Monthly Trail Maintenance Timeline
(When to go out and what to try and do)
July
August
Start to evaluate trails and bridges looking at where your focus should be for particular trails.
When evaluating trails these are some things to look for and think back to the previous winter about….
- Do any of the bridges need re-planking or other work? (pay particular attention to the main supports to the bridge and approaches does it look like the cutting edge was hitting anywhere last year during grooming season?)
-Does the trail need straightening to eliminate a dangerous curve or widening to better accommodate the blazer and drag?
-Are there any rocks that were pushed up by frost last winter that can be moved off the trail?
-Is there standing water if so can any ditching be done to get this water out of the trail? (this is where most commonly we will see washouts)
-Is there pruning that needs to be done to widen or eliminate heavy snow covered branches from hanging down into the trails?
September
This is when we start to act on the things that we found back in August when evaluating the following questions regarding the trails and bridges.
NOTE: We will have weekly work sessions on Sundays throughout the month of September. We will meet each Sunday morning at Cumston Hall for 9 A.M. and break up into smaller work groups from there.
-Do any of the bridges need re-planking or other work? (pay particular attention to the main supports to the bridge and approaches does it look like the cutting edge was hitting anywhere last year during grooming season?) Any concerns should be considered as we start doing the Sunday work sessions. All trail concerns should be communicated to a section leader and the Trailmaster so that they can be followed up on.
-Is there pruning that needs to be done to widen or eliminate heavy snow covered branches from hanging down into the trails? Imagine every trail with 2 ft of wet heavy snow what are the branches going to be doing? Prune whatever would concern you if this were the situation.
-Does the trail need straightening to eliminate a dangerous curve or widening to better accommodate the blazer and drag?
-Are there any rocks that were pushed up by frost last winter that can be moved off the trail?
-Is there standing water if so can any ditching be done to get this water out of the trail? (this is where most commonly we will see washouts)
October
We will continue to act on the things that we found back in August and September when evaluating and completing trail and bridge work.
NOTE: We will have weekly work sessions on Sundays throughout the month of October. We will meet each Sunday morning at Cumston Hall for 9 A.M. and break up into smaller work groups from there.
Also keep in mind that October is Archery deer hunting season
November
We will hopefully be wrapping up pre snow trail work and now need to focus on what we will need to do for signing towards the end of the month.
For Trail signing guidelines check out the files section of our google groups page where I have uploaded the “Maine Snowmobile Trail Signing Guidelines”.
Priority in signing is all stop ahead and stop signs, road crossings, and intersections of all types also any bridges should be marked so that sleds can use caution when approaching these areas. All sharp curves and curvy trails should also be signed accordingly.
NOTE: In November rifle hunting season is under way so use caution while doing any signing if on any day other than a Sunday.
It is best to do your signing as soon after rifle season as possible because otherwise you will start to deal with frost in the ground which will hinder your ability make holes to easily pound in your grade stakes.
Remember muzzle loading season goes 1 to 2 weeks after rifle season so if possible do your signing on Sundays or wear blaze orange if signing during the week.
December
Enjoy the snowfall and the trails that you have prepped for the winter snowmobiling season.
In the early part of the winter target any trouble areas such as washouts or other obstacles that could bring danger to sleds that may be using the trails or that will pose hazards when dragging and maintaining the trail throughout the winter.
See Early winter trail maintenance for some tips on overcoming some of these early winter obstacles.
The better we take care of them early the better the trail will stay throughout the winter.