Building for the Storm: Designing for a Future of Extreme Conditions
For many places, it used to be that winter meant downtime. A chance for the soil to settle, tools to be cleaned, and crews to take a breath. But lately, the off-season has disappeared. Trails that once held through a steady drizzle now vanish under a single storm. Water cuts deeper, drains fail faster, and what was once routine maintenance now feels like emergency response.
Around the globe, trail builders are discovering that climate resilience is no longer a side note in their work. It is the work.
The New Normal
From the mossy forests of the Pacific Northwest to the red clay hills of Appalachia, weather extremes are putting trails to the test. Rainfall totals are breaking records, freeze-thaw cycles are stretching longer, and summer storms arrive with the force of winter floods. NOAA’s Climate Change Indicators (“Heavy Precipitation”) dataset shows roughly +15–20 % increase in the heaviest one-day rainfall events across the Pacific Northwest since 1958.
For many builders, it feels like every project is now a live experiment in adaptation. We know that outdoor recreation supports countless jobs and billions in spending each year, but these economic benefits depend on access. When trails wash out or close, local economies take the hit too.
The numbers tell one story. The ground under our boots tells another.
When the soil is saturated, even small mistakes in trail design compound quickly. Water finds the path of least resistance, and that path is often the trail itself. The result is ruts, gullies, and a cycle of damage that worsens with each storm.
Designing for Durability
Trail builders have always worked with the landscape, not against it. But now, that collaboration demands more precision. It starts at the design stage.
In wet or erosion-prone zones, good drainage is the difference between a trail that lasts a season and one that lasts a decade. Grade reversals, outsloping, and rolling contour designs are no longer optional. They are standard practice. Builders are using rock armoring in corners and climbs, mixing in crushed aggregate or stabilizers where soils stay soft, and rerouting old fall-line trails to follow more sustainable lines.
The Pacific Northwest has become a living classroom for this. Crews are experimenting with native stone features that blend with the terrain while directing water flow. In some coastal regions, designers are raising tread in low-lying sections using borrow pits and compacted fill to keep riders and hikers above the saturation line.
Maintenance as Climate Response
Trail resilience does not end when the ribbon is cut. In many regions, the new reality means inspecting drainages after every major storm, not just once a season. It means clearing sediment, repairing culverts, and identifying trouble spots before they become failures.
Maintenance has become its own form of climate adaptation. A proactive approach can extend a trail’s lifespan by years and save thousands in future repair costs. For many volunteer organizations, that also means a shift in mindset. Seeing maintenance not as the unglamorous side of trail work but as its most important long-term investment.
Some groups are experimenting with real-time reporting tools and mobile apps that let users flag washouts or blocked drains. Others are training specialized “storm response” crews ready to move quickly after heavy weather. These efforts not only protect trails but also the communities and economies that depend on them.
Lessons from the Field
As an example, one crew rebuilt a section of trail that had repeatedly sloughed off a steep hillside. Their fix was simple but smart: alternating rock cribbing and grade reversals every 40 feet to keep water moving off the tread. A year later, after one of the wettest winters on record, the line is still solid.
In another location, builders are armoring switchbacks with local stone and using outsloped platforms to shed water faster. In the northern Rockies, volunteers are replacing wooden bridges with culverts that can handle higher runoff volumes from melting snowpacks. Across the board, adaptation is becoming a creative process, a blend of engineering, ecology, and experience.
Each storm teaches something new. Each rebuild refines the craft.
Looking Ahead
Trail building has always been about the connection between people, landscapes, and the shared experience of being outdoors. Now, it is also about resilience. The same creativity that shapes a perfect berm or a scenic viewpoint is what will help this community adapt to a changing climate.
As the weather shifts, so must our mindset. Trails cannot be built for the climate we remember. They have to be built for the one we have.
The work ahead is not easy, but it is meaningful. Every drain cut, every rerouted trail, every rock set with care is an act of stewardship. Trail builders have always been the first to show up after a storm. Now, they are the ones preparing for the next one.
If your organization has developed innovative approaches to building or maintaining trails in wet or high-erosion conditions, we want to hear from you.
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag and the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. He also owns and roasts coffee for Loam Coffee.
