The Ten Commandments of Trails
Many crews and organizations have devised their own “rules” of trailwork. Sometimes passed down orally, plastered onto a bulletin board, or codified more formally in a published manual. While there is some variety based on geography and the culture of any given organization, there’s generally agreement on the fundamentals of trail work and what makes for a good trail.
The “Ten Commandments” below were first sent to me via Instagram by veteran traildog Kirk Barrett. Kirk was actually unsure of the origins, having seen the Commandments appear on another trailbuilder’s Instagram years prior. Wanting to share them with proper attribution, I set out to find the author.
A bit of online digging led me to a copy of a 420-page 1996 Emigrant Wilderness Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which, incredibly, had been scanned and uploaded into Google Books. The Ten Commandments appear on page 204 and are attributed to Jim Snyder and an “unpublished report [from] Yosemite National Park.”
Jim Snyder worked 27 seasons on the Yosemite Trail Crew and left a substantial legacy. He later went on to be the Yosemite National Park historian before retiring in 2005. I reached out to Jim via email but did not receive a reply.
So here they are, Jim Snyder’s “Ten Commandments of Trails.” Would you add anything to this list? Remove any of these or edit them?
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF TRAILS
THE ENVIRONMENT COMES FIRST!!!!
DRAINAGE IS AN ALL-IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION IN TRAIL WORK.
A TRAIL AND ITS SURROUNDINGS SHOULD BE STUDIED OVER TIME.
USE THE MINIMUM TOOL NECESSARY FOR THE JOB.
DO THE MINIMUM NECESSARY TO CONTROL LONG-TERM EROSION AND PROVIDE FOR USE. SUBTLETY IS A VIRTUE.
DO THE JOB RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
TRAIL RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE SOLVE MORE PROBLEMS THAN TRAIL RELOCATION.
EMPHASIZE HAND LABOR, TRADITIONAL SKILLS, AND NATIVE MATERIALS.
MAINTAIN WHAT HAS BEEN BUILT.
SUPPORT THE PEOPLE WHO DO THE WORK.
Jim Snyder, 27-year Yosemite Trails veteran and author of the “Ten Commandments”
