Roads and trails get you where you need to go every day. Millions of people drive for miles on the streets that shape their region to get to work, school or the store. Throughout national and local parks, marked trails tell hikers where they’re going so they can see main attractions and enjoy nature without getting lost.
On your homestead, roads and trails are just as important. They facilitate movement from one place to another and help you get all your tasks done for the day, like feeding your animals, tending to your garden or cutting down a few trees for firewood. These paths map out your property and are a vital part of your daily life. Here’s why you should build and maintain them.
They Offer a Place to Walk
You’ll be using the land to its fullest potential, and being able to maneuver easily throughout your property is a necessity. Without roads or paths, getting to where you need to go would be nearly impossible. Although some may enjoy using a machete to get through thorny thickets, it’s not realistic for everyday living.
You’ll need to get to multiple places on your homestead, like your gardens, barn, fields, home and any other buildings. You must also be able to access your water sources easily. Trails and roads facilitate the movement between various places. Plus, if you have visitors, paths ensure they won’t get lost on your property.
Think about what the world might look like without roads, sidewalks and trails. People wouldn’t have a path to travel and would destroy the land by driving, biking and walking wherever they pleased. Trails and roads allow them to travel without disturbing other areas of the land.
They Allow You to Enjoy Your Land
Trails and roads also allow you to enjoy your land. You can better understand your surroundings and property when you can freely move around. An area full of sticks, brush and other obstacles is harder to enjoy than one with built-in roads and trails.
Adults and kids can run and play on these trails to truly immerse themselves in the natural world. If you need to take a break from the work of the day, you can easily take a walk through your property and experience nature to the fullest.
Trails exist within nature, as wild animals create their own. They can get to where they’re going and enjoy the journey along the way without worry of giant mud pits or obstructions in their paths.
They Provide a Place for Animals to Move
Roads and trails are a must if you have animals living on your homestead. They allow creatures to move freely throughout your property. Without them, you risk having them get injured. Cattle could easily stumble over branches if they’re trying to access another field without a trail. You could suffer a financial setback if the cow gets hurt.
Additionally, if you have multiple pastures for grazing animals, trails and roads will allow you to move them between fields quickly. Paths are an excellent way to encourage rotational grazing, a sustainable practice for cattle and soil.
Wildlife can also benefit from trails. They may encourage more deer, turkeys or other animals to visit your property. They know the trails and roads are safe, so they will travel on them more frequently, especially if you design them in a way that looks natural and mimics the surroundings.
They Permit You to Better Manage Your Land
When you have roads and trails meandering through your property, you can better access main points to manage your land better. For example, perhaps you have a garden a few hundred yards away from your house. In that case, building a trail from your home to the plot allows you easy access at any time.
You’ll likely have little paths between your vegetables, berries and fruits to make your garden easier to maintain. If not, you’d probably step on plants and produce by accident. They mitigate the loss of food.
Managing your land is a daily part of living on a homestead. You might need to access fallen trees for firewood or tend to an animal across the field quickly. Whatever it is, roads and trails can easily get you there and won’t slow you down so you can keep your homestead efficient and sustainable.
They Encourage Visitors
Trails and roads also encourage visitors to come to your property. A homestead that lacks access might turn callers away. When you have family, friends or other homesteaders over at your property, you want them to enjoy the place just as much as you do.
The more people that enjoy your property because of all the trails, the better. Increasing numbers of people can learn about your lifestyle, encouraging them to consider homesteading for themselves. They can enter your property and immediately immerse themselves in nature.
Additionally, you can host homesteading days where people from your local community come to your property and experience the life of a homesteader. You can use the roads and trails to take them on a guided tour throughout your property. This is a great way to connect with members of your community and teach others about sustainable, off-the-grid living.
They Enable You to Recycle Materials
A great way to use recyclable materials is by making a road. You can upcycle many different materials into trail filler. It might not look the prettiest initially, but some building supplies and leftovers make for excellent materials.
If you already have roads and paths established, check on them to see if they need any fillers. Trails tend to wear away from melting snow and heavy usage throughout the winter. There are likely many potholes, which can be a nuisance and can even damage your vehicles. Use old concrete or stone to fill them in.
You can also use recycled materials to establish a roadbed. Sometimes, it’s more logical to use parts from a worn-down building on your property than to find a way to dispose of them. Plus, you’re helping the environment by upcycling rather than throwing things away. Use tools to take down cinder blocks and wood, and haul them to various locations on your property to make a road.
They Let You Plan Your Property’s Layout With More Detail
When you go to a new town, how do you know where to go? You look at signs and names of streets to know where to turn. If you have a larger property, you can make your own road names and signs so visitors can better maneuver throughout your homestead.
You can also plan your property’s layout with more detail. If you just landed yourself a new homestead, you need to be able to navigate the land. Installing roads to major buildings and other locations on your property makes it easier to locate those places.
You can draw up a detailed map of your property as well. If you were ever to sell your homestead, a map with various routes and trails would help new owners maneuver the land.
They Extend Your Outdoor Living Area
Roads and trails also extend your outdoor living area. As a homesteader, you try to use every piece of your property to its fullest potential. A path right off your back porch might lead to an outdoor kitchen area or fire pit where your family enjoys a meal together.
Many homesteaders use the outdoors for various projects, like cooking, washing clothes and splitting firewood. Trails surrounding your home can lead you to these areas and make it easy for your family and friends to gather there as well.
Also, roads may take you to your favorite hideaway spot, deep into the woods. You might have a guest bedroom or cabin a few hundred yards away from your home for your friends. They can easily access that by taking the road.
Things to Consider When Building a Road or Nature Trail
There are many factors to consider when building trails or roads on your homestead. You need to make sure you fully understand every aspect of making these routes. Here are some tips to get started.
Plan to Go With the Landscape
When planning your roads and trails, you want to do your best to leave the land as undisturbed as possible. Some disruption will be necessary, but do what you can to avoid future erosion.
Erosion can cause soil and harmful materials to enter waterways near your property, but you can mitigate it with proper planning. It will also save you hassle when taking care of the road. It’s more challenging to maintain a trail when it keeps wearing away.
Consider Using Existing Paths
Thoroughly check your property for existing paths. However, if they run through wet areas on your property, they will be problematic. In that case, create a new road or trail. Try to avoid covering any wet spots on your property because it can leave you with potholes and a muddy mess.
If a current path is on sturdy ground and takes you to a key location on your property, then use it. You’ll take fewer chances of disturbing valuable land, and you won’t have to work as hard if you use a trail that’s already there.
Add Proper Drainage
You will need proper drainage so your routes don’t flood when it rains or when the snow melts. One way to ensure you have adequate drainage is by creating a slope. The middle of the path should be the highest point so any water that hits it will go off to the sides.
Since water will be draining off to either side of your roads and trails, you’ll need to dig ditches. Slacking on this aspect of building roads will cause you trouble in the future, so take the time and make them deep. Over the years, you’ll have to maintain these as well if they get clogged from leaves or branches.
Use the Correct Gravel
Next, consider the gravel you’ll use. There are various types and sizes of stone, so do your research or ask for expert advice on what rock to use. If you’re just starting to build your road or trail, choose larger gravel. It will fill in holes and create a solid foundation for driving on. You can fill in the rest of the paths with smaller stones. Pack it in so it makes a firm road or trail you can drive and walk on.
If you want to compact the road further, you can add in fine gravel or sand. This makes the trail smoother and holds everything together. Additionally, if there are steeper parts of your roads, you can increase safety with a high-friction surface treatment to help you maintain better control of your vehicles. If you want to make paths a bit more elevated, you can pour concrete or create a stepping stone path.
Gather Your Tools
Although this is usually the first thing you should do, it’s also required for maintaining your roads. Use tools like chainsaws, axes, shovels and a mattock to create them. If necessary, you may need heavy equipment to clear pathways.
Ensure the tools are highly rated so they’ll last you for many years and get the job done. Roads and trails are pretty permanent, at least for however long you’ll be living on the homestead, so you want to make sure you build them correctly.
Have Patience
Finally, have patience. Roads are not something you can complete in one day. They take time to settle in and become a smooth route to the significant locations on your property. Install your most important trails first, like the ones to your garden and animals, and then take time to build the rest.
Patience in planning and mapping out your roads and trails will save you hassle and time in the future. Plus, you can make better decisions about how you’re going to build them.
Take the Long Way When Building Roads and Trails
Building roads and trails for your homestead will undoubtedly take time, but it’s best not to take any shortcuts. The pathways you create are integral to your property and lifestyle, so carefully plan them out to make the most of them.
Author Bio:
Jane is the editor-in-chief of Environment.co. She is passionate about sustainability, gardening and homesteading.
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