6-6 USFS Trail Design Parameters Hiking.pdf
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This technical design guideline document, issued by the United States Forest Service (USFS), establishes standardized trail design parameters for hiker and pedestrian use on National Forest System trails. The document provides comprehensive specifications for five trail classes (1-5) covering critical design elements including tread width, surface type, grade, cross slope, clearing height, shoulder clearance, and turn radius. Trail class designations range from wilderness single-lane trails with minimal tread width (0-12 inches) to non-wilderness double-lane trails accommodating 72-120 inch widths, with corresponding variations in design specifications based on intended use intensity and terrain conditions. The guidelines specify that design parameters should be informed by soil conditions, hydrological factors, use levels, erosion potential, and sustainability considerations, and permit local deviations when justified by trail-specific conditions while maintaining consistency with applicable trail class intent.
The document notes that trail classes 3, 4, and 5 have potential for accessible passage and references the Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines (FSTAG) for more specific technical provisions when accessibility assessment or design is required. Design specifications address surface characteristics ranging from native, ungraded materials for Class 1 trails to uniform, firm, and stable surfaces for Class 5 trails; grade targets from 5-25 percent for Class 1 to 2-5 percent for Class 5; and maximum obstacle heights decreasing from 24 inches for Class 1 to no obstacles permitted for Class 5. The guidelines establish maximum pitch density requirements, design cross slope targets and maximums, and minimum turn radius specifications that increase with trail class to accommodate higher-use, multi-user corridors. These parameters serve as the technical foundation for survey, design, construction, maintenance, and assessment activities on National Forest System trails.
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Text version
S u s ta in a b le T ra il B rid g e D e s ig n
Trail Design Parameters Hiker/Pedestrian (FSH 2309.18, Section 23.11, Exhibit 01)
Design parameters are technical guidelines for the survey, design, construction, maintenance, and assessment of National Forest System trails, based on their designed use and trail class and consistent with their management intent.1 Local deviations from any design parameter may be es-tablished based on trail-specific conditions, topography, or other factors, provided that the deviations are consistent with the general intent of the applicable trail class.
Designed Use
HIKER/PEDESTRIAN Trail Class 1 Trail Class 2 Trail Class 32 Trail Class 42 Trail Class 52
Design
Tread
Width
Wilderness (Single
Lane) 0 – 12 6 – 18 12 – 24
Exception: may be 36 – 48 at steep side slopes
18 – 24
Exception: may be
36 – 48 at steep side slopes
Not applicable
Non-Wilderness
(Single Lane) 0 – 12 6 – 18 18 – 36 24 – 60 36 – 72
Non-Wilderness
(Double Lane) 36 36 36 – 60 48 – 72 72 – 120
Structures
(Minimum Width) 18 18 18 36 36
Design
Surface3
Type Native, ungraded
May be continuously rough
Native, limited grading
May be continuously rough
Native, with some onsite borrow or imported material where needed for stabilization and occasional grading
Intermittently rough
Native with improved sections of borrow or imported material, and routine grading
Minor roughness
Likely imported material, and routine grading
Uniform, firm, and stable
Protrusions ≤ 24
Likely common and continuous
≤ 6
May be common and continuous
≤ 3
May be common, not continuous
≤ 3
Uncommon, not continuous
No protrusions
Obstacles
(Maximum Height) 24 14 10 8 No obstacles
Design
Grade3
Target Grade 5% – 25% 5% – 18% 3% – 12% 2% – 10% 2% – 5%
Short Pitch
Maximum
40% 35% 25% 15% 5%
FSTAG: 5% – 12%2
Maximum
Pitch Density
20% – 40% of trail 20% – 30% of trail 10% – 20% of trail 5% – 20% of trail 0% – 5% of trail
10/16/2008
S u s ta in a b le T ra il B rid g e D e s ig n
Designed Use
HIKER/PEDESTRIAN Trail Class 1 Trail Class 2 Trail Class 32 Trail Class 42 Trail Class 52
Design
Cross
Slope
Target
Cross Slope
Natural side slope 5% – 20% 5% – 10% 3% – 7% 2% – 3%
(or crowned)
Maximum
Cross Slope
Natural side slope 25% 15% 10% 3%
Design
Clearing
Height 6 6 – 7 7 – 8 8 – 10 8 – 10
Width ≥ 24
Some vegetation may encroach into clearing area
24 – 48
Some light vegetation may encroach into clearing area
36 – 60 48 – 72 60 – 72
Shoulder
Clearance 3 – 6 6 – 12 12 – 18 12 – 18 12 – 24
Design
Turn
Radius No minimum 2 – 3 3 – 6 4 – 8 6 – 8
1 For definitions of design parameter attributes (for example, design tread width and short pitch maximum) see FSH 2309.18, Section 05.
2 Trail classes 3, 4, and 5, in particular, have the potential to provide accessible passage. If assessing or designing trails for accessibility, refer to the Forest Service Trail
Accessibility Guidelines (FSTAG) for more specific technical provisions and tolerances (FSM 2350).
3 The determination of trail-specific design grade, design surface, and other design parameters should be based upon soils, hydrological conditions, use levels, erosion potential, and other factors contributing to surface stability and overall sustainability of the trail.
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