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Cleared Track

4 min read

Parent
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Road Types & Selection
Choosing the right road for terrain and traffic
Current
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Cleared Track
Minimum effort — remove obstacles, mark route

A cleared track is a marked path with rocks, fallen trees and brush removed, enough for people on foot and pack animals but not for wheeled vehicles, because it turns to mud in rain and erodes on slopes. One or two people can clear 1-2 km a day through moderate terrain. Mark the route first with stakes, blazes or cairns, cut stumps flush with the ground, and fill the worst holes.

Part of Road Construction Basics

The simplest road: a walked and marked route with obstacles cleared, built with hand tools in days.

A Track Costs A Day Or Two Per Kilometre And Fails In Rain

The parent article calls it the simplest road. It does not need a base, a crown or ditches. It needs a clear route that people can find and follow, free of things that trip or snag. Its limits are real: it turns to mud in rain, erodes on slopes, and overgrows quickly, so the parent says it suits foot traffic and pack animals and is not adequate for wheeled vehicles.

Use a track as a first step. It gets people and loads moving now, and shows where a better road will eventually go. For clearing methods in more detail see Trail Clearing.

What You Need

  • Marking materials — stakes, a hatchet for blazes on trees, or stones for cairns.
  • Cutting tools — an axe, a saw or a billhook for brush and small trees.
  • A pick or mattock and shovel — for rocks, roots and holes.
  • A rope or cord — to drag logs.

Method: Clear And Mark A Track

Step 1: Walk and mark the route Walk it once, choosing firm ground and avoiding wet ground and steep side slopes where you can. Mark it with stakes, blazes on trees or cairns so that others can follow without you.

Step 2: Remove obstacles Take out rocks, fallen trees and brush from the path.

Step 3: Cut stumps flush Cut stumps off level with the ground, so no one trips.

Step 4: Fill holes and level the worst bumps Fill holes with earth or small stones, firm them down, and knock off bumps.

Step 5: Plan the next step Note the places that turn to mud. Those are where a gravel base or a corduroy road will come first.

Worked Example: An 8 km Track To A Spring

Inputs: the parent’s rate of 1-2 km a day for one or two people; a route of 8 km.

  • Slowest: 8 km / 1 km per day = 8 days.
  • Fastest: 8 km / 2 km per day = 4 days.
  • So 4-8 days of work for one or two people, about a week. Moderate terrain is assumed; thick brush or steep ground will be slower.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving stumps — they trip people and snag pack animals. Cut them flush.
  • Marking too little — a track you cannot find in fog or snow is not a track.
  • Sending carts over it — the parent says it is not adequate for wheeled vehicles. Wheels cut ruts in mud.
  • Running it down a slope — water follows the track and erodes it. Angle across slopes.

Safety

Felling and tool injuries

A tree or branch held under tension can spring back when cut; cut from the side, not the front. Keep clear of the fall line of every tree, and stay a full axe-swing length from other workers. Mark deep holes and loose rock on slopes.

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