Defining the Appearance of the A.T.
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Last revised:
March 08, 2007
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Principles to Define the Appearance of the A.T.
These principles
describe the desired traditional A.T. treadway appearance. They offer considerable
local flexibility, and will also help meet the goals of minimal treadway maintenance, and
a treadway which wears lightly on the land.
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Drainage is perhaps the most important
factor which literally shapes the appearance of the A.T. treadway. The A.T. tread
must be located and constructed to provide frequent diversion of water
from the treadway to effectively control erosion. Maintenance of good treadway
drainage must be a primary maintenance task and responsibility.
The desired appearance achieved through good drainage is: leaf litter
remaining on the Trail tread; less than three inches of cupping of the mineral layer of
the Trail tread; no loose rocks or roots resulting from erosion.
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Width of the Trail tread affects both the
A.T. experience and Trail use. The wider the tread, the less natural it appears.
Too wide a tread invites uses of the A.T. other than hiking.
The desired appearance achieved through appropriate tread width is: a
stable, non widening tread, for single file use, 12 inches to 18 inches wide in (flat)
areas with no treadway construction, 18 inches to 24 inches wide on side slopes which
require tread construction.
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Woods roads were designed for the passage
of vehicles. The Appalachian Trail is intended to be a simple footpath. The
A.T. tread should follow a woods road only when a better location is not available, and
the woods road is closed to pack stock, bikes, and motor vehicles of all types.
The desired appearance achieved where the A.T. follows a woods road is:
the woods road should be allowed to revegetate to normal A.T. treadway width.
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Poorly drained areas, such as swamps,
seeps or wetlands, which cannot be avoided present a difficult challenge to A.T. builders,
but provide a unique and desirable experience for the hiker. While the objective is
not to provide perfectly dry footing on the entire Trail, it is not acceptable to allow
the footpath to widen when hikers try to avoid wet areas and trample Trail-side
vegetation.
The desired appearance through poorly drained areas is: a stable
non-widening tread, 12 inches to 18 inches in width, using raised rock-mineral soil
turnpikes, or bog bridges to span the saturated soils. Obtain construction materials
out of sight of the Trail. Note: turnpikes may not be legal in all locales, as they
may impede lateral damage.
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The condition of vegetation along the A.T.,
especially that immediately adjacent to the tread, shapes the hiker's experience.
The less it is damaged, the "wilder" the hiking experience. Construction
or reconstruction of the Trail tread, however, will result in a temporary, unavoidable
elimination of vegetation on cut banks and fill slopes. Properly designed Trail
projects will rapidly revegetate and cause little future unsightliness.
The desired appearance for vegetation along the Trail is: no damage
beside the Trail from trampling; healthy plants growing close beside the tread.
(Vegetation clearing for maintenance should not be hindered by this principle! In
fact, inadequate clearing of uphill vegetation will force hikers to the outside of the
tread, causing it to fail.) Bare soil exposed during construction or reconstruction
should be mulched with leaf or needle litter, or reseeded with a native plant mix,
minimizing erosion and visual impacts until revegetated. Brush cut during
construction or reconstruction should be moved out of sight of Trail users. A
"natural" look should be achieved as soon as possible after work is completed.
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Compaction of the Trail tread in areas of
unstable soils may not violate the principles listed above, but may cause other problems,
i.e. exposed roots, cupping, widening or deep ditches (even though the mineral layer is
not eroding). The result to the experience is the same, however - the appearance of
the passage of many hikers.
The desired appearance in areas of easily compacted soils is: a stable
tread 12" to 24" wide, no loose rocks or roots resulting from erosion or
compaction, minimal cupping of the tread (including the organic layer), with healthy
vegetation growing up to the tread. While dealing with this situation may, in some
cases, be a low priority, the long range plan for such areas should include trail work,
such as mineral soil fill, designed to minimize the apparent passage of hikers, reduce
resource damage, and thus maximize the sense of the wild and primeval.
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"A simple footpath," the
traditional goal for the A.T. experience, can be best reached by minimizing the signs of
human improvements along the Trail tread. This will also, in most cases, have the
added benefit of reducing treadway maintenance and construction, and provide greater
access to the physically challenged.
The desired appearance of the Trail to mask the presence of humans is: to
minimize treadway structures (e.g. stiles, steps, cribbing, bridges, waterbars, and
switchbacks), to the greatest extent possible (i.e., when considering a stream crossing,
the first choice should be a ford, the second choice stepping stones, and the third
choice, usually as a safety matter, should be to install a bridge.) The most simple,
unobtrusive, and rustic design for treadway structures, using native materials, requiring
the least disturbance of the natural resource, which will adequately and appropriately
address the situation at hand should always be used, and be "in harmony with the
natural environment."
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Grade of the treadway is not addressed in
these Trail appearance principles because, in itself, grade is not a factor which affects
the desired appearance of the A.T. If the above principles are met, the grade of the
Trail is irrelevant. If, for example, the grade happens to be very steep but the
tread is not eroding, deeply compacted, or unduly suggesting the presence of humans, the
tread provides both a natural appearance and a physical challenge.
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Copyright Appalachian Trail Conservancy, all rights
reserved
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