Connecticut Water Trails Association
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Connecticut Water Trails Association |
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Connecticut Water Trails Program How To Build A Water Trail Building A Water Trail - Developing Trail Facilities
Facilities that are customarily built along a water trail fall into three general categories: access, day use, and camping. The size and appearance of these facilities may well be determined by the availability of funds, the setting, and the expertise of the construction crew. Here are tips to consider when building these facilities:
Portage
Trails Build portage trails where visitors have to transport boats around obstructions or hazards in the waterway and from one body of water to another. In some instances, you may have to build a portage trail from the parking area to the waterway. Compared to hiking trails, portage trails generally must be wider and smoother and have more gentle curves and turns. They should be able to accommodate collapsible boat dollies, which are becoming popular. Try to have a slightly wider area at each end of the portages for loading and unloading.
Day-Use Area Provide toilet facilities
that are appropriate for the wilderness, rural, or urban setting. Other
day-use facilities range from simple designated picnic areas to hiking
trails with sophisticated interpretive exhibits. Providing interpretive
and orientation information can enhance their experience—and direct
their activities away from areas that are environmentally sensitive,
unsafe, or closed by landowners.
Camping Areas
Build your campsites so they are easily accessible
from the waterway, have a safe place to store boats, are fairly level
and well drained, and offer protection from strong winds. Provide wooden
tent platforms in heavily used and fragile areas. Install an appropriate
human waste disposal system. If fires are permitted, provide grills to
reduce the possibility of fires getting out of control.
Construction Crews Use care in deciding whether to use volunteers or
professionals to construct trail facilities. Volunteers can readily
handle the relatively simple tasks, such as clearing brush for campsites
and building picnic tables. Some volunteers may be current or retired
construction workers and managers who can handle complex construction
projects. For large, difficult projects, you may have to use—and pay
for—the services of an architect and several contractors, plus a general
contractor or engineer to coordinate their efforts and to obtain all the
necessary permits and inspections.
Learn About Constructing Facilities Before pouring any cement, driving in nails, or
applying paint, think about what you are trying to accomplish and make
some basic decisions. Questions to Consider:
Key Points
Access Facilities Areas established to provide access to the waterway usually consist of a parking area for vehicles with or without trailers; a trail or ramp to the water for launching and recovering boats; signs; and toilet facilities. Because it takes time to load and unload boats, access sites should be large enough to accommodate several boating parties at one time. Boats transported on trailers, however, usually arrive at the parking area with most of the gear aboard, so a single launching ramp may be enough to handle the traffic.
Parking areas should be built on well-drained soils
in areas that do not flood. The number and type of parking spaces you
provide should give the visitor important clues about what to expect on
the trail. If a visitor arrives and takes the last parking spot in a
10-car lot, for instance, he or she will probably perceive that the
traffic on the trail is at capacity. If that person arrives to find 10
cars in a 20-car lot, he or she may think the water trail is not
crowded. If the trail has been designed to accommodate the carrying
capacity, resist pressure to expand the parking. Launch sites should slope naturally to the water at
grades of 10 to 15% for boats on trailers and 5 to 15% for hand-carried
watercraft. They should be protected from strong prevailing winds and
currents; lack obstructions, and be deep enough to be reasonably
navigable. Portage trails may have to be built to avoid obstructions or to access one body of water from another. A portage trail itself can impart a sense of adventure to the whole water trail experience.
Day-Use Facilities Depending on available resources, you may want to create areas along the
trail where visitors can relax and perhaps learn something about the
area. Keep in mind that every amenity—picnic table, fireplace, roofed
canopy, toilet—will add to the maintenance tasks of our volunteers or
paid personnel. Do not provide trash barrels unless you can empty them
on a regular basis. Instead, encourage carry-in, carry-out procedures
through a Leave No Trace program. Anticipate that flooding will affect
your facilities from time to time and will require need for emergency
repairs and maintenance.
Wayside exhibits can heighten interest in the trail's natural and cultural features and enhance the overall trail experience. Make them as site-specific as possible at locations, such as campsites and picnic areas, where boaters can land safely. Construct the exhibits using durable materials such as with aluminum bases to be to withstand flooding.
Camping Areas
For many visitors, spending a night or several nights under the stars or
in a tent is an essential part of the trail experience. Some areas along
the waterway make natural campsites and have been used by travelers for
hundreds or thousands of years. Make them a part of your trail, but ask
your state preservation office or other agency to check them for
historic and prehistoric artifacts.
Campsites should be located in gently sloping,
well-drained areas. If anticipated use levels are high or vegetation and
soils are fragile, install wooden tent platforms or build pads with
sand, soil, or gravel bounded by rocks or logs. Campfires are not appropriate at all campsites. Lack
of appropriate fuel, landowner restrictions, and high risk of
uncontrolled fires may warrant a stoves-only policy. If fires are
allowed, build small fire rings. Remind visitors of the Leave No Trace
practice of using firewood small enough to be broken by hand. Make your
decision about campfires and educate water trail users. Disposal of human waste is as challenging an issue
as fire. Methods range from carry-out practices, favored by managers on
western rivers and Maine 's coast, to elaborate vault or composting
units and portable waterless privies. Build traditional pit
privies—either open or enclosed in a small wood building—where they are
legally permitted. Composting toilets can be an esthetically better
option but are often expensive to install and manage. Leave No Trace ( http://www.LNT.org/ ) and The River
Management Society (http://www.river-management.org/) provide useful
materials about human waste disposal methods.
Construction Tips Before starting the actual
work, decide whether you want to use volunteers or pay for professional
help.
Use volunteers to build basic facilities. Using
volunteers is a great way to build an esprit de corps in a fledgling
organization, but keep in mind that some volunteers may be highly
skilled and others may know little or nothing about constructing
facilities. Match the tasks with their skill levels and put a skilled
volunteer or paid staffer in charge. Be sure to have detailed building plans, a work
schedule, and required permits before starting the project. Use contractors to build highly engineered
structures and projects involving serious environmental issues requiring
studies and permits. If the construction project is especially large and
complex, hire a general contractor or engineer to manage it on a
day-to-day basis. Before signing a contract, meet with several firms,
inform them of your mission and vision, visit the site or sites, and
review your building plans. Some contractors may become advocates of
your project and lower their fees.
Get at least three bids. Check the contractors'
references and examine other work they have done on similar projects.
While the lowest price is important, the confidence you have in the
quality of the contractor's work and availability to meet your schedule
may well be more important than the fee.
Dams, particularly hydroelectric dams, present
special challenges to water trail managers. They modify, often
dramatically, the natural character and environment of a river or lake
and present significant barriers to navigation that require the building
of portage trails. Sudden releases of large water flows from dams can
endanger downstream waders and boaters. It is critical to communicate
information about dams and required portages to your water trail user in
a map and guide, orientation signs, and website. Owners of hydroelectric dams may help you build
portage trails around the dams. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(FERC) requires them to compensate the public for the commercial use of
the waterway by providing public access and, in many cases, recreational
facilities. If your project is above or below a hydroelectric dam,
examine the terms of the FERC license regarding recreation facilities.
Find out when reviews are conducted and when the license is up for
renewal—the best times to seek help in obtaining facilities to enhance
your water trail. For more information, visit:
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