Trail Management and Maintenance

If you love the Northeast outdoors, chances are you have enjoyed some of the 1,400 miles of trails that the AMC maintains. At the AMC, maintaining trails means more than keeping them clear or marking them well so that people can find their way. Maintaining trails also means preserving them for future use, protecting the surrounding environment, and preserving a quality backcountry experience for all trail users.

Learn how the AMC's dedicated volunteer and professional trail workers are keeping the trails in shape — and how you can play a part.

The Basics
Discover the mission, the history, the challenges, and the successes of the AMC's trail work.

• The five biggest battles trail crews fight.
• The history of AMC trail work in the White Mountains.
• Measure twice, cut once — How trail builders lay the groundwork.
• Illegal "bootleg" trails cause erosion and safety concerns in the Whites.

Trail Projects
Check out some notable AMC trail projects past and present.

• Protecting public access to White Mountain trails.
• Grafton Loop, the AMC's first major trail construction project since 1976.
• Chapter volunteers build wheelchair-accessible section of the AT in Connecticut.
• Creating the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Network.
  

Professional Trail Crew
The AMC's trail crew is one of the oldest, and most respected in the nation. Find out about who they are, what they do, and what life on crew is like.

• Profile of the AMC's professional trail crews.
• A day in the life of the professional trail crew.

Preserving the Backcountry Experience
We preserve a quality backcountry experience for trail users by promoting Leave No Trace ethics, and by providing facilities along the trails to reduce impacts from overnight stays.

• Leave No Trace principles protect the backcountry.
• Backcountry campsites and shelters preserve outdoor experience.
• Take care of trails during mud season.

Resources
The Complete Guide to Trail Building Maintenance for more about trail maintenance.