# Rock Armoring Pictures



## justinwp (Nov 12, 2010)

Here are some pictures of rock work and armoring from the last couple weeks here in Arizona. What do you think?



















This one was over a two foot step that users were going around.










And some checks


----------



## Walt Dizzy (Aug 18, 2003)

Looks like you didn't do much. That's good work!

Walt


----------



## jmw (Feb 25, 2005)

nice

around here, we use rock armoring to harden up squishy spots, there's big rock pitched together underneath the gravel dust topping that is used to lock it all in.

first picture was right after we finished this little spot, so now the rock is actually more visible (2nd pic is a few weeks later)


----------



## jmw (Feb 25, 2005)

another, before and after


----------



## Cedar Branch Biker (Jul 28, 2010)

If you are like me and stick your tongue out while concentrating on what you're doing or really "going at it" (Picture MJ driving to the basket) , rock armoring could be rough.


----------



## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

jmw said:


> nice
> 
> around here, we use rock armoring to harden up squishy spots, there's big rock pitched together underneath the gravel dust topping that is used to lock it all in.
> 
> first picture was right after we finished this little spot, so now the rock is actually more visible (2nd pic is a few weeks later)


Whomever did this work knew what the heck they were doing:thumbsup:

Of course a before pic would have shown the sloppy mud and multiple roots that had become quite a hazard. So this work protected the roots as well.


----------



## 62kona (Mar 25, 2008)

Great topic. Love the trail work you guys do in az. I don't have any pictures of my work right now.


----------



## Crack Monkey (Sep 25, 2006)

Time lapse video of some trail armoring at Lake Fairfax in Reston, VA...





This particular spot has been trouble for at least 5 years. Recent home construction just to the right of the video has made it worse - lots of water run-off, making the mud pit permanent and deeper (park land manager is in talks with construction company to re-engineer their drainage).

This trail is part of a wide, multi-user trail network in a dense suburb of DC. Lots of hikers, dog walkers, serious mountain bikers, recreation cyclists on hybrids, and the occasional equestrian. As such, drainage problems quickly become major problems, as trail users ride/walk around the mud, which tends to make the problem worse.


----------



## Wildfire (Feb 4, 2004)

*Rock armoring*

Nice work, its always good to utilize durable rocks for tread surfacing if they can be found nearby. I've ridden a lot of those Sedona trails, great work you guys do.

We've been doing a lot of Griphoist/rigging work for moving BFRs into place as smaller ones tend to get moved around or kicked loose unless locked into place between immovable objects.

This was a short reroute in Hatcher Pass, AK, you can see traces of the old trail on right. We utilized a large flat rock that we uncovered in the foreground and added to that with a rock slab culvert over a small stream and fitted rocks to form a causeway over the talus chunks. It was a lot of work but worth it, I think. Three years later, it's still holding up great.


----------



## thefriar (Jan 23, 2008)

Some work we did last weekend, about 30' of rock armoring up the hill, no re-route options due to private property and river constraints...


----------



## Kool (May 20, 2009)

We did some rock work, depth to bedrock was 6-12 inches.


----------



## roxnroots (Aug 12, 2010)

That looks like some serious work, Kool. :thumbsup:


----------



## radair (Dec 19, 2002)

We were blessed with a shipload of excellent stone to build this bermed switchback. I love stonework.

Also a short video


----------



## unclephil (Nov 21, 2010)

wow, that stone burm looks really well done. Where is that? I will be doing some riding up that way in June.


----------



## unclephil (Nov 21, 2010)

Kool said:


> We did some rock work, depth to bedrock was 6-12 inches.


I like that style a lot. Well done! It of course requires a lot of stone, but the stone was well utilized and it is there for the long haul.


----------



## radair (Dec 19, 2002)

unclephil said:


> wow, that stone burm looks really well done. Where is that? I will be doing some riding up that way in June.


Thanks! It's on the Red Tail Trail in North Conway


----------



## unclephil (Nov 21, 2010)

O.K. Great, thanks for the info. Do you live up that way? I'll let you know when we head up, I'm on the seacoast.


----------



## traildoc (Mar 5, 2007)

Kool said:


> We did some rock work, depth to bedrock was 6-12 inches.


Do you have any pictures of mountain bikers riding up your rock ramp?

TD


----------



## roxnroots (Aug 12, 2010)

traildoc said:


> Do you have any pictures of mountain bikers riding up your rock ramp?
> 
> TD


Actually, that's perfectly level ground with a lake in the background - there's no ramp. The ground was trenched out and large pieces of shale were fitted in at approximately a 45-degree angle in the trench giving sort of an optical illusion that there's a ramp in the picture. Does makes for an amazingly tight, strong armoring that still allows water to move through underneath. Riding over it absolutely nothing shifts, unlike regular lay-it-flat on or just into the soil surface stuff.

I actually helped build it (was fooling around posting earlier). It took like 7-8 guys most of a Sunday hauling a lot of rock to build but its worth it since its a once-and-done forever deal.


----------



## Tegerian (Apr 11, 2011)

Nice rockwork, definitely gives me some ideas for when I get to my final retirement spot.


----------



## Kool (May 20, 2009)

traildoc said:


> Do you have any pictures of mountain bikers riding up your rock ramp?
> 
> TD


I'll get some pics it may take a few days, working on armoring a different section with a different technique as there are a lot of roots we don't want to destroy. I'll post pics of that too.


----------



## sean salach (Sep 15, 2007)

Here's a couple of older ones from New Jersey:





We chatted with the landowner on the way in that day...:


----------



## atkinson (Sep 1, 2003)

Here is some work from the Mad River Valley and Sugarbush area. We have amazing rock to work with and plenty of it, although it never seems to be exactly where you need it.

John
vmba.org
madriverriders.com
sugarbush.com


----------



## atkinson (Sep 1, 2003)

This is the same trail as the rock work above (which survived the assault), damaged goods courtesy of a Jeep driver with jacked up suspension and a cruel heart. I am trying not to be too judgmental or pissed at the amount work that was ruined, this is an opportunity to truly fix this area too.










But it is extensive. So much more rock and drainage work to do.


----------



## TrailMasonJones (Apr 24, 2011)

I love my jeep and have been off roading all my life. All i can say is what did this Yahoo think he was doing :madman: :shocked: :yikes: :incazzato: :cryin: :madmax:


----------



## crux (Jan 10, 2004)

atkinson said:


> This is the same trail as the rock work above (which survived the assault), damaged goods courtesy of a Jeep driver with jacked up suspension and a cruel heart. I am trying not to be too judgmental or pissed at the amount work that was ruined, this is an opportunity to truly fix this area too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


While I own a Jeep and enjoy taking it off road from time to time who ever did this was completely out of line unless rolling in extracting someone with a busted leg. Now its time to repair the damage. Is there a means of placing a qualifier near the trail head limiting access for bikes only? Just a thought keeping this from happening again. Best luck repairing the damage.


----------



## atkinson (Sep 1, 2003)

We are definitely going to tighten up the access points to keep the trucks out. But with enough willpower and horsepower ...

John


----------



## Tegerian (Apr 11, 2011)

If you have the capability, some boulders near the entrances narrowing down access might be an idea and/or some cut off telephone poles planted fairly deep.


----------



## TrailMasonJones (Apr 24, 2011)

big rocks ect are just a additional challenge I would suggest treating them like horses put up a pass under most trucks ect cant enter if there is a 5 1/2' heavy crossbar


----------



## Bike Daddy (Dec 23, 2003)

*Round Mountain*

Here is some rock armoring done in Northern California by Bicyclists of Nevada County - www.bonc.org:


----------



## justinwp (Nov 12, 2010)

Here are some photos from a little project I have been working on in my spare time, probably have it done this week sometime:


----------



## ando_assi (Jan 22, 2008)

We are having to do this every where as we get huge numbers even if it is really wet!!!



allot of work for volunteers!!!

Its not quite a full amour, but its close and it does do the job!


----------



## OGJON (Apr 15, 2009)

some nice work they guys


----------



## Dwreck (Jul 7, 2010)

While not as huge a scale...here is a picture of what we just finished. Very wet run off area we had to cross. Started by digging a deeper channel for the run off and then re enforcing it with stones. Then built over the channel with more stones. We ran into the massive roots from the tree to the right so we had to lay some rails down and plank a bridge to finish it out. all of this trail is done with on site material. The bridge here was done using blown down or dead timber. Cedar and oak mostly. Hand split, and then knotched and screwed onto two rails. Hell of alot of work but looks better than Preasure treated and really is "green" building. We have 6 of these style bridges on one route of our trail system...all made the same way, and some reaching a lenght of 26 feet


----------



## L. Ron Hoover (Feb 1, 2006)

Excellent rock work in this thread. I've posted a few pics of rock work we've done on a local trail. The rock work is all exposed simply because there's almost no soil in this area. The ground cover is basically moss and a thin layer of organic stuff on scree or solid rock. Mineral soil only exists in small pockets and is usually closer to the valley floors. We've chosen to stick to the high land as the valley floors tend to be very wet with lots of bog due to our climate and the deranged drainiage pattern left by the last ice age. What would some of you experienced trail builders do with this sort of terrain. It takes forever to get rock bridges solid because there's not a lot of small stuff around to fill the cracks. I've had to smash a lot of large rocks with a sledge to get filler.


----------



## atkinson (Sep 1, 2003)

Without a supply of mineral soil, smashing rocks is the next best thing. You could consider lots of wood structures, but the cost and maintenance might be prohibitive.

Thankfully, we have ample supply of sweet big plates, easily crushed smaller rocks and decent amounts of mineral soils in most places. Despite the other challenges of building in Vermont, we have a lot going for us.









Some work from National Trails Day, June 4th, 2011. We used logs to roll it uphill about 20 feet, shaped one edge to fit tightly and then dropped it in place.









Finished. This was part of the repair work from the Jeep damage. Better than ever!

John


----------



## Ridnparadise (Dec 14, 2007)

Wow, you lads are really getting out the big rocks now.


----------



## VMBA (Mar 30, 2008)

anyone have any experience or advice on building an armored ford, where a trail crosses a stream? We likely have to build one in a state park this summer, about 100 feet in length. Any tips or photos? Thanks, PK


----------



## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

VMBA said:


> anyone have any experience or advice on building an armored ford, where a trail crosses a stream? We likely have to build one in a state park this summer, about 100 feet in length. Any tips or photos? Thanks, PK


Google "armored stream ford"

http://www.naparcd.org/documents/HeathTypicals.pdf
http://www.pcta.org/pdf/trail-skills-college/curriculum/302_Drainage_Crossings_v0311.pdf
http://forest.moscowfsl.wsu.edu/BAERTOOLS/ROADTRT/Treatments/
http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/24000/24600/24650/Chapters/K_Ch9_Fords_&_Low-Water_Crossings.pdf

None of these work? There are many hits like that, you just have to find the one that fits your application. Some of these are huge for high volume on steep road cuts, others are for small volume on shallow grades.


----------



## VMBA (Mar 30, 2008)

Thanks, I saw some of those. Looking for some input from folks on here who have done this type of project. Cheers.


----------



## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

VMBA said:


> Thanks, I saw some of those. Looking for some input from folks on here who have done this type of project. Cheers.


We have done a few. How deep, how wide / long of an area. type of soil, seasonal or year round flow, how much volume of water?

This is small, but handles hikers, bikes, horses. I'll have to dig for bigger ones we have done.


----------



## VMBA (Mar 30, 2008)

Haven't calculated waterflow, but it's pretty low. There are two stretches - the first is 30 feet, the second is 70 feet. We plan to build a ford that is 4-6 feet wide, using large rock slabs, about 4-6" thick, set in flush with the current stream bed, so we are looking at about 400-600 square feet total. We have a grant of $10,000 to do the work.


----------



## discombobulated_conundrum (Aug 2, 2008)

slocaus said:


> We have done a few. How deep, how wide / long of an area. type of soil, seasonal or year round flow, how much volume of water?
> 
> This is small, but handles hikers, bikes, horses. I'll have to dig for bigger ones we have done.


Pardon my ignorance, but won't the nails/staples on that lattice be a cause for tire punctures?


----------



## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

discombobulated_conundrum said:


> Pardon my ignorance, but won't the nails/staples on that lattice be a cause for tire punctures?


Here is another use of that "lattice" that will make it more clear.










Concrete pavers, 18" x 24" x 4", about 50 lbs each. Solid, no nails. And I have never seen lattice that will hold a 1000 lb horse.


----------



## nitrousjunky (May 12, 2006)

Here is part of a new Rock Armored section on one of our trails here in Dupont State Forest in NC. This was part of a Sorba workday that was led by a member of Trail Dynamics.


----------



## discombobulated_conundrum (Aug 2, 2008)

slocaus said:


> Here is another use of that "lattice" that will make it more clear.
> Concrete pavers, 18" x 24" x 4", about 50 lbs each. Solid, no nails. And I have never seen lattice that will hold a 1000 lb horse.


:thumbsup: Thanks for clearing that up. The pavers were well set on the stream crossing pic it looked much thinner than what it actually was.


----------



## traildoc (Mar 5, 2007)

slocaus said:


> Here is another use of that "lattice" that will make it more clear.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


slo:

Wow, when I look at your project I say you are the man. I have a hard time even comprehending the dedication you guys are putting into that trail. You must have transported those concrete blocks out there in a truck, right? Who paid for them and what do they cost? I spent about 45 minutes on Google trying to find the cost of one of those pavers, and I know they exist, but as hard as I tried, I could not find an 18" X 24" X 4" concrete block. I assume they cost at least $2.50 a piece

Thank god we don't have your type of trail building conditions in Sedona. What percentage of that trail do you have to use pavers, how long is it and what is the total cost going to be when completed.

Also do equestrians stay on those pavers or do they make their own route?

TD


----------



## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

traildoc said:


> slo:
> 
> Wow, when I look at your project I say you are the man. I have a hard time even comprehending the dedication you guys are putting into that trail. You must have transported those concrete blocks out there in a truck, right? Who paid for them and what do they cost? I spent about 45 minutes on Google trying to find the cost of one of those pavers, and I know they exist, but as hard as I tried, I could not find an 18" X 24" X 4" concrete block. I assume they cost at least $2.50 a piece
> 
> ...


Project? We have at least 12 active projects in different areas of the USFS, CA State Parks, SLO County and SLO City parks, with another 8 or so pending. We do ongoing maintenance in probably 50 miles of trail in many locations. You think all my photos are one trail project? Boy, how I have mislead you.

These are TrufStone, I misquoted dimensions, they are more like 16" x 24" x 3", so sue me. We use them in many places. The area shown that you quoted has no horse traffic, just a boggy area that is steep. With the pavers in place, the hikers and bikes use the trail, otherwise, they go off the wet looking for solid ground.. I do not know the cost, the State Parks, County Parks, and City Parks have a supply, and we have a key to all their storage yards when we need to go get them. Depending on the location, we move the pavers with gas wheel barrows, regular wheel barrows, carry by hand, or in a BOB trailer.

We work in everything from sand to limestone to clay to granitic soils. Pavers can be good reinforcement in sandy or wet areas. The horses don't mind them as long as they are not too steep. I would venture to bet we have placed pavers in over 100 locations, anywhere from 2 to 150 pavers in any location.


----------



## traildoc (Mar 5, 2007)

slocaus said:


> Project? We have at least 12 active projects in different areas of the USFS, CA State Parks, SLO County and SLO City parks, with another 8 or so pending. We do ongoing maintenance in probably 50 miles of trail in many locations. You think all my photos are one trail project? Boy, how I have mislead you.
> 
> These are TrufStone, I misquoted dimensions, they are more like 16" x 24" x 3", so sue me. We use them in many places. The area shown that you quoted has no horse traffic, just a boggy area that is steep. With the pavers in place, the hikers and bikes use the trail, otherwise, they go off the wet looking for solid ground.. I do not know the cost, the State Parks, County Parks, and City Parks have a supply, and we have a key to all their storage yards when we need to go get them. Depending on the location, we move the pavers with gas wheel barrows, regular wheel barrows, carry by hand, or in a BOB trailer.
> 
> We work in everything from sand to limestone to clay to granitic soils. Pavers can be good reinforcement in sandy or wet areas. The horses don't mind them as long as they are not too steep. I would venture to bet we have placed pavers in over 100 locations, anywhere from 2 to 150 pavers in any location.


slo:

So when I Googled (23-5/8" x 15-3/4" x 3-1/8" concrete pavers), I got right to the website of several companies, my lawsuit will be filed tomorrow.

So you have 50 miles of trail that you are maintaining and 8 different projects on those fifty miles. Will there ever be a time in the near future, when those 50 miles of trail will become mostly sustainable, due to the use of those pavers or other maintenance techniques?

It is interesting to see how different areas deal with trail maintenance issues. In Sedona the 30 or so non-system trails are maintained either by the people who built them or a small group of people who enjoy riding them. The system trails are maintained mostly by the FS , a volunteer group called Friends of the Forest or independent contractors, Friends of the Forest mainly does water diverter work with some small maintenance projects.

None of the trail maintenace involves pavers, fortunately we have lots of rock everywhere so we don't need any stinken pavers and the non-system trails were built to such a high standard they don't need a lot of maintenance unless they are vandalized by a mountain- bike-hater.

There was some rock work done on one of our favorite trails that I need to take some pictures of to show some of the type of work that is done by some pretty talented individuals. Their work would probably never meet FS spec, but it seems to work for the group who rides it.

TD


----------



## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

traildoc said:


> So you have 50 miles of trail that you are maintaining and 8 different projects on those fifty miles. Will there ever be a time in the near future, when those 50 miles of trail will become mostly sustainable, due to the use of those pavers or other maintenance techniques?


We have an existing 50 miles of trail to maintain. We have 8 new projects of new trails to add to the inventory.

Most of that trail is sustainable now. We have two major types of soil, sandy desert soft soils, and heavy clay soils. When you get 100 to 500 users a week on them, they wear and need maintenance; the sand in summer and the clay in winter (when the @#$%&! won't stay off the wet goop). In the most impacted areas, we are trying new ideas, some work, some do not. Unfortunately, we do not have good quantities of rock for armoring like Sedona. We do with what we have.


----------



## dhouse (Mar 12, 2010)

im jealous of the trails you guys are posting. hear in northeast, ar we've only got hills and dirt. not even any rocks to fill the squishy spots. we use bags of concrete.


----------



## mblock (Jan 22, 2007)

*Some work just completed....*

Trail #6 Nine Mile County Forest Recreation Area near Wausau, WI. The last 30 yards or so of this trail are near a low lying area and were underwater this spring. Fortunately we located a large rock pile not too far away and we built a rock causeway and raised the whole trail about 4-6 inches. Added a short bridge made from left over cedar decking lumber and topped it all off with some rotten red granite (there are numerous quarries of this stuff nearby)....


----------



## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

mblock said:


> Trail #6 Nine Mile County Forest Recreation Area near Wausau, WI. The last 30 yards or so of this trail are near a low lying area and were underwater this spring. Fortunately we located a large rock pile not too far away and we built a rock causeway and raised the whole trail about 4-6 inches. Added a short bridge made from left over cedar decking lumber and topped it all off with some rotten red granite (there are numerous quarries of this stuff nearby)....


Nicely done!


----------



## mtbikernc69 (Mar 23, 2004)

nitrousjunky said:


> Here is part of a new Rock Armored section on one of our trails here in Dupont State Forest in NC. This was part of a Sorba workday that was led by a member of Trail Dynamics.


I thought that looked a little like Woody's handiwork!


----------



## Ridnparadise (Dec 14, 2007)

Some artwork here


----------



## Relayden (Jun 15, 2005)

mtbikernc69 said:


> I thought that looked a little like Woody's handiwork!


Woody was there. That was part of the PTBA workshop this past March. I happened to be the first to ride it just at the end of the day. I must say that whole trail section they armored and re-routed was the best spot I rode that day in Dupont.


----------



## Ridnparadise (Dec 14, 2007)

I hadn't seen this thread in a while, but had no idea it was such a long time inactive. I am still blown away by some of the armouring in this thread.

This week we had to stabilise a seasonal creek crossing. 2 creek lines intersect just below this crossing. It was blown apart by heavy rains. Over the last 2 months we have had about a metre with 4 x >200mm events. The water flow in this place is dramatically increased by runoff from a fire road drain. We sought to slow water flow above the trail, armour the tread, encourage silt to accumulate on the tread and protect tree roots being undermined below the crossing. We'll see how it goes.

In the first pic you see the old trail line behind the rider. After the section of trail above the creek crossing was completed by a pro builder in December, excavated soil was added into the creek to enhance the backslope (berm it).









When the creek blew out there was sludge 30cm deep. One of the volunteers gathered local rocks and gravel from the fire road to do an emergency repair.









Although a bit muddy and messy (because it was), the last 2 pics show the final job using rock stored elsewhere in the park for another job that never eventuated.


----------



## jp08865 (Aug 12, 2014)

Just want to say *Thank You to ALL of the Trail Workers* that make these and other trails sustainable. When I started riding a couple years back, I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I guess I just thought these trails dropped from the sky in the middle of the woods. Obviously, I was not thinking. Riding a local area, it soon became apparent on work days how the trails got there and how much hard work goes into their maintenance - *THANK YOU ALL !*


----------



## TORQUE-29er (Nov 26, 2008)

Not as fancy as some of the armor jobs posted.

Perpetual wet spot on a local trail.
Got off the bike and did something about it instead of continually riding through it and making it worse. :madman:

A couple of beers and an hour later much better:thumbsup:

BEFORE








AFTER


----------



## TORQUE-29er (Nov 26, 2008)

50cents said:


> Where did the water go? The beer is a nice touch. Does the log retain water?


Carved a groove for the water to flow between the rocks.
The logs help prevent people from riding around the armor for some reason there are some that are afraid of the rocks. BEER always adds a nice touch.


----------



## Ridnparadise (Dec 14, 2007)

TORQUE-29er said:


> Carved a groove for the water to flow between the rocks.
> The logs help prevent people from riding around the armor for some reason there are some that are afraid of the rocks. BEER always adds a nice touch.


Good on you for your work at that spot. A couple of things. When you place flagstones like that, water runs between them. If you create a channel, water runs even more aggressively. In time the stones will be displaced by wheels and weather. Armouring itself is a great tool in difficult spots, but the gold standard of armouring is when time and weather deposit eroded material into the armouring creating a hardened tread, as opposed to exposed stones that may erode away.

Armouring looks great when new, but solidified armouring is great for much longer. That's why people here are suggesting gravel between the stones. In general if you use large stones, add smaller stones grading down to gravel between them. It may not make sense in a wall, but in the tread of a trail the gravel and little stones prevent the larger ones moving around and allow fine sediment to settle in amongst everything. It can end up as solid as concrete. That's much better than rivulets running between flagstones that are being knocked about by wheels, especially in super wet or super dry weather.

The other thing is the logs on the outslope. They may be holding water up and contributing to the bog as suggested. Should they go? Generally anything below the trail will stop water draining away and cause problems. The golden rule is never to put wood on the outslope unless a particular feature requires it, the trail is enhanced and both the timber and tread can be maintained over time (jump, skinny line etc). In a counterintuitive way, your log below armouring is particularly interesting because it will actually work with some more effort.

Placing a log or other obstruction below trail normally creates a bog. However, where water flow is slowed over stony tread, sediment will drop into the stones and build up against that log. Even if there is a deluge and a massive amount of mud accumulates against the log you can add small stones and gravel into the sludge and build up the tread, so long as it over an existing stony base.

Therefore, rather than remove the wood, you should add more rock and small stones to your armouring and see what happens. Most likely in the future when the log is starting to decay away, there will be a stony and sound tread built over all your flag and smaller stones. Even when it gets muddy after bad weather it will have a rock solid base below and cycle on into the future (NPI).


----------



## slocaus (Jul 21, 2005)

For effective rock armor to last and stay in place, use the iceberg rule. 10% visible, 90% below the surface.


----------



## tbmaddux (May 22, 2012)

From Team Dirt's build day last weekend, on our new trail named Sexy Tree, at Alsea Falls. We are hand building this 0.5 mile extension at the top of our trail system and there are a lot of nice roots that we're armoring with rocks, as well as some corners that we're armoring to make them technical and fun.

P.S. Hand building is hard work, and we want an excavator and other tools. We have a goal of 30 miles of trail in the next 5 years, and your help will get us there. Check out our capital campaign and sponsor us today!


----------



## TORQUE-29er (Nov 26, 2008)

Ridnparadise said:


> Good on you for your work at that spot. A couple of things. When you place flagstones like that, water runs between them. If you create a channel, water runs even more aggressively. In time the stones will be displaced by wheels and weather. Armouring itself is a great tool in difficult spots, but the gold standard of armouring is when time and weather deposit eroded material into the armouring creating a hardened tread, as opposed to exposed stones that may erode away.
> 
> Armouring looks great when new, but solidified armouring is great for much longer. That's why people here are suggesting gravel between the stones. In general if you use large stones, add smaller stones grading down to gravel between them. It may not make sense in a wall, but in the tread of a trail the gravel and little stones prevent the larger ones moving around and allow fine sediment to settle in amongst everything. It can end up as solid as concrete. That's much better than rivulets running between flagstones that are being knocked about by wheels, especially in super wet or super dry weather.
> 
> ...


Those pictures I posted are a few years old. Rocks were few and far had to use what was there and the only tool was a scrap piece of 2X4 I found and used as a trowel. I'm aware of not blocking the out slope in situations where water flow is involved but keeping people on the trail took precedence, it behooves me that some will avoid a rock and ride through a swamp. Here's a more updated photo looking from other direction, dirt and debris filled in around it making it solid. I have pictures from other armor projects I'll post sometime later.


----------



## Ridnparadise (Dec 14, 2007)

TORQUE-29er said:


> Those pictures I posted are a few years old. Rocks were few and far had to use what was there and the only tool was a scrap piece of 2X4 I found and used as a trowel. I'm aware of not blocking the out slope in situations where water flow is involved but keeping people on the trail took precedence, it behooves me that some will avoid a rock and ride through a swamp. Here's a more updated photo looking from other direction, dirt and debris filled in around it making it solid. I have pictures from other armor projects I'll post sometime later.
> View attachment 977687


It's good the way armouring will cover over if water flow across it is slowed. Looks good. It really is amazing how people avoid stable trail a surface to ride something mushy.


----------



## DaveVt (Jun 13, 2005)

Some Turnpiked trail in place of a long sloppy section. We move a few hundred stones with a ball cart through a swamp during dear fly season. Pretty sure I gave pints of blood during this 2 weeks.


----------



## TORQUE-29er (Nov 26, 2008)

Here's another spot that never seemed to dry.
I armored this and took the photo a few years back and it is now for the most part dry.
As you can see from the ruts some riders avoiding the rocks and riding through the mud. Even as I was completing this a rider approached I directed him verbally and with a hand gesture to ride the rocks what does he do..yup right through the mud:madman:


----------



## DaveVt (Jun 13, 2005)

TORQUE-29er said:


> Here's another spot that never seemed to dry.
> I armored this and took the photo a few years back and it is now for the most part dry.
> As you can see from the ruts some riders avoiding the rocks and riding through the mud. Even as I was completing this a rider approached I directed him verbally and with a hand gesture to ride the rocks what does he do..yup right through the mud:madman:
> 
> View attachment 977903


That says everything about MTBers today. Our trails die by a thousand lousy line choices per ride.


----------



## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Not armoring, but it's fun to run along a stone wall here and there, specially if it keeps you high and dry. We had some pretty industrious farmers around here in times past.

Line choices are pretty limited.


----------



## Ridnparadise (Dec 14, 2007)

DaveVt said:


> That says everything about MTBers today. Our trails die by a thousand lousy line choices per ride.


Yep. What staggers me is how riders will ride off the trail repairs you have just completed and onto mud and undamaged bush even as you ask them not to. What exactly makes someone take a 30m "shortcut" to avoid riding newly stabilised trail is a question I cannot answer. Like T29er, we routinely add corrals to force riders to use the correct line. Sometimes that includes logs and other obstructions more than 10m off the trail line. It's ugly and shouldn't be necessary and means that one day you have to go back to remove them when you could be doing something else.


----------



## DaveVt (Jun 13, 2005)

Ridnparadise said:


> Yep. What staggers me is how riders will ride off the trail repairs you have just completed and onto mud and undamaged bush even as you ask them not to. What exactly makes someone take a 30m "shortcut" to avoid riding newly stabilised trail is a question I cannot answer. Like T29er, we routinely add corrals to force riders to use the correct line. Sometimes that includes logs and other obstructions more than 10m off the trail line. It's ugly and shouldn't be necessary and means that one day you have to go back to remove them when you could be doing something else.


When MTBs first came about, the amazing thing to me after riding trail on 20 inch bikes was the capability of the big wheel to ride over terrain. I remember stopping and going back over and over to try and clear the most technical line available. That was the point of being on a MTB. Now despite even larger wheels, great suspension, fatter tires ect, the new demographic attracted to the sport seems to do anything possible to not have to stop or put a foot down on their ride. Our sport has become about gear, bling and posing. Entitled 1% who never lift a tool and complain about everything we do as builders. C'est la Vie. I love bikes. I love trails. I love riding through the forest on my bike on trails. I really don't get Mountain Bikers these days.


----------



## ray.vermette (Jul 16, 2008)

*A Quickie Project*

Found a nice square rock. What to do?








Here's a muddy section that could use fixing.








Finished project








Another angle


----------



## ray.vermette (Jul 16, 2008)

*Small Boulder Causeway*

A fun project from the year before last. An alternate challenge line to the main line.






























Looks a little sketchy in person like some of the smaller rocks might shift, but the larger ones lock everything in place.

Open for business. First customer:


----------



## ray.vermette (Jul 16, 2008)

*Rock Armouring Takes Lots of Rocks*

This area was a slick mess every spring.

Gathering rocks. Lots and lots of rocks:


















































The finished project:























My solution was overkill, but when you have so many large flat rocks, everything starts to look like an armouring project. 

The dirt topping is mostly gone now. The rockwork has held up ok.


----------



## ray.vermette (Jul 16, 2008)

*Table Rock*

We had a severely-off camber rock on a trail intended for beginners. I asked them to level it.









"How level?" they asked. I told them I want to be able to be able to sit at it like a table and have my coffee and timbits...









The finished project and the crew that delivered it:


----------

