWorks]

Glad I could be helpful. I would make sure to avoid large flat areas unless you're in the desert or something. You want to keep the trail on a slope or on the edge of a terrace for drainage. Also try to stay under a tree canopy for as long as possible otherwise you'll be dealing with grass, weeds, ferns, or whatever constantly swallowing up your trail.

[@FernFlowMtb]

@@A.T.TrailWorks awesome, thanks!

[@kevinhys7260]

Look like gonna be a fun trail dude...

[@A.T.TrailWorks]

It's got some pedaling but I didn't want to miss the rock slab at the end.