Brutkey

David Bender
@Bender@ecoevo.social

Got to enjoy some time hiking along the Appalachian Trail the other weekend when in Gettysburg, PA for the PA-DE American Society of Land Architects (ASLA) annual conference.

Lovely trails and natural-design staircases, each one managing stormwater (to reduce erosion) differently. Details in photo descriptions (alt-text).

#Nature #Hiking #Trail #Design #Landscape #Land #Architecture #Stairs

A gravel stairway with 6x6 log risers winds up and around a steep slope into the distance. A small wooden bridge traverses a gentle, wide stormwater swale in the foreground that allows water to gently flow off the stairs, down the hill to its side, then under the bridge before joining a stream at the bottom of the hill. A rugged, rocky staircase covered in leaves from last autumn mounts a steep, jagged slope. Steps are made of compacted earth with risers made of 2-4 stones each, set slightly lower in the middle of the tread allowing stormwater to cascade over the stairs and through the cracks between them during heavy rain events, dispersing the water's velocity and reducing rutting along the staircase. A narrow, raised trail made of gravel nestled between parallel logs abuts a small, low wetland. The raised trail keeps hikers out of the sensitive, muddy habitat while allowing water to seep through and under the trail - ensuring the wetland isn't cut off from its source or destination. A staircase made of solid dry-laid stone descends a narrow pathway shaded by giant Rhododendrons and Mountain Laurels. A deep gutter next to the staircase is lined with stones to reduce erosion and curves away from the trail at regular intervals (off to the left where the stone steps stop, then again further down the dirt trail) to let stormwater spread out over a wide hill immediately to the side of the trail, preventing the water from gaining too much velocity as it travels down the side of the trail.