Trail Conditions, Reporting and Maintenance

Volunteers with the Kimberley Nature Park Society (KNPS) do their best to keep trails in excellent condition. Each spring, a Trail Upgrades Committee is struck to analyze the status of trails in the park and in Horse Barn Valley, and to decide which trails need work to improve them, including rerouting.

 

The season usually begins with leaf raking to better define trails and to rid them of organic matter. After this, trail work parties are organized to deal with issues raised by the committee and approved by the society’s directors. Each issue is dealt with on a case-by-case basis, and new trails are rare, in keeping with conservation concerns.

 

Weather, downed trees, and old trail designs all conspire to keep the Trail Upgrades Committee active. This section explains how you can see the condition of trails, how to report trail issues, and how you can contribute to keeping the information current.

 

The nature park society uses an online Tree Down reporting system. The link below will take you to our simple online form for reporting a problem: https://www.kimberleytrails.org/trail-reports.html 

 

We also use an app called Trailforks that can be downloaded to your smart phone and used while exploring the trails. By selecting a given trail, you can see its condition and status, with the latter having a date stamp. These aspects may be updated by users, as well as by KNPS volunteers.

 

The condition will let you know whether the trail is snow-covered, wet, dry, etc. The status uses a four-level grading system:

• Green: All good.  

• Yellow: Minor issues.  

• Orange: Significant issues.  

• Red: Closed or major issues.

 

Park users are encouraged to use the Trailforks app to report trees down, problem erosion, or significant areas of mud or snow cover. The more precise you can be with tree size and location, the better our park volunteers will be able to deal promptly with problems.

 

This link provides a video tutorial by Trailforks to guide you through the process of using your smartphone and Trailforks app to quickly and easily produce a report about a trail.

 

You can also contact the KNPS using this email: kimberleynaturepark@gmail.com

 

The KNPS relies almost entirely on volunteer efforts for trail maintenance and work. From time to time, larger projects are contracted out and built or maintained by partner organizations. If you enjoy contributing to the trails you use, working outdoors, and sharing a sense of community, your volunteer time is greatly appreciated. No prior experience is required, and tools are available.

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To become involved, watch for notices of work parties on our Facebook page and in member emails.

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