MTB Trailcare

Since completing our top 50m at the base of our Lower Three-Hills Reroute. (Which is closed until QPWS Rangers inspect and are happy with the trail), MTB Trailcare has been checking and adjusting drainages, repacking berm faces, and rock armouring some trail sections where soil types were allowing mud to form up on the new trail line for Three Hills.

We see this teething/adjustment period as a very important time to be out performing maintenance tasks.

QPWS (Grant money) & GCMTB (Just Ride, every meter counts raffle money) Paid for this trail reroute, as well as Volunteer work from MTB Trailcare. Trailworx is the first contractor in Nerang NP for many years and we are extremely pleased with every aspect of what has been done by Trailworx. Money very well spent!

None of the stakeholders involved want to see our new trail damaged by the combination of large rider volumes and wet weather, so checkups have become a daily task.

With daily rainfall and high rider traffic on new trail, these sections will quickly show any points of concern. Thankfully These teething issues are now reduced down to a minimum, allowing MTB Trailcare to make a start on closure of the old lines.

I went up after work on Friday for another look/adjustment as part of my new check up routine.

Once I was satisfied with the state of the trail, I closed the old disused top entrance for three hills.

Proper trail closure is every bit as important as all the work which goes into making new exciting trail.

The aim for any closure is to restore the hillside, so that in time (Hopefully a short time) the hillside will be left with little to no evidence that a trail was ever there. Because of the importance of this closure work, Doug and I also went out on Saturday, & I went again today.

We focused on the points where the old trail crosses the new line to reduce rider confusion.

Old Switchback line, Hill1.

Top end of Hill1, reroute area.

There is plenty more closure work still to be done, but these points were of the highest value from a trail users visual perspective.

QPWS have offered assistance for closures with a small digger/operator, but as a gesture of good will, I will continue to correctly close the old trail line where ever I can.

Happy Trails, Ash.