Trail Markings

Last Revised: March 08, 2007

Trail Markings

Reprinted with permission from Chapter 10 in "Trail Design, Construction, and Maintenance", published by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

White, rectangular paint blazes mark the Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia.  No other marking so clearly or consistently identifies the route, or contributes more to meeting the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's marking standard, adopted in October 1979:

"The Appalachian Trail shall be continuously and neatly marked using standard techniques in such a manner that the hiker unfamiliar with the area can discern the direction of the route and the location of drinking water and facilities."

Four other kinds of markings supplement the write blazes: metal markers, cairns, posts, and signs.  The diamond-shaped metal A.T. marker, the footpath's official insignia prior to its designation as a National Scenic Trail, distinguishes the route as the Appalachian Trail.  Cairns and posts mark the route in field, on balds, and in alpine areas where blazes are hard or impossible to place.  And, signs, covered in the next chapter, supply information on destinations, direction, and distances.

You could easily assume that marking the trail has but one purpose: to indicate the route and reassure hikers they are on the trail.  But, along heavily traveled trail sections, it serves also to actually influence hikers' footsteps.  In other words, blazes, signs, metal markers, posts, cairns when thoughtfully placed, can help guide people along the same footway.  Especially in open woods, on balds, or in alpine zones, drawing hikers along a single, narrow track slows trailside trampling, preventing erosion and unsightly scars.

Paint Blazes

On both the Appalachian Trail and on side trails, place the blazes on trees at eye height.  Remember, the trail should be marked for the benefit of hikers traveling either way, so place blazes facing in both directions.  If you can't find a suitable tree next to the trail, paint blazes on ledges or trail side rocks.  Where hikers must remain alert, usually just before major turns, junctions, or an unobvious condition requiring hiker alertness, place two blazes next to each other, one to two inches above the other.  According to the wishes of the maintaining club, you must use only one of two double-blaze alternatives: the in-line double blaze or the offset double blaze.  You cannot mix the two styles within one club's trail section.  If the club wants to change style, club leaders (not individual maintainers) must talk with agency partners, and take steps to revise the club's local management plan before changing blazing practices.

Frequency

Blazing needs to be continuous, even along roads or unmistakable parts of the footway.  Immediately beyond any junction, paint a blaze even if there is a direction sign.  Place a second "safety blaze" 50 to 100 feet beyond.  Where club-maintenance sections meet, check that blazes extend into the next section.  Eliminate all gaps in marking, and avoid suddenly varying the spacing of blazes in a way that confuses hikers.

Normally, you should change blazing frequency naturally with changes in trail terrain, forest cover, or the clarity of the footpath.  When the trail is conspicuous, place one blaze for every five minutes of hiking time, or about six per mile in each direction (800 to 1000 feet apart).  Where you run into hard-to-follow sections, often in transitions between field, forest, balds, and other environments, blaze more frequently.

At the same time, don't overblaze.  Too many single and double blazes can mar the primitive character of the trail.  This is a special concern to some land managers, particularly in federally designated wilderness areas, where blazing should remain minimal, or six per mile.  Elsewhere, you should place blazes so that no more than one is visible in either direction.  In other words, except near trail junctions, keep blazes at least 150 feet apart.  If you blaze more often, you may degrade the primitive trail experience.

Keeping Blazing Primitive

Blaze Less-

Along well-defined footpath
Along highly constructed trail in dense vegetation (alpine spruce, fir, or rhododendron)
Along sharp ridgelines

Blaze More-

At turns, both on and off roads
Along obscure footpath
In open forests
On flat or gentle terrain
In open areas (balds, alpine zones)

Placement

Paint Blazes on trees that "strike the eye".  Look down the trail to find a tree that will catch hikers' attention in all seasons.  If the tree is far enough away, and within one to three feet of the right side of the footpath, you've found your next blaze tree.  Try to make sure that leafy summer growth or branches weighted with snow or rain will not later hide the blaze.  Clear any interfering growth with lopping shears or hand pruners.

Bear in mind a couple of other pointers: When you are choosing a blaze tree, remember that one well-placed blaze is better than several that are poorly placed or partly hidden.  Avoid placing blazes on both sides of the same tree, because a storm that blows the tree down would result in a two-fold loss in marking.  And, of course, avoid blazing in essence, defacing trees and rocks that form distinctive and pleasing elements of the scenery.

Double Blazes

Place a double blaze 25 to 50 feet before abrupt turns and highway or trail junctions.  Remove painted arrows, or slanted blazes, and replace them with standard double blazes.  If your club has chosen offset double blazes, place the upper rectangle about 2 inches to the side in the direction of the turn.  At trail junctions at which the trail doesn't turn, use an in-line blaze.

As with the single blaze, you should place the blazes sparingly.  They are unnecessary at most turns in the trail, and they become unsightly and meaningless with frequent use.  On switchbacks, for example, use only single blazes, but paint them near the switchback corner, one above the corner and one below.  If needed, you can pile brush, logs, or rocks at the corner to define the footpath and guide hikers around the turn.

In rare instances, you may feel the route remains ambiguous, even with blazes.  Avoid the urge to paint an arrow to direct the hiker.  The extra, nonstandard paint may hurt the trail's primitive character and detract from the hikers' sense of exploration.  Try to use small directional signs, posts, or cairns, instead.

Surface Preparation

On other trees, smooth the bark by simply rubbing with a wad of steel wool, a nylon dish pad, or a canvas-gloved hand to remove dirt, lichen, and loose bark.  If you scrape conifers, such as white pine or balsam fir, they will bleed.  White birch and black cherry will fray.  Beech and red maple already have smooth bark that you can paint without scraping.

On rocks, clear lichens, moss and other debris with a stiff wire brush.  The surface must be clean and dry or the paint will not adhere.

Painting Technique

Before you head out on the trail, take a moment to consider which of several blazing techniques to use.  Some people prefer using a stencil.  They apply the paint with a brush or spray can.  Sometimes, they trace the blazes outline through the stencil with a felt-tip marker and then fill in the rectangle with a paint brush.  Others use a two-by six stamp, made from a sponge, and simple press the blaze to a tree.  (Spare sponges may be needed.)  Still others simply use a straightedge.  But, most people blaze freehand, gauging the size of each blaze with a cardboard template.

The object in any case is to master a technique that you can perform neatly, consistently leaving standard size blazes.  Avoid at all costs blemishing trees or rocks with pudgy blotches or swollen, oversized rectangles.  Be careful to avoid dripping paint on trees, rocks, and leaves.

You'll save yourself a lot of trouble if you avoid blazing light-colored trees, such as white birch, light gray birch, or young poplar.  Where you must blaze such a tree, paint the blaze as usual, and then frame it with a narrow line of natural-colored dark paint, to make the blaze stand out.

To ensure your blazes are durable, always stir the paint vigorously for ten minutes at the start of the day.  Whip all pigment on the bottom of the can into suspension.  Along the trail, remix the paint regularly.

Even when you prepare the paint and the surface properly, you'll have to repaint blazes on a regular schedule.  Tree growth splits blazes, dirt dims them, animals scratch them, and trees themselves fall.  In most circumstances, a blaze will last only three to five years, depending on the surface, type of paint, and weather.  For example, on black cherry trees, paint drops off in a year or two.

So plan to renew blazes every two years.  For blazes that are still in good condition, repaint after scraping the surface lightly to remove paint flakes and dust.  For faded, widened, or split blazes, repaint after scraping the surface as if for a new blaze.  Paint over any part of the old blaze still showing with neutralizing paint as close to the color of the surrounding surface as possible.  Use brown paint in conifer forests, light grayish-green in hardwoods.

Blaze Obliteration

Sometimes you'll have to eliminate blazes because they are sloppy, too frequent, and in the wrong places.  Or more often, because they may threaten to lead hikers down the old trail following a trail relocation.  In the later situation, you should obliterate all former blazes, end to end, to avoid leading down the wrong route those hikers who have gone astray.

To obliterate blazes, scrape off as much of the old paint as possible.  Lightly cover any remaining paint with neutralizing paint.  Use mixes of brown, green and gray to match the background.  On rocks, apply the paint carefully, and sparingly; otherwise, it may merely make a conspicuous mark of another color.  Spray paint makes good neutralizer because it can be layered and feathered to obscure the old blaze.

Blazing Equipment

The equipment you'll need for blazing, includes the following: a scraper, nylon dish pad, wire brush, blaze stencil (or template) and felt-pip pen, two plastic squeeze bottles, white paint, neutralizing paint, paint brushes, paper cups, and a rag to clean up mistakes.  Most maintainers use a bucket to carry this equipment.  It is easy to walk with, keeps you from misplacing brushes and tools, and catches spilled and dribbled paint.  For the comfort of your hands, slit a piece of hose lengthwise and slip it around the bucket handle.  Other suggestions: