# Building in a swampy area



## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

My friend and I have set out on a new fairly difficult project. First off, this whole build will be taking place on his property. It is very swampy which will add challenge to building (and hopefully riding when it's done). There are some small hills, dry spots, and some almost unrideable swamp :eekster: . We are both 16 so money is an issue, we can spent alittle here and there, but there is deffinitely a budget. We would also like to stick with natural materials, there are lots of downed trees and sizeable branches; armouring would have been my first stage of attack, but seeing as there are almost no rocks it would be impossible. Hopefully you guys can give me some tips on building strategies and such. Thanks in advance- Andrew

P.S.~~ I will have pictures of the area up later today.


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## rfeather (Aug 22, 2006)

Are those downed trees cedar? Cut them into lengths short enough for you two to carry them out and bring them to someone with a sawmill. Make planks and stringers for building bridges. Pay for the sawmilling with labor. Your biggest expense will be nails.


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## dburatti (Feb 14, 2004)

Unless you can build sustainable tread by using rot resistant wood (oak, cedar, locust, etc.) or armor the tread in the low areas, I would avoid designing and building in the swampy areas. Drainage will be a major issue. Plus, riding wet trail causes grit to accumulate on your bike & its parts, which can mean more frequent maintenance and/or replacement.

Good luck!

D


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## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

Thanks so far guys, unfortunately i wasn't able to get out there today; but tomorrow we'll be out bright and early to start mapping out the trail (the driest route we can find). I'm pleased to say that the larger deadfall is almost all oak. Some of those can be used for the stringers, and possibly some of the other wood for the planks, anything that isn't touching the ground will not rot nearly as fast as it would in the muck. True drainage won't even be an option. Hopefully we can find a nice section of rideable stuff. I'll put some pictures up of mutliple line possibilities tomorrow.


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## Fattirewilly (Dec 10, 2001)

Just threw this in another thread, works here too.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/fspubs/00232839/page08b.htm


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## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

Fattirewilly said:


> Just threw this in another thread, works here too.
> 
> http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/fspubs/00232839/page08b.htm


Great link, I'll be sure to try some of those out :thumbsup:


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

Quit following me willy.


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## Fattirewilly (Dec 10, 2001)

Trail Ninja said:


> Quit following me willy.


Shoooot, you owe me a 6-pack just for finding that link!


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## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

Ok, learned a lot more about what is able to be done (and impossible). There are tons of rocks, decent sized ones too, didn't see very many hand sized ones. So a causeway could be on the agenda. Also there is less useable deadfall the previously thought. Here are some pictures with possible line choices.

Trail starts by hugging his fence








Little ramp up and over a log








Twisty








Small jump over some roots into possible S berm








Second part of S berm to bridge over wet spot








Bridge/ teeter totter 








After bridge








Three lines on boulder








Three Lines from opposite side of boulder








From his neighbors old swingset, the wood is treated and rot resistant (great find!)


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

Fattirewilly said:


> Shoooot, you owe me a 6-pack just for finding that link!


I have a copy of the whole manual. I've had it for years.

6-pack is yours. Next time you're on Vancouver Island.


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## Trail Ninja (Sep 25, 2008)

Oh, nice! See if you can get a rock bar to move some of the big rocks.

Would anybody notice if the fence disappeared?


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## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

Trail Ninja said:


> Oh, nice! See if you can get a rock bar to move some of the big rocks.
> 
> Would anybody notice if the fence disappeared?


Yes the rock bar would be awesome, lol I think I got something in the shed for that. As for the fence I think his dad might be a bit steamed!


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## OGJON (Apr 15, 2009)

I bet that under all the sticks & leaves the ground is going to be quite moist

looks like a fairly decent place with loads of potential


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## rfeather (Aug 22, 2006)

Wow, look at all those great rocks for armoring any areas that get muddy after the trail is used a while. That'll be a fun technical trail.


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## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

OGJON said:


> I bet that under all the sticks & leaves the ground is going to be quite moist
> 
> looks like a fairly decent place with loads of potential


We planted the trail in the driest spots we could, it isn't actually too wet in some spots, which is especially surprising because we just had a lot of rain last week.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

We will be working with this company for a variation of their decking conducive biking. We have what may be miles of their decking in conservancy lands and other places and the adjustable nature is a plus (see photos 15, 16). In this case it will be to address to wet areas in our soon to be built bike skills park.

http://www.wickcraft.com/walkways_gallery.asp


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## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

bitflogger said:


> We will be working with this company for a variation of their decking conducive biking. We have what may be miles of their decking in conservancy lands and other places and the adjustable nature is a plus (see photos 15, 16). In this case it will be to address to wet areas in our soon to be built bike skills park.
> 
> http://www.wickcraft.com/walkways_gallery.asp


I love those stands, but for biking should the slats by a bit farther apart to shed water and mud?


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## scoutcat (Mar 30, 2008)

my recommendation: build only on the high ground - avoid all places where water will collect.


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## ericpulvermacher (Nov 1, 2008)

Got a chain saw? Know what a corduroy road is?

hell of a lot of work but I helped make an access trial to a friends cabin. Stick to the high and dry when you can but when you get in the wet you need something to keep the trail from "sinking."


Either that or do like I do and ride the swamps in winter when they are nice and frozen. :thumbsup:


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## schaarschmidt (Aug 20, 2007)

We built about 1 mile of turn pikes in a flat wet area at Harrison Bay State Park in Chattanooga, TN, where the trail was built in the wrong place using the wrong methods by the park staff. The turn pikes worked perfectly. That was about 5 years ago. They are still holding strong.

We basically dropped 4" x 4" x 8' down about 30 inches apart, drove 10" nails through them and into the ground to stake them in place. Then filled up the middle area with crush run gravel, to the point that it spilled over the sides of the 4" x 4" and hid them from view.

The method is cheap and works great, but is hugely labor intensive as we had to use wheelbarrows to push in most of the gravel from the trail head. I don't even know how many loads I pushed in, but it was probably over 100, and there was a good number of people doing the same thing.

Here are some before (3 month before we started) and after pictures. They are of the same sections of trail, just shot from slightly different angles.


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## ajd245246 (Sep 1, 2008)

Thanks for all the ideas, trail work has slowed a bit, don't know why, the next step will be to amour and build the bridges. I'll try to keep it updated as we go.


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