A Guide to New Trails

The IMBA Trail Development Process provides a comprehensive roadmap for communities aiming to build and sustain thriving trail systems. This process is composed of a series of interconnected steps, where the success of one phase is critical to the long-term viability of the next.

The foundation of the entire process is Community Engagement, the work of bringing people together to forge a unified voice and build a shared vision for the trails. With this community support established, the focus shifts to securing the necessary permissions, namely Access (building relationships with land managers) and Funding (sourcing financial support).

These efforts pave the way for the technical phase: Inventory (analyzing the landscape) and Planning and Design (creating the detailed trail map and plan for the network). This is the key moment where a community's vision is translated into a buildable reality.

Following the plan, Construction is the physical act of implementation: creating the trail, bike park, or associated trail amenities. Finally, the focus shifts to long-term Stewardship, which ensures trails are maintained, promoted, and cared for so they can be enjoyed as successful, living resources for generations to come.