Specializing in trail layout, design and construction
Long Cane Trails, LLC is a Carolina based trail building company specializing in trail layout, design and construction of multi-use trails intended for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. Trails are built with long term sustainability in mind while ensuring user enjoyment in the flow of the trail. Focusing on erosion control and proper drainage through the use of rolling grade dips, rock armoring, and raised tread surfaces, Long Cane Trails limits the impact on the natural environment as much as possible. A fine balance between machines and hand tools creates sustainable and fun trails.
Experts in trail planning, design, construction, and maintenance, Long Cane Trails works with government, non-profit, and private entities to craft quality trail projects and has experience building trails in a variety of terrain having worked in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Oregon, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
We are available for consultation on a variety of levels to suit your needs from early planning to layout/design to full construction.
Long Cane Trails is a proud member of the Professional Trailbuilders Association since 2003.
Projects
Services
Layout And Design
Trail layout and design is perhaps the most crucial step in trailbuilding. Proper trail design can eliminate many needs for future trail maintenance as well as ensure user enjoyment. Long Cane Trails adheres to sustainable trail layout practices and is known for their flow type trail. Specializing in mountain bike trails, Long Cane Trails has a distinct eye for the optimal mountain bike line and flow. Their approaches to trail management include twisty turning trail flow, trail anchors to keep users on the trail and chokes to slow users down before intersections or turns. These methods are effective in keeping bike speed in check on multi use trails while still creating an environment that keeps the cyclist’s interest.
Construction
We build our trails using Sustainable Trail Construction Principals as our guide. This practice builds rolling contour trails which traverse the terrain and never have a grade that exceeds 1/2 of the hillside it sits on. This means that these trails also maintain an average grade of 10% and do not exceed a maximum grade of 15-20%. Sustainable trails construction also uses different techniques like rolling grade dips, grade reversals, rolling crown switchback turns and downhill outslopes to shed water from the trail and avoid erosion.
We use several trail building machines including a mini Excavator, Sweco Trail Blazer, and Ditch Witch SK 500 skid steer to manufactur our trails. We also use variety of hand tools like a Pulaski, McCleod and the Rogue Ax. Most of our trails are roughed in by machine and finished by hand.
Consulting
Long Cane Trails is available for consulation on a variety of levels. We have worked with land managers, private landowners, special use groups and volunteers to build sweet singletrack. We specialize in community involvement trails where volunteer organizations are brought in to help prepare and finish the trail.